My last ski mountaineering trip was heading up the Matukituki valley with eyes on Mt. Aspiring. I had spent quite a lot of time in the valley throughout the season and I decided to go check it out. I wasn’t sure if or what I would ski but I thought it doesn’t hurt to see how the terrain was up there.
Day 1 Heading up the Matukituki Valley
I made my way out past the Aspiring Hut before heading into the high country.
I spent the first night at the French Ridge hut where I went to bed early. The next morning I planned to wake up a few hours before sunrise and started climbing up the Quarter deck to the Bonar Glacier.
Day 2 Heading onto the Bonar Glacier
My pack was ready to go as I woke up. I quickly ate a little bit of food as I started hiking up in the dark. As I was making it up it was a race against the sunrise. Soon enough I made it up to the Bonar glacier where I watched the sunrise from the west.
It was amazing watching the sun come up with a full moon. Looking back down the Matukituki valley I could see that I had traveled quite a long distance.
Looking over at Mount Aspiring National Park I decided to head towards the standard route. From where I was I could tell the snow was firm so it made more sense going for an easier route since I was going solo.
After watching the sunrise I rode over to the Colin Todd Hutt and took a small nap. After a few hours of resting I rode a few of the glaciers around the area. That day I fell asleep decently early in hopes of an early morning climbing Mount Aspiring.
Day 3 Attempting Mount Aspiring
I woke up around 5a.m. and pushed up to the NW ridge at a fast pace but once I got onto the crux it wasn’t too demanding but a fall would be certain death. I was alone, in snowboarding boots and had skis on my pack. It was a few mid 5th class moves which didn’t seem to bad at all but I thought to myself “Will I look back tomorrow and regret turning around?” and I answered to myself “No” so I turned back and walking all the way back to the Mount Aspiring Parking lot knowing that I could come back at a later time.
This trip taught me a lot which would come to help in the 2014 season. I would come back to most of these places but with a different mindset. Looking back at my Mount Aspiring trip I don’t regret turning around and who knows I may take another crack at it in the future.
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