Mt Aspiring – viewed from Colin Todd Hut
It is said that summiting a mountain is optional and getting back down is mandatory.
And with this in my mind, with climbing partner, Richard Raynes, I headed off for my climb of Mt Aspiring in the pre-dawn hours of Monday 7 January.
Richard is an exceptionally experienced mountaineer and specializes in mountain rescues, so I was in extremely good hands. For me, this was a great opportunity to learn.
Richard – on Bevan Col
We had planned to climb on Thursday, however the weather was forecast to deteriorate over the week and our climbing window had narrowed significantly.
This was it…
I was feeling rather daunted as we headed off across the Bonar Glacier towards the “Matterhorn of the South” which was standing tall ahead of us.
Baz – Bonar Glacier
The moon was rising over the mountain and as we climbed the steep snow and ice slope towards the rock buttress a thin golden line was appearing on the eastern horizon signalling the dawn of a new day.
I remember thinking this was the dawn of just more than the sun rising on a new day, but of a wonderful new world for me.
The Buttress – Mt Aspiring
There were two other climbing parties of two ahead of us and we could see their headlamps bobbing up and down as they made their way.
The weather had been forecast to be better than we had earlier expected and according to the most up to date report we had received the previous evening. So far the report was proving accurate.
But as we climbed onto the exposed side of the mountain and climbed up through the rock formation, called The Buttress, the weather started to turn. We had made it through the most technical section of the climb, and now had a long slog up the steep snow and ice towards the summit.
The peak shrouded in cloud and high winds
We could see the summit and the winds were roaring over it at least 100 kilometres an hour and the cloud was now starting to obscure the top.
The groups ahead had turned back by now and as we made our way back down through the rock buttress, abseiling our way back to the snow, we were being buffeted by sleet and strong winds.
Baz on the Buttress – Mt Aspiring
It was not to be our day on the summit…
But that is not to say it wasn’t a great experience. Of course our goal was to make it to the top, but above all else, I was here to learn the craft and skills necessary to become a competent mountaineer.
great to hear from you….sounds like even though you did not summit it was a positive experience…btw, being a knitter i love your have a yarn with me :}
Thanks BG, all good over here, and Janet & TomO are having a great time!
whew,,,you can’t control mother nature. getting down is definitely mandatory. glad you made it!!
Thanks…and yes, no controlling nature, crikey…be like trying to keep icecream away from you for a day!
Ha!!! Yeah, you just try to do that, buddy!
Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing.
Thanks, and more to come…
With such a great view at the peak, indeed it is quite sad to be going down. Like the tranquility of seeing photos like these. Thanks for sharing!
Yes…two parties made it up on the Sunday, we could see them as we came across the Bonar…we’ll be back. and more climbing to be done from Tuesday.
That’s nice to know… Good luck!
Baz, you have such a great attitude! I’m sorry the mountain didn’t cooperate, but she did provide you with learning that will move you forward in your quest for the big ones. Amazing pictures! And I’m glad to know that you’re safe. I’ve been wondering how things were going for you.
Howdy…
Well I guess it is a patience game, the mountain will always be there! We did manage to climb Mt Bevan, a smaller peak on the Tuesday. I have more to tell, but our route out of the mountains last Friday is billed as being as hard as the climb of Mt Aspiring itself.
I am inspired indeed sitting at my little computer as a voyeur…Bravo!!
Thankyou…having a lot of fun!
Beautiful pictures! Sometimes the summit is out of reach but you will get there! Love reading your blog!
Thankyou…and yes the mountain will always be there for another day!
Glad to read you erred on the side of safety
Not that I would have expected anything else. Beautiful photos.
Hi Andrew…safety first, but it was still a great climb!
I’m happy to hear that you got back down safe and sound. You made the right choice to listen to Mother Nature when she warned you. Thanks for sharing the stunning photos with us
Oh yes, mother nature is not to be ignored. We would never had been able to stand up there the wind was blowing that hard…
Was thinking about you this past week and how you and the mountain were getting on. Sorry you didn’t get to make the summit, but those pictures were amazing!! Well done.
Thanks…not too disappointed, the experience was fantastic, plus I did climb another peak the next day…before getting caught in a blizzard for days!
Oh my! Will be looking forward to your posts about those experiences.
I’m sorry you didn’t make it to the top Baz but it did sound like a learning experience. You have to know when to call it quits and turn around for your own safety. Well done!
Thanks! Had a great time and not too disappointed about it. Another wee of climbing coming up from Tuesday however we won’t be going back to Mt Aspiring this time around…Baz
Wow! Awesome pictures!!! It’s too bad you guys didn’t make it to the top, but like you said it’s all about the experience!!
The scenery was fantastic, unfortunately the climbing tends to get in the way of taking photos sometimes so can’t capture it all…!
What a great effort Baz. Well done. Thanks for sharing it with us, but I’ll leave you to it and I’ll stick to my triathlons – much closer to the ground
Thanks Michelle…Some more climbing coming up next week on the West Coast. But funny you should mention Triathlons. There is a full iron man version here in Wanaka this coming weekend. Perhaps you and David could put it on the 2014 calendar. It is such a lovely place!
Pingback: Tiger Moth’s over Wanaka (TomO and Baz take to the skies) | Baz – The Landy (Out and About having fun)
Look forward to hearing the rest of your adventure… Great photos.
Thankyou!
Wow. At least for all your efforts, you are rewarded with the kind of sublime views that are the envy of us lazier types! Kudos to you… even if the summit wasn’t quite in reach.
Thanks Alarna…well the summit isn’t going anywhere, so we’ll be back for it. Next week I will be climbing on the West Coast, some other peaks. And yes, the views are always spectacular!
A wise and difficult choice–certainly the right one. Like the title of this post.
Absolutely – the decision was quite simple though, we would never have been able to stand in the winds that were being generated over the summit.
That’s mountaineering for you I guess! – Cheers Baz
I do know about summit winds. Was once caught crawling in 85 mph winds at night on a summit and wouldn’t wish that kind of mess on my worst enemy!
Pingback: Crikey – Talk about making a splash (Jet-boating on the Matukituki River) | Baz – The Landy (Out and About having fun)
Pingback: Cabin Fever High on the Mountain – Shelter from the storm | Baz – The Landy (Out and About having fun)