Mt Tasman (3498m) - Southern Alps, New Zealand

Mt Tasman - Horo Koau (3498m), Southern Alps, New Zealand

route: Pioneer Hut (2380 m) - Marcel Col - Engineer Col -  North shoulder

31.01.2014 - What previously happened

It is the two-week mark since a falling rock hurt Roland’s leg. Back then, a football-sized rock hit Roland’s calf after it has fallen hundreds of meters down the Boys Glacier. We were descending from plateau hut after a failed attempt to summit Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. A storm forced us to turn around below summit rocks. This is what New Zealand’s mountains are notorious for: bad weather.

Mountaineering adventures were unthinkable now. We passed our time by taking in New Zealand’s stunning coast lines and wildlife: The occasional penguin and sea lions amidst abundant fur seals, on surf and wind-swept sandy beaches off the Catlins. Hundreds of Dusky Dolphins came close to play, when we headed out for an underwater dolphin encounter from Kaikoura. What a joy to interact with these cheerful little creatures! And then … I strongly felt that luck was on our side when our paths crossed with those of a family of Orcas.

Beach at the Catlins Coast

Yellow-eyed penguin and fur seals

 Dusky Dolphins

Orcas

I still feel the buzzing energy from our morning encounter with dolphins and orcas when we check the weather forecast for the next few days. Sitting in a little café in Kaikoura, enjoying our “long black” and “flat white”, we realize that a huge high pressure system over the South Island promises five steady days of sunshine, with little winds. Instead of joy, I feel my stomach drop. This is the best weather forecast since the beginning of the year, the ideal forecast for a trip to the West Coast, a real chance to climb Mt Tasman …. But Roland is still keeping his Ibuprofen-Paracetamol levels high to attenuate the pain in his calf muscles and tendons of knee and ankles.

01.02.2014 - Fly in to Pioneer Hut

We are sitting in a café in Fox, West Coast, and are waiting for our flight to Pioneer Hut (2380 m), situated on Pioneer Ridge between Albert and Explorer glaciers. This hut will be our base for the next few days. “We might as well be up there, sit on the terrace of the hut, look at the glaciers and enjoy the sun!” By saying that, Roland hit the nail on the head, and off we go! We take off in a little helicopter and leave the lush rain forest of the West Coast behind us. Flying over the moraine, I think of the route we would have taken if we would have decided to walk in. Suicide gully is, true to its name, an awkward section between white ice and moraine at the base of Fox glacier. Looking at this section from above, I am more than relieved to sit in the comfort of the helicopter. Minutes later, we watch the helicopter taking off. Once again, we are amidst the most stunning glaciers. We are gazing at the, undoubtedly, most elegant mountain of New Zealand, Mt Tasman. The second highest peak of New Zealand is considered one of the most striking ice summits in the world. I so much wish to climb it!

Pioneer Hut 

02.02.2014 - Mt Lendenfeld

We have made our decision. We are attempting Mt Lendenfeld. We can always turn back if Roland’s leg forces us to. Mt Lendenfeld is on the route to Mt Tasman; it can be reached by travelling over the flat basin of Albert glacier, passing the steep icefall between Mt Haast and Lendenfeld (Haast Corner), and reaching Marcel Col. From here, moderately steep snow slopes (45 – 50 degrees) lead up to the summit, Lendenfeld Peak. To continue up Mt Tasman one would need to descent to Engineer Col and climb the “North shoulder”, a beautiful snow/ice ridge leading all the way up to Mt Tasman.

We were very lucky because deep footsteps showed us the way. We knew, from comments in the hut book that these footsteps came from two of our kiwi friends, Ryan and Dave. Four days ago, they had tried to climb Mt Tasman using the direct route via Engineer Col. This would have allowed them to bypass Lendenfeld peak. However, the Schrund below Engineers Col was not passable, and they had to turn back. Running out of time, they climbed Mt Lendenfeld but did not continue to Mt Tasman. Their effort made our ascent straight-forward and relatively easy. With dawn breaking, we are on Mt Lendenfeld and get a close-up of Mt Tasman!

On the summit of Mt Lendenfeld, looking over to the North shoulder and Mt Tasman 

After a short rest we decide to descend to Engineer Col, to see what it’s like. The steep snow slope is firm and, using both axes, we make a quick descend. There is a fascination to climbing in the rising sun. The solitude on the mountain tops and the mighty of the surrounding mountains, immersed in orange and pink, make your heart beat surrender to the beat of nature.

Descending from Mt Lendenfeld to Engineer Col. At the back: Mt Cook

Mt Tasman in the rising sun

 Looking East to the Plateau from Engineers Col

 Looking back on Mt Lendenfeld

Looking west to Albert glacier, Fox glacier, the West Coast, and the sea!!

03.02.2014 - Mt Tasman

It is 11:30 pm, we are getting out of our sleeping bags and turn the cooker on. Roland’s leg is ok, the forecast is excellent, and summiting Mt Tasman is a real chance now. One hour later, in the light of our head torches, we make our way from Pioneer Hut across the flat basin of Albert glacier towards Haast Corner (between Mt Haast and Lendenfeld). The night is unusual warm. The forecast was “Freezing level above 4000m”, so we know we have to be quick on this tour! While the snow cover is firm enough to carry my weight, Roland sinks in with every step. Still, we make fast progress because our footsteps from the day before show us the way. With Haast Corner, the glacier becomes steeper and we enter the maze of crevasses. The snow gets firmer above the icefall, when the glacier flattens towards Marcel Col. From here, we quickly ascend Lendenfeld Peak, descend to Engineer Col and traverse to the “Ice Cliffs”, a serac at the base of the North shoulder. I feel the tension. How difficult will it be to pass the ice cliffs? We start to climb eastwards beneath the cliffs, follow a gully, then a spur – and unexpectedly easy we are on the ridge again! The slopes are angled at 45 – 50 degrees, and aside from a small Schrund, there were no major difficulties to overcome. Roland told me he is very relieved: “The ice of the cliffs will be solid enough to place ice screws, even if the snow softens in the morning sun.” This guarantees a safe belay on our descend. We continue climbing on the ridge and soon the ridge flattens: we have reached the North shoulder. Dawn has broken. There is no wind. We can see the silhouette of the summit ridge. The summit ridge starts knife-sharp and steepens considerably. We take out our rope and start pitching. Roland leads. The East flank drops a thousand meters down, all the way to the Grand Plateau. The West flank is a balcony of irregular snow groofs and ridges, Sustrugi, formed by windswept snow. Roland places one crampon on the left side and the other crampon on the right side of the knife-sharp ridge. He slowly works his way forward, and the whole action looks very awkward to me! When it’s my turn, I decide to climb the steep eastern slope. But I somehow had to get to this other side! This was the hardest bit and the summit all of a sudden seemed so far away again. “I wont have the mental strength for climbing like this all the way up!” But after this first few meters, even though the ridge gets steeper and is very exposed, it becomes more manageable. We keep pitching; it must have been only two pitches altogether, and then the ridge flattens again. We leave the rope at the belay. It is 7:00 am; in the sunrise we walk the final bit to the very summit of Mt Tasman. 

 Looking back at North Shoulder. I'm climbing the eastern flank.

On the summit ridge, looking back to North shoulder and Mt Lendenfeld 

On the summit of Mt Tasman. In the background the shadows of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook. 

Looking back to the summit ridge in the day-light. The eastern flank is getting soft, but is still ok to climb. The western flank is full of Sustrugi, wind-swept snow-formations. 

We are not taking too much time for ourselfs on the summit, even though there is no wind, and it is so pieceful - and those magnificent views!!! We have to get down before the sun gets stronger and softens the snow. Our timing is pretty good, we climb down on our "four", pitching all the way down to the base of the ice cliffs. This is when our minds and bodies relaxed, and I realized how much my feet hurt! Walking on the front tips of my crampons for so many hours! And - being highly focused and concentrated on every move for so many hours! Now it is time to relax and take a slow descend down to Pioneer Hut. We arrive at the hut around 16:00, after a 15.5 hours climb.

All photos by R. Aufschnaiter and S. Pontasch.