Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park - Ball Pass Crossing

Image Type(s): Alpine Climbing, Hiking, Scenery

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Ball Pass
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Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park - Ball Pass Crossing

Page Type:	Album
Image Type(s):	Alpine Climbing, Hiking, Scenery

Ball Pass

The Caroline Face

While reading and preparing for my trip to New Zealand, I deliberated a long time about whether to try to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook or not. In the end, I decided that I didn't have enough experience yet.

Instead, I settled for the Ball Pass Crossing, much easier, but it still a fine high alpine route, and it gets you very close to the mountain with spectacular views of the 2000m Caroline Face on the south-east of Aoraki.

It's an easy glacier route - but be warned, people have died there.

This small ice field on the Hooker Valley side of Ball Pass is the crux of the route: it's imperative to self-arrest very quickly if you fall here. The route from the saddle stays high while heading to the scree next to the ice, thus avoiding the steepest sections.