Returned to Mt Arthur after a 6+ year absence, this time in "normal" summer conditions and with Sandy B from Vancouver Island.
Left TH at ~2 pm and got to the hut at 3.05 pm. With a major weather system promised for that evening, dropped the packs and went directly for the summit from there. Straightforward going up the lovely open ridge and into the cirque below the two peaks from where I could see what all the snow had been hiding in 2002.
Summmit at 5 pm exactly. Lovely views with the cloud enhancing them if anything. A bit cold to hang around too long so off down at 5.15 and at hut at 6.45 for a quiet evening with the hut to ourselves.
Walked out the next morning in an absolutely torrential downpour glad that we'd gone directly to the top the previous evening.
Spent the night in splendid isolation in the Saddle carpark in my campervan. Snowed and blew all night but woke up to one of those luminous days that are unique to NZ. The skies were so blue they were almost purple. Someone had stayed the night in the hut and had kindly broken trail from there. I met him on the way down early as he didn't fancy the last 200m vertical on dodgy snow.
I avoided this by finding a route up the left hand ridgeline on icy but do-able rock to the summit of what I found out later is "Winter Peak". This, apparently, is the usual locals' objective when there is a threat of avalanche in the cirque below.
vancouver islander - Apr 9, 2009 10:36 pm Date Climbed: Feb 19, 2009
This time in summerReturned to Mt Arthur after a 6+ year absence, this time in "normal" summer conditions and with Sandy B from Vancouver Island.
Left TH at ~2 pm and got to the hut at 3.05 pm. With a major weather system promised for that evening, dropped the packs and went directly for the summit from there. Straightforward going up the lovely open ridge and into the cirque below the two peaks from where I could see what all the snow had been hiding in 2002.
Summmit at 5 pm exactly. Lovely views with the cloud enhancing them if anything. A bit cold to hang around too long so off down at 5.15 and at hut at 6.45 for a quiet evening with the hut to ourselves.
Walked out the next morning in an absolutely torrential downpour glad that we'd gone directly to the top the previous evening.
vancouver islander - Apr 14, 2006 1:18 am Date Climbed: Nov 12, 2002
Spring ascentSpent the night in splendid isolation in the Saddle carpark in my campervan. Snowed and blew all night but woke up to one of those luminous days that are unique to NZ. The skies were so blue they were almost purple. Someone had stayed the night in the hut and had kindly broken trail from there. I met him on the way down early as he didn't fancy the last 200m vertical on dodgy snow.
I avoided this by finding a route up the left hand ridgeline on icy but do-able rock to the summit of what I found out later is "Winter Peak". This, apparently, is the usual locals' objective when there is a threat of avalanche in the cirque below.
Nevertheless, one of those perfect mountain days.