NIWA had promised the best summer weather for years, and so it was
April 2008
By Don French
At Mt Cook Ollie Touhy & Don French climbed Mt Hamilton from the rarely visited east ridge accessed via the Murchison valley. The lower ridge took a day to climb up. The rope was used to protect 3 or 4 pitches, with some very broken rock being experienced. They bivied at 2200ms. The second day of climbing was primary on ice and snow, following an appealing ridge which passed through a series of ice cliffs to the expansive summit snow fields. The descent was to the north and down the Darwin Glacier with a night being spent bivying on the Tasman glacier.
Paul Mason then joined Don French for a trip into the Olivine Ice Plateau. The route was from the Dart, and Seal col. 2 storm bound nights were spent camped at 2200ms just below the summit of Mt Watkins before a southerly clearing enables a hurried traverse of the Thunder Glacier onto the plateau, via Climax col. The route did require two rappels to pass a crevasse, but the efforts were rewarded with a spectacular camp on the plateau. The next morning Climax was dispatched in perfect conditions, and the two moved onto a night at the Olivine Ledge rock bivy, and then out via a ramble down the Beans Burn.
After celebrating a successful trip the same two then moved to Colin Todd hut, using a compass to navigate the white out of the Bonar glacier. The following day saw them climb the west ridge of Stargazer. The ridge was superb climb of moderate difficulty with spectacular views into the Waipara. Prior to exiting for a beer via Bevan col, Paul & Don climbed the full North West ridge of Aspiring.
Don spent some time at Homer hut before teaming up with Matt Downes, Paul & Trevor Bowker. Armed with a permit the 4 did a 4 day trip into the Murchison Mountains behind late Te Anau via the MacKenzie Burn. After a night at Robin Saddle hut the 4 climbed Mt Irene on yet another cloudless Fiordland day.