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What is best mountaineering course NZ?

mullet man

9-Mar-2012
9:03:02 AM

What is the best mountaineering course in NZ? I'm an experienced rock climber but never used ice tools, crampons or been on glaciers etc. What have people found to be the best way to get into mountaineering?

citationx

9-Mar-2012
9:16:26 AM

Perhaps you can look at:
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=15&MessageID=19175&Replies=1
and
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=15&MessageID=17502&Replies=1
and
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=15&MessageID=12741&Replies=1

There should be enough names in there to get you started.

dtb

9-Mar-2012
11:08:02 AM

We did a course with Aspiring Guides last year. It was the 8 day Aspiring course.
Best intro I could have asked for. We spent the whole time up at Colin Todd hut learning everything on the glacier and climbing the smaller mountains in the area. When we got a decent weather window we made an assent of Mt Aspiring itself with a bivvy night at the top of the ramp.
Groups are small, it was me, my climbing partner and the guide. They have a much smaller guide ratio than others in the area.
Great company and really personal, see if Tony Donaldson is free. Really knows his stuff and a great bloke to be stuck in a hut with in bad weather.

Dicksonia

9-Mar-2012
1:09:33 PM

I've also heard lots of good things about Tony Donaldson, and have seen him with clients. He puts a lot into making sure the clients have a good experience and that they learn skills and also that they progress as climbers.

Cool Hand Lock

9-Mar-2012
1:33:49 PM

The best course in NZ is 1(one) tablet before meals, 3(three) times per day. Do that for 5 days and it should clear up.

Mike Bee

9-Mar-2012
5:26:13 PM

If you've got the coin, and another interested friend, spring the $$ for a private guide for a week.
I found my TMC a bit below me as they cater for people with less lead climbing and rope handling experience. If you head over with a similarly skilled friend and get a guide, you can cover more skills, in less time at a pace that suits you.
And then you won't be stuck dawdling up some 1+ snow hill tied to some Malasian computer programmer who smokes and had done the grand total of two hours of top rope gym climbing before coming on the course, worrying that if he slips, you'll have to catch the both of you.

Dicksonia

9-Mar-2012
10:33:28 PM

This is what 2 Aussies did before and it was sucessful plus they had a great time:

Firstly they hired Tony Donaldson for a few days climbing instruction. After the second day the boys were happy and confident to climb without a guide, but Tony soloed up beside them as they were belaying a climb, just to make sure they were leading and belaying properly.

Then they sent Tony home and these guys kept climbing for several few days and got some good summits done. When they finally came out from the hills Tony caught up with them again and they hung out together and he took them rabbit shooting and gave them a good time.
If you treat him right and tell them what you want then he will treat you right. No bullshit.

Sabu

10-Mar-2012
12:38:43 PM

Anyone done the High Alpine Skills Course run by NZAC?
I'm also keen to do something this year so looking at the options.

cruze

10-Mar-2012
3:25:15 PM

On 9/03/2012 dtb wrote:
>We did a course with Aspiring Guides last year. It was the 8 day Aspiring
>course.
>Best intro I could have asked for. We spent the whole time up at Colin
>Todd hut learning everything on the glacier and climbing the smaller mountains
>in the area. When we got a decent weather window we made an assent of Mt
>Aspiring itself with a bivvy night at the top of the ramp.
>Groups are small, it was me, my climbing partner and the guide. They have
>a much smaller guide ratio than others in the area.
>Great company and really personal, see if Tony Donaldson is free. Really
>knows his stuff and a great bloke to be stuck in a hut with in bad weather.
>
>
Hey David, we met at Colin Todd (I was there with my wife) in November. I think you had fantastic weather and a great attitude which helped! Hope to catch you 'round somewhere. Maybe next season?!

As far as the original question goes, I also agree with the suggestions to do as personalised an approach as possible. Especially if you go with a regular climbing partner, girlfriend, girlfriend to be, etc. Probably also depends on whether you will want to make a regular thing of climbing the white hills or you just want a taste. Staying around afterwards and reinforcing your skills is recommended.

Had a couple of friends do the High Alpine Skills NZAC course last year and they had magic weather and did heaps. Probably a similar level to TMC and a lot cheaper and shorter. They choppered to Barron Saddle and walked out with ascents and skills along the way.

cruze

10-Mar-2012
3:26:14 PM

Hey Peter I thought you might recommend E Ridge of Aoraki in yellow PVC as a good intro?

aarond

12-Mar-2012
9:51:23 AM

all the companies are really all the same, just give one of them a call or send them an email. they will be real helpful.
if you have climbed before i wouldn't do a TMC type course you will get too frustrated with it.( or you might get lucky and everyone is as skilled as you)

we hired a guide between 2 of us for 10 days and was well worth it. was only $500 more each than the TMC courses and we spent more time actually doing stuff and not and not learning how to tie knots and abseil or belay technique.
also with a 2:1 client guide ratio we could do a lot more routes than what the basic courses could with 3:1 or 4:1 ratio

There are 11 messages in this topic.