Ben

Been a few years, but we avoided the col proper. Instead, head up a gully to the right of the col (snow), and then about 2/3 of the way up, head up and left on a gray-ish rock band. This will take you to a notch where you can downclimb about 10 feet to the snow.

Wayne sorry i wasn't being very clear. I have done both the N Ridge and the NW Face/Rib and both times came in via Sharkfin col. I remember it being a pretty flat glacier walk both times. Getting to the NW side is a bit longer, but the crossing over the N. Ridge was easy. It did take a bit of zigzagging while heading up on the Forbidden glacier to reach the rock on the NW Rib.

Nice report. Interesting to hear about the west ridge approach. I've heard it was doable but never gotten any details. Having done this climb, I'd put in a plug for approaching via Sharkfin col. From a bivy in Boston Basin, getting over the col, around the mountain and up and over is really quite doable. (I'm sure someone's done it in a day.) The walk over the Boston Glacier and over the N. Ridge seems really cruiser compared with your description of rapping down from the W. Ridge...

Great report! I've long wondered about this area. Does it seem feasible to continue the traverse westward, say all the way to White pass and then out the white river trail? Also, is it any easier travel to head along the north side from Clark -- connecting the Clark to Butterfly glaciers?

I used the Deuter Kid Comfort 1 with both my kids (just sold it, sorry). I found it well made, reasonably comfortable, and the kids liked it. We took it to Mexico, which was nice, because stollers are pretty useless down there. Did a lot of dayhikes, but nothing overnight. The sun/rain shade is nice/useful. The gear compartment is small -- it holds some snacks, water, and a few diapers, which is fine for a day hike or round the town. The internal harness (to keep them in place) is pretty fiddly -- we stopped using it pretty quickly. I found that you can put them in there young as long as you include quite a bit of padding -- just pack them in there with blankets, etc. As for overnights, I capitulated early and gave up on the entire concept, and settled for car camping or day hikes... Anyway, I'd recommend it, I see the models have changed somewhat, so not sure if they've gotten better or worse...

SOLD

Camp Brenta hammer, like new: $20. Various pitons: $30 for the set of 10. Includes lost arrows #1-#4, Lucky right angles #1-#2, two Stubai stilletos (similar to knifeblade), and one Stubai soft leaver piton. Most of these are in new or like-new condition. -- SOLD SMC crampons with Scottish-style straps: $20 PM or ben dot dugan at gmail dot com

Silvretta 400 bindings, 180cm skis (buyer takes skis), and G3 climbing skins. Skins have been used less than a half dozen times. Skis are old but work. $100 for the set. PM or ben dot dugan at gmail dot com

I tried it (a traverse from Lundin to PCT) years ago. Here are my notes: (Early September, 1997). Climbed Lundin (alone) via W ridge (3 hrs to summit). This being late season, it was a mistake to leave the trail at ~4000 ft. I should've used the higher approach. Descended the E ridge (short rap). Then I followed a trail to the pass above the small pond. Then I took the trail down for a short distance, before picking up a faint tread going up the SW face of Red. The W ridge looks really loose. (2 more hrs from Lundin to Red, largely due to backups at the rap station on Lundin.) Then I decended the E ridge (loose) in an attempt to get all the way to the PCT but was stopped by deep notch (5400 ft). A couple of raps, or checking out the N side might get you down here, but I descended the rib on the S all the way to the basin. At this point, it is smarter to head up the talus back to the PCT. Instead I bushbashed (bad, at this time of year) down meet the Com. trail (best to take the stream, probably). Took the Com. trail back to the car (quicker than the pct). Total time 8 hrs. Took a 50m 6mm rapline and harness.

It's not clear to me that the NEB is actually easier in all conditions -- it seems like you'd have to do some digging in winter-time to find the anchors. Rapping the gully in winter conditions certainly seemed pretty straightforward by comparison. And in case anyone cares, it's of course also really easy just to walk off (just keep heading south and then circle around the subsidiary peak back towards thumbtack basin). I guess that would be too easy though -- no ropes required...

It's not as direct as taking Leroy creek, but certainly a nice option. A few years back, I climbed Maude (via the regular route) by hiking up Leroy creek (which is steep) and after Maude, I traversed along the high route until it meets the rock creek trail, which takes you back to your car. This makes a beautiful loop trip. Rock creek has lots of switchbacks so it might be easier on your knees on the way down. As I recall, the high route was pretty easy to follow. Don't expect a formal trail the whole way -- it was mostly just game trails and open country. It used to be a sheephearder's route, I believe...

In my experience, you can often still get better deals for international travel if you talk to a human. It might be worth spending an hour checking with some of the consolidators or bucket shops. When faced with a similar situation, I landed a ticket on a charter flight out of Vancouver to Berlin for $500 (instead of $1000). Also be flexible about not flying into London. Within Europe, there is crazy price competition for regional flights. So you can get a cheap ticket to the Netherlands, Germany, or France, and then pick up a regional flight to London. Last summer I flew from Rotterdam to Berlin for 9 Euros (plus 20 Euros airport tax!) These regional airlines aren't available on expedia or orbitz -- check out something like: http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/budget/

I've stayed at the Gite Chamoniard Volant (they have a website now, www.chamoniard.com) twice. It's about a 10 minute walk from the train station (up valley). The manager is friendly. Bunks are probably around $15/night, depending on how far down the toilet the dollar has gone. You can cook your own food. I've stored stuff and left a car with the manager for several days without hassle.

Sharkfin col isn't that bad if you know the trick. It took us about 5 hours from a bivy in Boston Basin to reach the route (probably futzed around for an hour crevasse wandering to gain access to the rock). I imagine you might be able to shave a little time off the approach if you went over the West ridge, but the walk around the N ridge is actually quite pleasant. Personally, I liked the route better than the E, W, and N ridges. Here are a few pics from our climb (a few years back): pics

I've always headed up the trail towards Red Mtn pass to about 4800 feet (small pond). Here you can traverse NW brush free along bluffs and gain access to the slopes directly S of Lundin.

Such hatred for Guye peak? I can't speak to the west face routes -- they all look nasty. But for a peak so close to the road it does have a lot to offer. Go explore the south facing routes. There are nice, long scrambles over there. And the east gully is fun in winter -- I'm sure it's been skied, but I'm suprised no one has done it and renamed it something more dramatic...

Here are some notes I took two summers ago after climbing it. At that time, it looked like there was a somewhat established rap route (based on the location of slings w. double rap rings). Of course, I didn't didn't do it, so can't vouch for how straightforward it is. Read on: "There is now a well-established rappel route, or so it seems. As I remember, from bottom to top: at the base of the second pitch there is a tree anchor; at the top of the 5.9 (tree anchor); the double-bolt pseudo hanging belay on the first bolt ladder should/might get you down to the base top of the 5.9 pitch (this is questionable, but should work b/c the 4th pitch is short); and then there are 2 more tree anchors above and a 2 bolt anchor on the sub summit. This would mean 6 double rope raps to the easier ground..." They would all be double rope raps, but I can't say if they are 50 or 60 meters. Again, I haven't done this, just noted that it might be possible based on the in-situ gear I saw last time. To be safe, bring your walking shoes and be prepared to walk off. (The added benefit to walking off is that you can feel superior to the south side crowds when they ask you where you came from...)

Actually, I think the east gully in solid conditions is kind of a fun and moderate winter climb. It's also a decent and fast way to descend after climbing the S rib.

There are decent bivy spots on the "toe" of the North ridge. Using these makes for a casual, 2 day trip. Spend day one reaching the bivy spots (budget a half day, depending on how fast you are). Spend day two climbing and descending. That side of the mountain is beautiful, and never as crowded as Boston Basin. It's well worth spending the night there. Yes this means a carryover, but the climbing on the ridge really isn't hard enough to worry about it, even for relative newbies.

If you go to Mt. Cook region, do the Ball Pass route. Starting in the village, hike up the east side of the Hooker glacier, and then up. Bivy up in high basin with amazing views of La Perouse, S. Face of Hicks, and Mt. Cook. Then head over the pass to crazy views of the 2000m Caroline Face of Mt. Cook and the Tasman glacier. The only bummer is the dusty walk back down the Tasman to the village, although you can surely arrange to have someone from the village pick you up. Ice axe and crampons are all that is required. Compared to the Copeland pass route, you won't see any crowds, and this has the advantage of being a loop from Mt. Cook village -- it also takes you closer to the heart of the range. A dayhike from the village up to the Mueller hut is a good warmup -- a few minor peaks can be scrambled from there. Otherwise, a nice place for moderate alpine highcountry is Nelson Lakes National Park. Finally, I would also recommend doing at least one non "Great Walks" trip -- you might actually meet some New Zealanders "spending a few days in the bush" rather than just Germans. It takes a bit more research (talk to locals in ourdoor shops, etc.), but is really well worth it.

Notes from a walk I took up there in Summer 1994, which was basically a circumnavigation of the Chair... 1st I gained (via Source lake) the long E ridge/shoulder of Chair peak. I hiked the shoulder and eventually traversed under the N face of Chair to a smallish notch/pass on the N side of the peak. From here, a couple of rappels took me to easier ground on the W side of Chair. I traversed south along boulder fields (dropping down to the trail which connects Melakwa lake and Melakwa pass would have been easier, I think), until I reached a gentle SW spur coming off of the S end of the Chair massif. (This spur drops down to just E of Lower Melakwa Lake.) I scrambled this ridge and eventually gained the pass just N of Bryant peak. From here I descend basically straight E towards Source lake, which was a stupid move. Much of the descent was vertical bushwacking and rappelling through dense undergrowth. Perhaps heading N along the gentler slopes on the E of the Chair massif would have been easier. I eventually hit easier ground and the climber's trail which is used to access the Tooth, and from there, back to the car. So yes, it's quite possible, and not a bad outing. A rope does help, as I recall. The east shoulder and traverse along the N side of chair (nice benches, great views) was a lot nicer than the endless talus on the west side.

If you're comfortable on that kind of terrain, the East ledges can be a great way down, especially when dry (which it definitely won't be right now). If descending the west ridge, there are spots where you can scramble along the north side (thereby avoiding all the parties on their way up), but again, this terrain will be snowcovered right now. Sticking to the ridge would probably be the way to go. In terms of getting down from the west ridge notch, if snow conditions are good, walking down is definitely the way to go. I find rapping down it a pain because of the sideways slant to the gully. In some cases, you have to "pendulum" eastwards to reach anchors on the adjoining rock. If I ever descend the west ridge again, I would probably try to discover the rap route down the 4th class terrain to the west of the gully. Good luck, getting off Forbidden can be a character building experience.... --Ben

The telemetry info from Alpental confirms the inversion (assuming the sensors are working right). The link below shows that temps at 3200 feet are around freezing, but up in the 40s higher up. Check out: Alpental Telemetry Info

This is simply wrong. It's a common misconception that an ATC (or other belay devices) will never slip. The amount of weight that can be held by an ATC is a function of how hard you're gripping the rope (and other things, like rope thickness)I seem to remember an ATC will start slipping at around 600 pounds, under normal conditions. Now imagine a high fall factor fall. Person falls, rope slips through the belay device, you grip harder, you get a rope burn. This has happened to me while catching an > 1 fall factor. Talk about 60 foot whippers isn't helpful, because lots of "whippers" don't actually generate very high forces... (That said, I still don't wear special belay/rappel gloves...)

I spent a couple of weeks around Mt. Cook (based in Mt. Cook village, at the local campground) in early December a few years back. The weather and snow conditions were pretty poor at that time. About a third of the days were climbable, but deep snow made progress hard in places. It was early season and finding partners was pretty tough. In the end, I did the Ball pass high route (which I highly recommend as in introduction to the area -- great views of Mt. Cook) alone. Also attempted Mt. Stefton (theoretically a good intro climb from the village, but turned around after a crevasse fall) and climbed the Acolyte (an easy peak, but somewhat remote, infrequently climbed), and did a bit of cragging. My biggest regret was probably not making it up to the upper Tasman glacier. It's pretty cheap to take a plane up there, and then situate yourself in one of the huts for climbing local peaks. If you're stuck in the village, check out the (only) pub. It's a pleasant place to hang out and drink cheap beer when the weather is crappy. Be sure to stock up on supplies before you reach the village. It has limited groceries. You may also want to look into a NZAC membership, because it makes the hut fees more reasonable, I think. Basically, don't go there with high expectations (especially "early" season), and you'll end up having a great time. I barely managed to get up anything, but still had a blast. Have fun. Ben