Bespoke Alpine and Ski Touring Expeditions
Beyond our classic peaks and courses lies the vast, wild potential of the Southern Alps. Our Private Guiding service is a blank canvas for the ambitious mountaineer or backcountry skier. Whether you have a specific, "off-list" summit in your sights, or you're looking for a multi-day mission, tailored to your exact rhythm, we’ll build the mission from the ground up.
Leveraging decades of mountain knowledge, we work with you to design a proposal that balances your objectives with the ever-changing alpine conditions. From remote, technical ice faces to ski tours in serious glaciated terrain, or scenic remote treks, your experience level is the starting point for our creativity.
Objectives: Want to climb a peak not found in our standard packages? We specialize in technical "climber’s peaks" and remote classics.
Strategy: We focus on a minimum 3-day window to allow for the best weather and maximum vertical.
The Logistics: Our rates are all-inclusive of your professional guide, meals, accommodation, technical gear, and park fees.
The Fine Print
Let’s get creative. Tell us your objective, and we’ll show you the way!
Every Private Guiding program is unique
Pre-booking: Tell us your aspirations, who is in your crew, and your respective experince levels. We'll discuss a general plan for your trip when going through the booking process.
We can help recommend an objective, or potentially an area to base yourself from. We'll advise on the potential trip duration, and if building in a flight, at least one way, is worthwhile.
For first-time climbers in the Southern Alps, keeing your objectives open is highly recommended. After you've booked and we've allocated a guide, they'll get in touch.
When you start: After meeting your guide, the first stage is an equipment check and sort. Then follows an in depth discussion outlining your trip, and the mountain venue, given the outlook for weather and conditions.
At this stage, your guide may advise on a revised plan, if conditions and weather do not suit our initial plans. Your guide will always work around prevailing weather and conditions, to get the most from your time. We reserve the right to modify schedules to best suit the conditions.
Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility
When dealing with a dynamic mountain environment it is best to take a flexible approach and avoid fixed day-to-day schedules. If weather conditions do not allow us to tackle your trip of choice, your guide will have a plan B, and C ready, to fit your available time, and experience.
How to Book
Whether you are a new or experienced mountaineer, a fit hiker, or a ski tourer/split-boarder, we can tailor a trip to meet (or challenge) your mountain background.
Aircraft Use
Weather Contingency on 3 to 5-day-long Trips
New Zealand mountain weather is unpredictable and may potentially play havoc with short trips.
Three to 5 days is considered a "short" mountain trip in the Southern Alps. If the weather severely affects your trip plans we can apply a one-day weather contingency, to roll your trip back and start a day later.
Please try to keep a day of flexibility within your travel plans to allow for the unexpected.
Summer Season - late October through April
This is by far the best time for alpine mountaineering, rock climbing, and alpine trekking. We will consider potential route conditions when advising on trip options.
Potential Mountaineering Objectives:
Alpine Trekking Objectives:
You can combine objectives to create out 3 to 5 days of excellent high-elevation trekking
Rock Climbing Objectives:
Or spice up your trekking mission with some multi-pitch rock.
• Rock climbing at Sebastopol Bluffs (1-3 days)
• Twin Streams rock climbing (2-4 days)
Winter Season - July through October
