Category: Conditions

An unsettled weather pattern has been bringing isolated snow showers, wind and some rain to the Remarkables over the last week.  The West facing routes are in amazing condition with good ice and snow.  We do advise caution when traversing Queens Drive and recommend all climbers dig regular snow pits to assess the avalanche risk.  Pockets of wind slab are present on the Queens Drive and as I am sure all those attending now know the tragic death of Jamie was caused by a small wind slab avalanche on the Queens Drive.

Lake Alta ice appears to have re formed and this could be an option if the temperures remain low and there is no further significant snow fall.  Lake Alta gets the sun so its important to avoid this area on a hot day especially after recent snow fall.

Border Crag is plastered with snow and there are several good looking new route options there.

At the Flight Deck Jono Clarke, Daniel Joll and Steve Fortune have established what will eventually be one of the hardest pitches of winter climbing in the country.  The Fly M12? started with a 15m pitch of M10 climbing on traditional protection followed by another 15m of face climbing protected by bolts.  None of the three are close to the clean ascent and this is an open project for any to try.  The route requires a selection of cams to #4 including micro cams and a good wire rack with a selection of RPS.  Be careful low down due to the risk of ripping the tricky wire placements, there is currently one fixed RP mid height on the crack.  Also at the Flight Deck Danny Murphy and Owen from Australia climbed a very nice two pitch new M5 Chimney.

Grand Traverse.  Heavy snow is and avalanche risk make the traverse a more serious proposition this year.  Trail has been broken along to the Heli Pad but care and caution will be required for anyone attempting the traverse in its current conditions.

South Face of Single Cone has allot of snow however the Touch Down area is formed well and if conditions allow the ice clinics and Chicks N Picks will be held there.

West Face of Double Cone.  No reported ascents in the last week but conditions look great.  Please be careful on the approach.

Telecom Tower.  Fantastic ice and rime on the tower at the moment.  Several new routes have been completed this week.

Wall of Evening Light.  This is a great dry tool climbing location.  Many of the summer routes have not received winter ascents and if you absail into the climbs you can avoid most of the objective dangers if there is high snow fall before the weekend.

Please remember to make your own risk  and  conditions assessments.  There is no safety in numbers on a mountain.  Don’t just follow blindly along behind the people in front of you.  If you are ever feeling un happy the best decision is to turn around.

Jamie Vinton-Boot has been killed after being swept off his feet by an avalanche on the west face of the Remarkables today. In a statement to the Press, New Zealand Alpine Club General Manager, Sam Newton has acknowledged the sad passing of one of New Zealand’s most talented climbers. “Jamie Vinton-Boot is an outstanding climber of this generation and one of New Zealand’s most gifted alpinists” “He has completed numerous first ascents in New Zealand of an extremely high standard. These were often undertaken with his unique, self-imposed ‘the line of most resistance’ style and ethos. “He was recently a member of the ‘Backyard and Beyond’ project to seek out and promote home-grown exploration and adventure.” “As evidenced by his participation in the New Zealand Alpine Team, he was committed to developing and mentoring the next generation of climbers and adventurers in New Zealand – despite being a young man himself” “His death is a tragic loss for the climbing community and, of course, his friends and family. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, at this sad time.” .

Things have been pretty warm around Queenstown the past few weeks.  Wye Creek Ice is in a dangerous condition and we don’t recommend climbing at Wye Creek unless the freezing level drops and stays low for a few days.

The South Face of Single Cone is looking great as is the West Face of Double Cone.

Most of the classic gully lines on the Telecom Tower are formed including Fridays Fool, Saturday Morning Special, Minge Cunt etc.  The steep rock sections are free of rime and in general conditions are pretty good.

There is still ice at Lake Alta, however some very large cracks have appeared and we would be scared to climb on it with the current temperatures.

The Flight Deck and Boarder Crag have some ice and these two areas could provide a substantial amount of new routes with further exploration.  Most of the lines are one to two pitches long and these venues provide great cragging at all grades from M3-M9+.  Plus they are both a short walk from the car park!

The Wall of Evening Light is basically free of ice and rime due to its sunny aspect.  However its steep clean rock is an excellent place to practice advanced dry tooling.

While no one has gone into the Routeburn to check the ice conditions we suspect its just been two warm for that area.

Colder temps and snow are forecast for next week leading into the festival and in general with the exception of Wye Creek we think conditions look pretty good.  Definitely a firm tract for the Osprey Packs Traverse Race, 2013 might even see Steve Fortunes record time broken if the snow pack stays firm under foot!  For anyone keen to get in a good selection of first ascents during the festival we suggest checking out the East Face of Double Cone, The Flight Deck (between the Alta ice and Border Crag), Border Crag and the Wall of Evening Light.  There are still numerous moderate to hard lines also waiting on the Telecom Tower and Double – Single Cone however most of the easy lines have already been picked off.