"Great Hiking Tours since 1992"

 

 

The course begins at 9.00 am on day one at the Heliworks Hanger, Queenstown Airport. Following introductions, your guide will present the course syllabus outlining how the week will operate. We discuss, then organise, our personal and group equipment (bring all your gear with you, including those items you are not sure whether to include or not). Equipment pertinent to the course will be discussed and you can get all the advice you need concerning equipment from the guides. Rental equipment will be fitted at this time and final purchases can be made. We then load up the helicopter for our flight into the Remarkables Range, directly to the ice climbing area. Leaving our gear in the base camp tent, we’re off climbing!

 

Get up, get dressed, have coffee, have breakfast, find ice axe, crampons, boots. Walk to bottom of the ice, realise you have left the rope behind! Walk back to tent, get missing rope, back at the ice, try to remember how the tie-on works (rabbit comes out of the hole, around the back of the tree and…..) Rest of day, spent climbing!

 

Get up, get dressed, have coffee, have breakfast, find ice axe, crampons, boots. Walk to bottom of the ice, realise you have left your helmet behind! (Damn – now do I really need it?) - Yep. Walk back to tent, get helmet, back to the ice. Harness on, roped up – Damn again – now I gotta pee……

 

Get up, get dressed, have coffee, have breakfast, find ice axe, crampons, boots. Walk to bottom of the ice, realise you have left your partner behind! Run back to the tent, scream at your rope mate, drag him /her up to the ice, remember the rope and helmet and….. Rest of day spent climbing.

 

Get up, get dressed, have coffee, have breakfast, find ice axe, crampons, boots. Walk to bottom of the ice, realise that today you are actually departing for down valley! The route out generally will be up! Wade or ski up the steep slopes to the upper basin above the ice weeps and then onto Alta saddle, where below you hundreds of skiers are enjoying a great season. If skiing with a pack on is your thing, the rest is a breeze. If not – you can always carry your skies!  Of course the other way out is a second flight, so talk with your guide!

 

Equipment Lists - please click on link below to download

 

NZ Winter Ice Equipment Notes