Mt Aspiring (3032m)
is one of New Zealand's most prominent
mountain icons,
the only 3,000m. peak outside Mt. Cook
National Park. Hidden from general
view and surrounded by three spectacular
glaciers the classical "horn"
of Mt
Aspiring dominates the sky-scape from the
Hollyford to the Haast. The Bonar,
the Therma and the Volta glaciers provide
limitless moderate ski terrain but all
drain to the west hence retaining a
mystic and awe-inspiring vistas from
general view.
The first settlers, the Polynesian Maori,
called it Tititea - shining white.
Chief Surveyor Thompson viewed the
glorious pyramid of ice and snow in 1857
and named it, The Oxford dictionary adds
colour to that meaning with adjectives:
rising, tapering, and upward soaring. The
word is derived from the Latin, spirare
to breathe.
However, a thesaurus extract appears apt
for climbers: To inspire, to perspire,
and to respire!
It was six years later when Hector,
Sullivan and Rayner set out on their
trans-
alpine quest and probed the upper reaches
of the West Matukituki and Waipara
valleys in 1863 looking for access passes
to the West Coast. Doctor (later Sir)
James Hector ( 1834 -1907) was a surgeon,
geologist and vigorous expedition, later
naming many landmarks in the Canadian
Rockies. They were not the last to be
repelled by the rigors and weather of the
upper Waipara valley.
The peak came to the attention of Alec
Graham, the outstanding Franz Josef
bushman, goldminer and mountaineer via a
short report by Charlie Douglas in
A.P. Harper's book{ Pioneer Work in the
Alps of New Zealand}.
Along Denis (Din) Nolan of Okuru, he led
Dr. Ebenezer Teichelmann from
Hokitika, up the Waiatoto valley to be
repulsed by the weather and Therma
icefall in January 1908. In his
memoirs"Uncle Alec and the Grahams
of Franz Josef,
pub. McIndoe, 1983} , Alec wrote of his
journey to Maude Moreland,
who published
an extract in her book. Through South
Westland, pub. Witherby, 1911
The journey of Clarke, Head and Graham
took them past the ice caves
(avalanche debris) in Shovel Flat through
the bush and boulders above Pearl Flat
to make a fly-camp amongst the daisies
and lilies beneath the spectacular cirque
cliffs of Joffre and Barff. After being
awe-inspired by the views from Hector
Col, they decided to approach the peak
via French ridge. The next morning they
climbed to a high bivouac site on French
ridge (probably near the current hut site. They then completed a
quick access recce to the
Bonar glacier via the Quarterdeck which thrilled them
both visually and in the knowledge of a clear access
route to the peak.
At 12.30 on the 23, November 1909, they
set off by lantern to the peak.
After crossing the glacier in 1 1/2 hrs
they reached the base of the West Face.
Graham described cutting steps all the
way up very steep snow slopes
before reaching the final 600ft along a
sharp snow arete to the summit in
threatening weather. They retraced their
steps in rapid time into enveloping
mist across the glacier.
Graham concludes his letter with:
" I am afraid you will get weary
of this rather rambling account,
but still I trust you find something of
interest in it
The face has since been successfully
descended by ski and snowboard and a pair
of roped climbers who tumbled down the
face at 10m/sec2 and opted for a SAR
flight to Wanaka. The ascent of the peak
was completed via the NW ridge by
Samuel, Turner, Harold Hodgkinson, Jack
Murrell and George Robertson on
11 March 1913. Their ascent was an epic
of sixty hours, three novice climbers,
a forced bivouac above the NW buttress
and reported party bickering!
(Turner had a reputation for his skills
and verbosity - GW)
The ridge via the Ramp or the buttress is
now the standard route and is still the
occasional scene of extended epics. The
average return climbing time is about
11-12 hours, although some parties have
been observed doing overtime u p to 18
hours! As the most popular route, the
ramp has been the scene of fatal
accidents
and
should be treated with the utmost
caution. The classic SouthWest ridge
was first ascended by Harry Stevenson,
Doug Dick
and David Lewis in December 1936 and rem
ains one of the "must do"
climbs in
the Southern Alps. The 14 pitch knife
edged ridge soars to it's crux, a 60-65
deg.
couloir and summit, with a 5 meter
waterfall ice start. The belayed climb
takes
a fit, experienced party about six hours
to the top.
The steep Northern and Southern faces
receive sporadic attention and are at
the upper end of climbing difficulty. The
jagged gendarmes of the upper Coxcomb
ridge presents an imposing view from
Aspiring's summit. The South Face is
normally a winter and spring route when
snow and ice cover the less appealing
rock.
The rock in the region is mainly grey and
green schist.
Structurally, the schist dips towards the
west at angles of 30 - 50 degrees
creating slabby west facing ridges and
faces and steep craggy east faces,
commonly
with small overhangs. In part, this is
due to the prominent Moonlight fault
which
crosses the West Matukituki east of
Homestead peak and through Wilmot saddle.
The erosive powers of the main glaciers
which formed the shape of the peaks,
continue as they recede. Large rockfalls
occur periodically, most recently off the
low peak of Rob Roy in January 2002.
Glide slab avalanches have been active in
late summer on the West Face and
currently a large snowslab on the Ramp is
on
the move, which could limit the use of
the route.
Often, afternoon convection cloud builds
from the west to create whiteout
conditions on the Bonar glacier requiring
climbers to have competent navigating
skills. Soft snow conditions and sunburn
leave climbers tired, fried and looking
like their passport photos.
Recognition of Tititea/Mt. Aspiring: As
part of a recent deed of settlement
between the Ngai Tahu tribe and the NZ
Govt. acknowledgement was given
to Tititea's special cultural and
historic status held by the Ngai Tahu
Whanau.
The access: Easy-walking access is via
the West Matukituki valley with views
improving from spectacular to awe
inspiring at the valley head. Two new NZ
Alpine Club, French Ridge(1465 meters- 20
persons) and Colin Todd Hut
(1800meter -12 persons) provide
comfortable alpine shelter and a climbing
base for the peak. Accessing Colin Todd
hut requires a crossing of the Bonar
Glacier with rope, crampons and ice axe.
A steep, rough, undeveloped route
leads from Pearl Flat to French Ridge
Hut( elev. gain 900m - 2 1/2hrs+)
The upper valley and access to Colin Todd
Hut is a more direct, steady and
arduous climb. The track deteriorates
towards the end of the forest opening
up into a bouldered meadow and 1300-meter
walls or rock and ice, streaming
waterfalls and regular snow avalanches.
Rock slabs are climbed towards
Hector Col and finally long snow slopes
to Bevan Col and a fantastic view
of Aspiring
Winter and spring months have in the past
been reserved for mostly local
and intrepid climbers. In July and August
the snowline is low and when
sunlight is short, the valley is cold.
However, in clear weather, the
Matukituki Valley is enchanting in it's
winter snow-cloak, which seldom
reaches the valley floor. In the alpine
zone, skis or snowshoes make snow
travel and peak access easier. Helicopter
access is a practical option to
avoid carrying skis through the forest to
bushline. The cost is approx.
$200/p/p A National Park landing permit
(approx$80) is also required.
A strong intermediate ski tourer can
glide for ten to twenty minutes on
the moderate slopes of the Bonar Glacier;
ski off the Pope's Nose or the
undulating Iso and Therma Glaciers.
Strong ice skiing, mountain and glacier
skills, avalanche awareness and safety
equipment are all-important
considerations.
Skis should be short with sharp edges and
light hiking boots carried for the
valley walkout.
To Aspire, Perspire and
Respire
Geoff Wayatt pauses to make some personal
observations on his 40 years and 83
ascents of Aspiring
I rushed to tie off rope coils while my
new rope companion strode across
the snow flats towards the Ramp.
"Hold On!" I yelled as rope
snaked tight.
Immediat ely the shadowed figure plunged
his ice axe into the snow, then
turned to me staring, "Don't ever
say that, unless you a falling!" he
yelled.
Oops! In the pre-dawn darkness, I had
earlier made the mistake of successfully
bouldering a rock problem on the ridge
which repulsed Derek, the experienced
Alpine Club member. He made mention of
Australians falling off NZ mountains.
It was his fifth attempt on the peak and
my first. It was apparent he wasn't going
to let anything, including a novice
Tasmanian prevent him summating.
Fortunately, the fine day and our uphill
snow running, mellowed his mood.
I learnt on that trip in January 1966 was
that the locals could accurately read
obscure mountain weather signs.
A repeat ascent from th e valley four
days later with friends from a climbing
course involved more fun and shared
excitement. Richard snapped his Japanese
"Hope" axe on the summit. Big
Ben fell through all the snowbridges. Rae
and
I ran back down the glacier to the hut in
a roun d trip time of eight hours.
We were Sixties kids, bounded only by the
limits of our imagination, skills
and experience. It was also an age of
change in mountaineering.
There were advances in boots, crampons
and ice axes. Stepcutting gave
way to greater use of cramponing skills,
followed by the superior grip of
curved picks and ice screw protection. I
often wonder how the Bonar glacier
looked in the early 1900's. Access from
Bevan Col was probably a straight
walk onto the glacier. We now drop a
hundred meters from the Col to the
white ice. Regional glaciers melting
rapidly through the mid 1980's during
which time the Dart glacier's surface
ablated up to four meters annually.
Aspiring's West Face provides a good
example of change. In my three
decades of Aspiring watching, my photo
collection reveals very large slab
avalanches that sweep the face bare every
8-10 years. As a result of the
drop in glacier level and loss of toe s
upport for the mountain snowpack this
occurrence has escalated to an annual
March event. This summer, I watched
two large avalanche glide-slabs peel from
the flanks of Aspiring's West face in
early January. The Ramp route is now
revealing ice patches, som e glide-slab
cracks with movement and avalanching
which, if the trend continues, will
threaten
the viability and hazard of this popular
route. The climbers give the peak it's
icon
status, including the pioneers, hard
route achievers and longtime devotees
like
authors Paul Powell and geologist, Graham
Bishop. British climber, Don Whillans
discovered a highergear when confronted
with a Nor-west cold front.
Twenty years ago under one hundred
climbers sweated from the valley to
the peak each year. Today, Colin Todd hut
has over 1500 visitors with about
500 climbing to the peak. Even though the
main streams are now bridged in the
West Matukituki valley a valley to peak
ascent remains a classic climbing
challenge. The Hector Col slabs, the gap
through the Joffre cirque wall, are a
classic "testpiece" of exposed
rock ledge scrambling above a raging
cascade of
water - the source of the Clutha river.
Helicopter access to Bevan Col is rapidly
changing people numbers and activity
patterns like the Wanaka housing boom.
Huts are now often overcrowded, yet the
access routes have become badly
eroded watercourses long overdue for some
basic maintenance.
The visually stunning Bevan Col is no
longer a place to camp for noise
sensitive climbers. Huts and Helicopters
appear to be emerging as a major alpine
work
role for local D.O.C. staff . Who would
have thought the way to calculate
the number of climbers cheati ng the
Alpine Club of hut fees would be to
compare
the volume of effluent flown from Colin
Todd hut with the known bed nights!
It's a shame there's only an estimated
50% compliance for the cheapest,
newest alpine huts in the country!
Walk-in climbers now watch loads of
heli-climbers fly above them to claim
bunks at Colin Todd hut. It appears there
is now a need for a bunk booking and
payment system .
On my first visit in 1966, I saw thirty
deer roaming the flats at dawn.
Then came the helicopter harvesters of
the 70's swooping the landslips with
sirens blaring. Now only the odd deer
trots nervously past the avalanche debris
and
into the forest. Their culling has
resulted in rapid forest regrowth and a
profusion of flowers in the sub alpine
zone. One of my recent delights was to
pass rannunculas buchanni at 2380m on the
NZ buttress of Aspiring and then see a
lone rock wren bib-bobbing along, 1,000m
above it's normal habitat. However, the
possum seen
above the Shoulder last summer must have
felt as isolated as the Christchurch
Doctor and companion who recently bivied
just below the summit. Both
challenged natural selection. The latter
were lucky the weather allowed a daring
summit rescue by volunteer Wanaka SAR
members. About fifteen people have died
on the mountain since the first fatality
in 1972; many on the Ramp. As a Police
search advisor and response team member
since 1975, I have seen no common thread
to the Aspiring accidents.
My climbing focus attempts to address
food intake, personal concentration,
partycare and tiredness. During the late
January period I often advise climbers to
re-evaluate the mountain conditions and
to expect less forgiving, late summer
ice.
The warning signs in local huts appear to
have lessened the accidents on the Ramp,
however the heavy traffic resulting from
the building of the new French ridge hut
has already resulted in several close
encounters with crevasses on the
Quarterdeck. One lone climber was
recently found by one of my climbing
course groups
five meters down a crevasse, hours after
falling into the slot.
Occasionally, I see groups paying
excessive attention to their personal
causes, rather than the mountain
obstacles. Last October, a reader of Al
Uren's
new guidebook decided to take up Al's
recommendation of circumnavigating
Aspiring via three major glaciers and got
stuck before Moncrieff Col. Unable to
retreat, h e pressed his locator beacon
and summons the aerial cavalry at a
personal cost of $3,000.
The remoteness of Aspiring is being
rapidly eroding by mechanization - huts
and heli-climbers.To paraphrase Bob
Dylan:
"We'd better start acting or we'll
have nothin to bemoan, for the times they
are a changin.."
It is worth remembering that the fitness
and experience gained by Ed. Hillary and
George Lowe in their "valley to
peak" ascents took them to the roof
of the climbing
world excelling on Mt. Everest in 1 953.
I would like to see more Aspiring
climbers
taking the traditional "Valley to
Peak" climbing option. Their effort
and success
should be recognized and congratulated
like first ascendants: Clarke, Graham
and Head.
Travel times: Raspberry Flat roadhead to
Aspiring Hut(NZAC) - 2 hours;
to Shovel Flat 3 hours; to Pearl Flat 3
1/2 hrs. Pearl Flat - to French Ridge
hut-2 1/2hrs+; to Colin Todd
hut-7hrs.French Ridge Hut to Colin Todd
Hut - 5 hrs(alpine)
Maps:Mt Aspiring region NZMS 260/E39,
Aspiring, 1:50, 000, pub.Terralink $12.50
Guidebooks: NEW!! Mount Aspiring Region,
Al Uren, pub.N.Z.A.C. - ($30)
Moir's Guide-Nthn Section,ed Geoff
Spearpoint, pub.N.Z.A.C.1998
A tramping guide-($30) Land Aspiring ,
Neville Peat, pub. Dept of Conservation,
1994, Nat. Park Handbook ($19.95) LOCAL
ACCESS & CONTACTS:
Access information, party intentions,
huts, fee payments: Dept. of
Conservation,
Box 93 Wanaka, ph(03)443 7660 Fax
(03)4438777 6
Climbing courses & guiding
service/information:
Mountain Recreation Ltd. Box 204, Wanaka
Ph (03) 443 7330
Email: mailto:geoff@mountainrec.co.nz
Valley Shuttle Transport: Edgewater
Adventures, (03)443 8422 or Good Sports,
(03)443 7966 (approx $20 p/p one way)
\par Alpine hut fees:NZAC Members
$5, Non members $10, Aspiring hut:$8, Non
members $14 \par Guide books,
club membership: NZ Alpine Club, Box 786,
Christchurch
Helicopter access: C. Ewing, Cattle Flat,
Wanaka (03) 443 7152
Geoff Wayatt is a Wanaka Mountain
Guide,
Director of Mountain Recreation Ltd.
and a longtime Wilderness Magazine
Contributor.
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