Mt Aspiring Climb, New Zealand
22 February - 1 March 2007
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2007. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.
Mt Aspiring Climb, New Zealand 22 February - 1 March 2007
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2007. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
Mt Aspiring from Bevan Col
Introduction
Mt Aspiring, altitude 3025m, towers over the national park of the same name in New Zealand's South Island. Located in the southern alps, west of the town of Wanaka, Mt Aspiring is sometimes referred to as the Matterhorn of the south, being of similar shape and formed by similar geological processes as it's European counterpart.
I was part of a group of four from Sydney University Bushwalkers (SUBW) who set out to climb this peak via its North West Ridge in late February 2007. Being late in the climbing season, this route was the only sensible way up the mountain at the time, and since it is by far the easiest route anyway, we had no difficulty in deciding that that was the way we should go.
Many groups use helicopters to lift themselves, their guides and their equipment to Bevan Col, from which the return trip to the summit can be done in 2-3 days of fine weather. However, it was our strong preference to climb all of Mt Aspiring, from the car park at Raspberry Creek in the Matukituki Valley and return, without the help of guides nor helicopters. We thus allowed ourselves 7 days for the return trip, including some contingency days for bad weather, for which this region is notorious.
Because of our decision not to use guides for the climb, we found the climb very challenging, and the route exposed and technical by our standards. Yet since all four of us made it to the top successfully, and back down safely, in perfect weather, the trip was all the more rewarding for us having done it under our own steam and initiative.
This web page contains photos and notes from our climb of Mt Aspiring, and aims to celebrate the natural qualities of the region, as well as the fantastic week of challenging and rewarding climbing that we spent in it.
The party of four climbers where Chris, Rob Hynes, Greg Salway and myself, Ashley Burke. All photos are by Ashley Burke unless otherwise indicated.
Click the Next button below to start the slide show.
You can also take a look at Chris Berwick's photos at http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558044526yPGZPb
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2007. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
