Teams arrive for the start of XPD Australian Alps.

Thredbo is a hive of activity with teams rolling into town for the start of XPD, Australia’s only expedition length adventure race.

The sun is shining and the forecast for the next few days is looking good, however you can spot the Queensland teams who have donned their beanies and gloves after the overnight and morning frost

Registration is complete and the conference center is buzzing with activity.

Thirty-one teams will line up at the start line for what is promised to be an amazing expedition through the Australian high country.

Seven international teams, Driftwood (USA), Still thinking about it (PNG), Cyclepath (USA), Securify.co.nz (NZ), Nga Rakau (NZ / South Africa), and 4TC (NZ/ AUS), have made the trek to Australia for what is an iconic race on the international calendar and also a qualifying event for the World Championships.

The Australian teams are a diverse mix of seasoned adventure racers and excited first timers. Goldfish, Box Jellyfish, Starfactor, as well as some other individual competitors have all competed in all of the 4 XPD races.

Teams Outdoor Magazine, Driftwood, GuRus, No Roads BIG FISH Expeditions and Austrelaps are race virgins and taking on XPD for the first time.

At this stage the course is still secret so speculation amongst the competitors is running high. With amazing scenery and landmarks in all four directions from Thredbo the course could head in any direction.

“The real unknown is the start of the race, if it is a point to point then who knows where on earth the start could be. My guess is that we will be finishing with a trek on the main range, possibly a paddle on Lake Eucumbene, but it really could take us anywhere“ says David Baldwin from Tangerine.

All will be revealed tomorrow morning at 9:00am when the teams are given the course. They will then have until 3:00 to pack up all of the gear, in bike boxes and trunks, that they will need for the race.

After an initial briefing this morning with Race Organiser Craig Bycroft, teams have to complete a series of competency checks, including paddling, navigation, first aid, team bios (have a read of them on the website!) as well as have the official team photo and interview.

The teams photos and a short video will be up on the website soon.