This was a trip I did back in 2007. Alpine climbing was always something and still is something I have been fascinated in doing and this course was I thought a good introduction and a way to learn some skills.
After arriving in Wanaka and getting to the accommodation, it was off the the climbing companies office to get the gear sorted before the start of the trip in the morning. This was making sure I had all the climbing equipment I needed, getting climbing boots and crampons (supplied by the company).
That afternoon I wandered around Wanaka checking the place out. Even in summer it is a great place where you can relax or do one of many outdoor activities based in town.
The next morning we left Wanaka and drove to Fox glacier where we were to take a helicopter up to Pioneer Hut on the edge of the Glacier. Even the drive just to get to Fox Glacier is spectacular, passing mountains, waterfalls beside the road, then coastal views on the way up the west coast.
On arrival at the helicopter base the weather had turned very grey which was preventing us being able to fly up to the hut so after getting the gear all packed in the chopper ready to go, we headed into town for some lunch.
After lunch the weather had cleared enough to take off so up we went for a short but awesome flight tracking up the glacier, between the peaks on either side until we reached pioneer hut.
What a great place to be…… sitting on a rock ledge on the edge of the glacier, Pioneer hut is a simple but solid hut to keep climbers safe and warm in the mountains and the views from the front deck are great.
The rest of the day was spent organising gear for the next day, relaxing and getting to know the other people on the course.
The next day we headed out for some skills training. This included self arresting with the ice axe, crampon skills, ropes skills including crevasse rescue techniques.Glacier area for skills training
The weather was excellent this day and provided the opportunity for some photos in the afternoon.
on the 3rd day of the trip we woke to some more bad weather, cloud completely surrounded the hut and could barely see the toilet only 20m away.
But not to waste a day we instead built a snow cave in the snow bank behind the hut using techniques taught by our guide. This did take most of the day to build one large enough to fit 6 people in.
Meals in the hut were simple but tasty, this night was venison stew yum, breakfasts were cereal and lunches simple things that are easy to carry in packs like energy bars and trail mix.
The 4th day was no better so most of the day was spent in the hut learning theoretical knowledge of alpine climbing and techniques. As I was not as fit as I probably should have been the rest day was very welcome.
The 5th day was perfect and the forecast suggested it would remain that way for the next two days.
Taking advantage of the day we set out for a short walk to a small peak nearby and to practice our newly learned skills in preparation for the big climb day the next day. Everyone enjoyed the day and we were all in bed early for a very early start in the morning.
The big day of the course had arrived, Up at 3am and a quick breakfast before heading out in the dark to start the trek up the glacier towards the peaks.
Roped up to ensure we all remained safe and didn’t fall into an unseen crevasse we slowly wound our way up with our guide in the lead.
It took until late morning to reach the top of the glacier and from there, making sure you don’t get to close to the edge, you can see straight down 1800m to the bottom of the tasman glacier.
From here the real climbing started, heading off to the left it was crampons and ice axes to climb up the ridge which narrowed as we went up.
This last section took me a long time as the steepness of the climb and the altitude were really getting to me.
When we finally reached the top of the peak I could see all the way back down to the hut as well as the cracks in the glacier that were getting larger in the sun.
It was early about lunch time by this stage, so after something to eat and some photos it was time to head back down.
While this was naturally a lot quicker we did have to be much more careful. firstly on the steep section to ensure no one fell off the ridge and then once back on the glacier we had to wid around the crevasses much more than on the way up.
We arrived back at the hut a bit after 3pm and I collapsed in my bunk exhausted but happy.
The late afternoon gave some different views again as the clouds started to come up from the valley and wisps seemed to float up from the glacier itself.
The next 2 days were a complete write off with the weather completely closed in around us so I took the opportunity to relax a bit and play cards with some of the others.
On the morning of our scheduled departure day the weather still had not improved so in the hopes it would get better, we packed our stuff ready to go and waited around while our guide communicated with the helicopter operators.
By early afternoon it was looking like we would be here for at least 1 more night and possibly 4 more looking at the forecast when we received a radio call from the chopper pilot saying he had found a hole in the clouds and would be here in 5min.
We quickly grabbed our gear and rushed outside to meet the chopper.
Flying back out all we could see was cloud below us but sure enough the pilot found the same hole in the clouds, descended through it and brought us back to the landing area safely. No sooner than we had landed and the hole in the clouds closed up again.
I had an awesome time on this trip and learned a lot including that I need to be fitter next time I try something like this.
A Love of Adventures 
