Aoraki Mount Cook

A successful ascent of Aoraki requires proven climbing proficiency, excellent physical fitness, and currency (recent alpine experience).

• ‍Currency - at least 14 days on crampons within the last 2 years
• Proven experience climbing with 2 tools on 45 to 50 degrees of snow and ice
• Proven experience of several 12+ hour days on alpine ascents (NZ alpine 2+) or equivalent - within the last 2 years
• Glacier travel experience and the ability to competently demonstrate a crevasse rescue system
• Rock climbing competence - climbing to Australian 14/US 5.7
• High level of aerobic fitness - able to climb 1,000 vertical metres with an 8 kg backpack in 3.5 hours

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Training for Aoraki:

• Mountaineering proficiency is only gained experientially - by practice. Being physically fit and determined are necessary qualities for climbers.
• Extensive crampon “mileage” in serious glaciated terrain will provide the necessary training for a safe ascent.
• If you have Aoraki as a potential future goal (or any other serious glaciated mountain), there are plenty of ways to gain experience.  Depending on your existing experience, we are happy to advise a suitable strategy.

The essentials are:

• A solid grounding in the basics.
• Start with a comprehensive instruction course - for example, the Alpine Skills Course (ASC) - to give you the base competencies.
• Alternatively, come with a friend, and we can build a Private Guided Course for you.

Development:

• Build your experience on other peaks.
• Follow up a course with a Private Guiding Program a Mount Aspiring Expedition, or a Technical Mountaineering Course (TMC).
• Climb with a friend or join a club (the NZ Alpine Club, for example) to gain the required mileage.
• During any training with Alpine Guides, your guide will advise you on potentially suitable follow-up objectives or specific areas of training to work on, and if they think you are ready for the challenge.

Take Your Time With Training:

• We recommend taking your time to develop your skills over at least 2 or 3 climbing seasons.
• We see a tendency for goal-oriented people to try to compress training and experience development into one season.
• In reality, this is rarely a successful strategy. Take your time to bring success.

Common Guest Issues We Experience:

Our recommendations around training and experience attempt to mitigate these issues and allow for the best chance for a summit attempt.

Outside of weather and route conditions (which we cannot control), here are some reasons why some guests have struggled on Aoraki Mount Cook:

‍Lack of mountain fitness.

• Mountain fitness is developed over time, with long days carrying moderate loads.
• High cardiovascular fitness is important, but cycling and running do not provide the same kind of conditioning as climbing.

Not appreciating the scale of terrain and risk involved.

• ‍‍Feeling overwhelmed and not able to deal with the degree of exposure.

Unfamiliarity with the dynamics of local weather and conditions.

• Conditions can be extremely variable, even over the space of a day, from boiler-plate ice to soft post-hole snow.
• Accustomed with exposure to a range of climbing conditions is vital.

Hazards

Mountaineering on the Aoraki Mount Cook massif is a hazardous activity. Although technically the “easiest” route on Aoraki Mount Cook, the Linda Glacier has a relatively high level of objective hazard (a natural hazard that we cannot control, only minimise).

The route is exposed in numerous places to avalanches, rockfall, and ice-fall danger from above. It is essential that your fitness, ability, and conditions allow you and your guide to move quickly through these hazardous zones.

• The guide’s primary concern is always for safety. ‍
• Your guide’s appraisal of your competence and route conditions will determine whether the climb can be attempted, or an alternative ascent is considered instead.‍
• From December onwards, the route can become heavily crevassed, before eventually becoming impassable.
• Crevassing may slow down travel through areas threatened by ice avalanches, and can become unacceptable from a safe guiding perspective.

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Climbing Season:

Climbing Season - Late October to Late December

• The effects of climate change are evident on our mountains and have reduced the length of the climbing season for Aoraki Mount Cook over the past 3 decades.
• It may be possible to attempt Aoraki Mount Cook later in the season (every year is different).
• We will only accept bookings that finish before late-December (pre-Xmas).

Early Season - October through mid-November

• Soft snow (slowing travel) and heightened avalanche risk are the major constraints of an early-season expedition.
• A climb may be possible, but will be subject to your guide’s interpretation of the hazard level.
• For early-season trips, it can be very helpful if you are proficient with either snowshoes or ski touring/split-board equipment.

December Onwards

• Route conditions on parts of the Linda Glacier deteriorate as summer progresses.
• There may be periods through the summer where the degree of crevassing and ice-cliff activity makes the route too hazardous to guide.
• Good conditions may also extend the climbing season.‍
• We always take a conservative approach to this increased risk.

‍Additional Booking Conditions

These special conditions are in addition to our standard booking terms and conditions:

• A period of 6 days is covered in the cost.
• If you achieve the summit earlier, you have the option of retaining your guide and completing another climb, or returning to Aoraki Mount Cook village.
• Additional climbing will be at the discretion of the guide, based on your ability and the prevailing conditions.
• No refund is due if you choose to finish early.
• Extensions to the package may be possible (depending on your guide’s work commitments) — this will be an additional cost of NZ$995 per day, which includes food and hut fees. You can select this when booking.
• If the period is involuntarily extended (for example, being held at Plateau Hut by a storm), the cost is an additional NZ$795 per day.
• It is not possible to cancel your booking for a refund due to changing route conditions.
• An alternative objective will be proposed.
• All itineraries are subject to change around weather and mountain conditions.

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How to Book

• All Aoraki Mount Cook reservations are made on an “on-request basis”.
• Please contact us with your background and a potential preferred start date, and we can take it from there.