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Mountaineering Courses in NZ

Lukas

26-Jun-2010
8:45:04 PM

Hi Does anyone recommend a mountaineering course in NZ?
I am new to ice but am experienced on warmish rock.
I guess the ideal would be in January, and involve climbing some peaks including steep ice.
Regards Lukas

diddy

27-Jun-2010
1:34:05 PM

New to ice as in no experience, or some experience?

If little to no experience, then start with a TMC. And you can't go wrong with Alpine Guides or Adventure Consultants (but there are others) -- they have a lot of useful information on their websites. Unlikely that you'd see steep ice on a TMC, but it is essential to get the core skills first. This is also the more cost effective way of getting experience -- unless you have a patient and well experienced friend who is willing to take you out and teach you.

If you have some experience then you could look to do a guided ascent or (advanced) private instruction -- again look at the websites of the guiding companies for costs / possibilities. This will give you the most freedom to get on better lines, but it will be expected that you have the core skills and fitness. It will also cost more.

And January is probably not the best month for steep ice. You may want to think about going earlier in the season -- especially if you need to first do a TMC. If you are new to the mountains then be prepared to take it slow, which often means saving some of the bigger routes for the next season.

brendan

27-Jun-2010
6:32:01 PM

there have been heaps of threads on this topic already, if you want to climb steep ice do a ice climbing course (now would be the perfect time) if you want a basic understanding of climbing in the mountains do a TMC, if you want more than that and have a couple of mates who want to tag along hire a guide privately. If you want the real budget option tag along on a blue lake/buller/bogong trip with someone competent this winter then head to NZ this summer and hang around mount cook village and learn as you go with whoever you meet.

Superstu

28-Jun-2010
9:15:48 AM

TMC's seem to be the standard way to get started in alpine NZ, but I'd heard from other climbers who did one that they spent some time sitting around watching other clients learn how to tie a figure 8 etc.

As my buddy and I had already done loads of climbing on rock, we just pooled our money and hired a guide for a week and said 'teach us everything we don't know'. So we covered snow pack, weather reading, snow anchors, ice climbing, crevasse rescue, etc, etc but skipped rope work, belaying, rock anchors, hauling, etc.

With a good guide and luck with the weather you should be able to bag a number of peaks surrounding your chosen hut during the week. Then fly your guide out and spend a few more weeks bagging the easier peaks while you build on your skills. No point getting all that instruction then going home to sunny Oz for a year before doing anything again.

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