After heading out of the Cameron Hut we refueled and stocked up on food for the next trip. It had snowed and it seemed like a weather window was coming. Wanting to make the most of clear skies we decided to head out to the Tasman Glacier in Mount Cook National Park. As the weather window was short we would be using a helicopter compared to hiking 30km up the valley.
Day 1 the Approach and Snowboarding the Tasman Glacier
One of the things that I learned is that helicopters are a way of the land. If budgeted correctly are the best way to get into the high country.
Almost New Zealand’s version of the snowmobile.
We were off to explore the high country of the Tasman Glacier which is 26km long and extends all the way past Mt. Cook which is on the right side of this photo.
When we arrived on the Upper Tasman Glacier we decided to head to the Kelman hut. There were already a few people at the Tasman Saddle hut which was perched on the side of a massive cliff. It had hand line just to go to the toilet.
There was over a meter of freshly fallen snow and a 2 day weather window. It was my first time in the area and I was totally blown away by how scenic it was.
That day we did laps around the Tasman Glacier in powder conditions. Near the end of the day we decided to go climb the Hochstetter Dome at 2,800 meters.
From our vantage point we were standing on the divide of the Southern Alps. To the West we could see the Coast buried in a sea of clouds.
At sunset we made our way down the Dome in amazing conditions. We planned on getting some much needed sleep as the next day was going to be big.
Here I was experiencing one of the most scenic places in New Zealand in powder conditions.
Day 2 Ski touring Ellie De Beaumont
The next morning Manu, Ryan and I pushed off early to go climb Ellie De Beaumont.
Ellie is one of 26 3,000 meter peaks and once on it’s slopes really makes you feel small.
Making our way up Ellie De Beaumont we were careful crossing crevasses on the lower slope. Once making our way past the broken up glacier we were on the upper slopes.
The lower section was a bit technical as we passed a few massive crevasses, climbed up some blue ice and traversed some exposed areas. Soon enough we were up at the top and taking in the stunning views.
We were on the backbone of the Southern Alps looking towards Mount Cook. It was amazing how the glaciers hung to such steep slopes.
We tensely made our way down Ellie De Beaumont carefully riding on exposed sections where a fall would take you towards the west coast. After that we hoped our way through crevasses and finally were able to open up on the lower apron and Tasman Glacier. Soon enough we were back at the Kelman hut and watching the Sunset over the Southern Alps.
The next few days the weather came in and we were stuck at the Kelman Hut in a white out. If we took the chance heading out it would have been easy to get lost. With that in mind we hung out around the hut and read books waiting for the weather to clear so we could get a helicopter out.
Day 3 and 4 White out conditions on the Tasman Glacier
Day 5 The exit
Once the weather cleared it was time to ride down the Tasman Glacier. It would be a 15 km ride to the spot where we would get picked up by a heli.
It was one on the most scenic runs of my life as every direction mountains rose towards the sky.
Before long the smooth snow turned to melted out glacier making our way down to the heli pick up spot. It was a long run taking around 30 minutes stopping for a few seconds here and there.
After waiting a few minutes the Helicopter arrived and picked us up. Soon we were in the air and heading down the Tasman Valley. Below us was a nasty scree field that would have gone on for many hours if we had chose to hike it. While it was an extra 100$ to fly out it was well worth it.
Soon enought we were back at Mount Cook village and throughing our gear into the car. It seemed there was another weather window so it was time to drive over to the West Coast for another Heli accessed ski touring trip.
If you ever have the chance I can’t recommend the Tasman Glacier enough. In a country that is full of beautiful mountains this is one of the many gems.
Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within New Zealand check out this link