Recently we interviewed Mont customer Roger Skirrow, who embarked on an epic trip to New Zealand. In this interview, we will delve into the details of their journey, exploring the stunning Sealy Range in the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and his solo hike to Brewster Hut from Haast Pass. We'll also uncover the gear he took with them and gain insights on their experiences that can help our Mont community in planning their own New Zealand adventures. So let's jump right in and discover the highlights, challenges, and recommendations from Roger's trip.
First rays of the day on Mt Sefton (centre) and Mt Cook (right), with Mont Moondance tent and Mueller Hut in mid-foreground.
After completing a 1-week mountaineering course in mid November 2022 I met up with a friend for a multi-day trip to the Sealy Range in the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. The plan was to walk up to Mueller Hut from near Mt Cook village then to the Annette Plateau, where we would camp on the glacier and climb nearby ridges and peaks. However, in the few days before our trip 1.0-1.2 metres of fresh snow fell, with another 20-30 cm during our trip, resulting in avalanche risk described as 'considerable'. Early summer had rapidly turned to winter-like conditions, so we stayed at Mueller Hut and camped on snow nearby for 4 nights, only venturing onto the easy but safer ridge line above the hut. On two of 4 days we scrambled to Mt Olivier and towards Mt Kitchener, practicing roped climbing techniques. Loose-wet snow avalanches had swept the slopes we would have crossed to reach the Annette Plateau, and small slips had even covered parts of the hiking trail up to Mueller Hut. Several hikers including one in a mini skirt and several wearing running shoes seemed oblivious to the avalanche risks and deep snow conditions.
After the Mueller Hut trip I hiked to Brewster Hut from Haast Pass (between Wanaka and the West Coast) for a 3-day trip. Going solo I stuck to easy snow slopes to gain a ~2100 m ridge above the hut, with magnificent views of Mount Brewster, the Brewster Glacier and its small glacial lakes, and the Southern Alps stretching to the north and south.
Sunrise near Brewster Hut
For the Sealy Range/Mueller Hut trip we took full alpine climbing gear as well as my quite new Mont Moondance 2FN tent and other snow camping gear. The tent has performed perfectly for snow camping both here and in the Snowy Mountains in winter.
My camera on this trip was a compact type Olympus XZ-1 with a 10 Mp 1/1.63" sensor and F1.8-2.5 lens. While not super-high resolution and a bit old now (like me!) it is very lightweight and great for hiking/climbing. The fast lens is ideal for those low-light special moments before sunrise or after sunset.
Pre-sunrise alpenglow light on Mt Sefton and the Footstool (left) and Mt Cook (right)
I would take spare camera batteries next time to swap when conditions are cold (i.e. below freezing) and when doing a climb/hike where I don't want to carry a heavy battery power pack. Also could have taken some extra guy lines for securing the Moondance 2FN tent in case of strong winds. On the Mueller trip there was no problem, fortunately, with only light winds and pegs that nicely froze-in to the snow overnight.
Huts: Both Mueller and Brewster huts are great bases for easy access to alpine hikes and glaciers, with magnificent settings above the treeline. Mueller has a particularly spectacular view of Mount Sefton, the Footstool and Aoraki Mount Cook. Both can be reached by hiking 2.5-4 hours from sealed roads (approx. 1000-1100 metres climb), but they do require booking (via NZ Dept. of Conservation) and can be full during summer months. Many other alpine hut options require longer walk-ins or helicopter access, so these two are good for quick trips to take advantage of short weather windows.
Season and weather: Having climbed in NZ several times between December and February, with mixed success due to weather, I had planned to go in November with the hope of good late-spring/early-summer snow and ice conditions and nightly freezes for alpine climbing. However, we had very warm damp conditions during early-mid November with freezing levels well above 3000 metres, immediately followed by 1-1.5 metres of fresh snow down to 1200 metres and high avalanche risk for a week or so. This was problematic for fixed-date alpine climbing trips and courses across this period. Nevertheless, most companies are doing their best to deal with challenging weather conditions such as those in November 2022.
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