Friday,
November 31st: After a stop in Okitika to buy a couple of jade stones, we
drive to Arthur's Pass (boy that road is steep!). Arthur's Pass has a few
very accessible peaks, which should make it the perfect place to get in shape
for bigger objectives further south.
We have
our heart set on Mt Rolleston, the highest peak in the park. We're thinking
about the Central Direct route in the middle of the Otire Face. We stop by
the DOC (Department of Conservation) visitor center to inquire about the conditions
and forecasts. While there, we talk to Graeme (the guidebook author) on the
phone about Mt Rolleston. It turns out that the Central Direct is much more
technical than we thought (up to AUS grade 16), and - according to him - currently
out of condition as it is still partially covered in snow, and the weather
has been unusually warm, so the snow is isothermal and very unstable. He indicates
two possible alternatives up the peak: the "Rome Ridge" or the "Otira
Slide". Given that the "Rome Ridge" has two steep exposed sections
that are reputed to be risky with warm, unstable snow, we decide to give the
"Otira Slide" a go. This is one of the easiest routes on the mountain
and should be straightforward.
We spend
the first half of the afternoon preparing the packs, then stop by the NZAC
(New Zealand Alpine Club) lodge and chat with a local climber (in his sixties
and quite knowledgeable). Then off to the Otira trailhead to spend the night.
To bed early with the alarm set to 2:30AM. Hoping to start hiking by 4AM.
Saturday,
December 1: We wake up to the alarm as planned. Clouds and fog all around
us. It's been warm all night. We decide against climbing, and go back to sleep.
I'ts still cloudy when we get up again at 7AM. It's been much cooler the last
few hours. We're hoping for better conditions tomorrow.
 |
|
Rolleston
seen from the highway. "Rome Ridge" is the left skyline.
|
|
 |
|
Otira
Valley is the trailhead for the Otira Slide route.
|
|
 |
|
Spending
the night at the trailhead in our van.
|
|
 |
|
Leaving
early morning.
|
|
 |
|
The
"Otira Slide" follows gentle snow slopes to the notch
at the left of the picture, then up the ridge to the summit.
|
|
Sunday,
December 2: The sky is clear when we get up at again at an insane hour. After
gulping down some breakfast, we leave the camper around 4AM. The trail is
pretty obvious for a while, then become more difficult to follow in the dark
after we cross a small footbridge across the creek.
 |
|
Climbing
the gentle snow slopes below the notch.
|
|
 |
|
Looking
back toward Mt Phillistine and the Otira valley.
|
|
 |
|
View
of the Otira Face, another Rolleston classic route.
|
|
 |
|
Looking
back at Lucie from just below the notch.
|
|
 |
|
From
the notch, the route takes the narrow gully close to the ridge.
|
|
We reach
the head of the valley around sunrise. It's pretty foggy, but we can see occasional
patches of blue sky between the clouds. There's hope. We decide to push on
and ascend the boulderfield, then the gentle snow slopes of the Otira Slide
toward a notch in the ridge. From there, the route follows a small snow gully,
staying close to the crest. Looking back toward the valley, we can now see
other climbers making their way up (it's Sunday after all...).
 |
|
Some
steeper snow climbing near the ridge...
|
|
 |
|
...and
scrambling in the upper couloir leads to the summit.
|
|
 |
|
Summit
shot.
|
|
 |
|
Summit
views.
|
|
 |
|
Looking
toward Rolleston's high peak, probably another hour away.
|
|
The angle
in the gully steepens to about 40°. More snow climbing and some scrambling
on rock formations lead to the summit (it took us 5h30 from the trailhead).
Another party reaches the summit at the same time. They just came up the "Rome
Ridge". They are climbers from Christchurch who have climbed the mountain
several times before. They are concerned about getting down before snow conditions
deteriorate too much. They ask us about the conditions on the Slide, the normal
descent route. We tell them it is pretty soft already...
 |
|
Coming
down the gully...
|
|
 |
|
...and
the boulderfield.
|
|
 |
|
View
of the Otira Valley.
|
|
 |
|
Pretty
vegetation.
|
|
 |
|
The
Otira Valley, like many in NZ, has numerous small waterfalls.
|
|
Given
the soft snow conditions, we decide against continuing toward the high peak.
Judging by the abundant avalanche debris in the Otira Slide, it might get
dicy soon. A couple of cereal bars and summit shots, and we start down the
gully, passing a party of four on their way up. It's about 10:30AM when we
get off the snow. At that point, we meet another party starting up the slopes
- seems pretty late to us to start the climb...
 |
|
Back
on the Otira Valley trail.
|
|
 |
|
Crossing
the footbridge.
|
|
 |
|
Pretty
flowers.
|
|
 |
|
Last
stretch before we're back at the trailhead.
|
|
|
We're
back at the camper just in time for lunch. A good day. Nice and accessible
training climb with good views.
