Wendy: Steve and I have had enough boating for a while, so we are off for a day of ice climbing on a local glacier, followed by a 3-day hike on the Routeburn track (to start outside of Queenstown on January 1st). Andy will stay in Hokitika for another week to do some harder boating.
We meet at Alpine Guides, the group who will be guiding us on the glacier. After a few minutes of fitting mountaineering boots, helmets and crampons, we are off on the 10-minute bus trip to the glacier. A short hike leads to the glacial morraine and the place we spend the day. We learn to frontpoint (use the fronts of your crampons to climb a steep wall), walk up and down snow hills with an ice axe for stability, and how to place your ice axe on a steep face (whamming it really hard like a hammer into the ice), before moving on to the technical climbing. The guides then set up a series of ropes on some short (50-foot) ice faces, and we get to go at it! We start easy and work up to an overhanging blue ice wall. We even climbed a face that was between two waterfalls. We got a little wet on that one. The guide set the rope on the blue ice wall and told us it would for sure be really hard and that they don't usually take clients on it. Steve stepped up to the plate first, and cruised the climb! I followed in quick pursuit, and we both left the guide eating his words! It was hard work, but really fun, and definitely something I'll be doing again when we get back to the states.
Andy: Rest day, and BBQ with Maori family across from Kiwi Chris' dwelling
Wendy climbing the waterfall face. Note the streams of water on either side of her. Steve illustrates how to belay. |
Wendy placing the axe on an overhanging face. |
Wendy being a goon for the camera. |
Steve being a goon for the camera. |
Add picture of Steve learning to frontpoint.