LIABILITY WAIVER
This mountain conditions advisory is provided as a public service by Aspiring Guides Ltd. It is intended as an advisory only. Those endeavouring to travel into any of the areas mentioned do so at their own risk. Backcountry travellers should be well informed about current weather, snowpack and avalanche hazards and should not travel alone. All members of your party should wear a transceiver (457khz) and know how to use it. In addition everyone should carry a shovel, and a probe. Travellers should advise someone where they are travelling, and when they will next make contact. |
Topic: Pioneer Hut 28 Jan 2012
Comment: Generally very good access onto peaks for this time of year. East ridge of Grey Peak still has ice holding it together and West ridge is currently covered with snow.Easy access to the hut from the lower glacier via slope 200m downhill (West) of the hut. Plenty of water and fuel(3plus L) at the hut. The trip down to Chancellor remains straightforward with the glacier well filled in even at lower elevations.
Entered by: Simon Howells
Pioneer/Lendenfeld : 20 Jan 2012
Comment: The route to lendenfeld in good condition,glacier travel wellfilled crevasses and ramp to gain glaciated marcell col valley in goodconditions,hard frozen snow.From marcel col to summit good hard snow and last part over the summit ridgelittle bit cornice from the last bad weather.Nice conditions..
Entered by: Aritza
Fox neve : 12 Jan 2012
Comment: Pioneer to Chancellor still straight forward.
Pioneer to Grey peak via Governor col all good.
Ankle to shin deep slop- in these freeze-less days.
Entered by: Felix
Centennial Hut : 8 Jan 2012
Still good travel around the hut & snowflields although access up the slope from North side is now cut off. Travel reasonably good even when soft - maybe boot deep.
Entered by: Adrian Camm
Pioneer Hut-Lendenfeld 4 Jan 2012
Comment: Route to Lendenfeld qood conditions, glacier still well filled in, pass underneath Haast Corner and in the right side get up easy slopes and some crevasse and schrund to gain Marcel Col, but good conditions to cross. From Marcel Col up to the summit snow shell (40-50 cm) over ice shell. Sometimes stakes work quite good, sometimes dig in the snow to get the ice for ice screw. These slopes up to the top I think are in good condition.
Glacier travel Pioneer Hut-Chancellor Hut little bit soft snow but OK. Still not so many rounds to avoid crevasses.
Entered by: Aritza Monasterio
Topic: Centennial Hut 19 Dec 2011
Comment: Good access around the hut. Access across Davis and Chamberlain snowfields excellent. Aurora East face all good and easy.
Entered by: andy cole
Topic: Pioneer 14 Dec 2011
Comment: The glacier is in good condition snowwise, although very soft from heat and rain, no freeze in the past week I think. Large rockfall coming off N side of Haast into Pioneer Pass - something to watch out for if going that way up Grey Peak.
Entered by: tony donaldson
Topic: Pioneer Hut : 1 Dec 2011
Comment: Still lots of snow, means that snow and ice climbs are in great condition. Most crevasses well filled in. Looks like Mt Tasman has a vertical step on north shoulder hard to overcome, reported from people from top of Lendenfeld (no recorded Tasman ascents this season from Pioneer). Saw one size 1 wet snow slide off bluff uphill (east) of hut en route to West Hoe Pass going across foot tracks. Avo situation is consolidated though. For those steep ice climbing freaks: S Face of Douglas looks great.
Entered by: Thomas Schattovits
Topic: Fox Glacier 17/11/2011
Comment: Good access onto most peaks and passes as glacier is currently well filled in. 10cm new snow on 15/11/2011 from the SW which appeared to be bonding well helped by the fact that the we experienced warm temperatures the following day. The trip down to Chancellor is very straight forward at present.
Entered by: Simon Howells
Topic: Centennial Hut 9/11/11
Comment: Well filled in neve.
Access to Graham Saddle easy, as is access to Centenial Hut. Crevasses below still well filled in. Access via passes to the Fox neve looked easy from the air. Most N facing rock free from snow.
Entered by: Tim Steward
Topic: Pioneer 17 October 2011
Comment: there has been 30-40cm of new snow around pioneer before this last storm, it has many small layers within it the most reactive running on an ice layer 30cm down. a small slab kicked off while descending grey peak lee to the nw still winter conditions the glacier is semi full but not anywhere near what it has been in the past. the shrund is still showing true right of the hut and the hut itself is still fully exposed. the route to chancelor looks good but it also looks to be a thin cover, hopefully this snow will add to it.
the hut is in good condition but if going in ask doc for a light bulb as one is missing. some ice forming in the gullies towards the divide but again still thin at the moment the south face of douglas is also climbable but looks un consolidated. good climbing all. see you out there. tony
Entered by: tony donaldson
Topic: Pioneer Ice - 8 Oct 2011
Comment: Everything is looking pretty snowy, but there is good alpine and water ice forming in gullies and over steep rock fed by snowfields. Glacier well filled in.
Entered by: Tim
Topic: Centennial hut - 21 April 2011
Comment: Cold conditions with new snow and a strong to moderate SE wind have lightly filled and hidden crevasses on the neve. Access is improving to the hut and both sides of the glacier. Access to the divide is still possible before the sun hits the rocks on the S side of Jervios. Good crevasses for training exercises. There are three litres of fuel in the hut and a small amount of drinks in the box along with the usual odds and ends of emergency food. The windows have been fixed but the toilet and tap still need work. Toilet is in the red zone! No toilet paper in the hut either.
From flying over, Newton pass looks passable still but the lower glacier to vic gap via the pyramid and trough is looking as bad as ever. Fast, strong parties will make it through in 7 hours - longer for slower or heavily weighted parties.
Snow line looked to be about 1500m
No slab formation or visible slide activity as yet but the NW front coming next week may cause problems when covering the cold loose E snow lee S quarter.
cheers
Entered by: tony
Topic: Fox/ Franz neve's 15-20 April 2011
Comment: Things starting to look a bit more wintry and white in the neve's and crevasses beginning to fill in, however all 3 Fox- Franz passes are probably at their most difficult.
10-15cm of new snow before arrival and 20-30cm from SW during trip. No avo activity observed.
Access to Centennial is improving.
I travelled to Chancellor via Newton Pass but this wasn't so straightforward, requiring a 10m rappell into the schrund and walk out via rock avo debris off Mt. Christie.
All windows fixed and secured for winter.
Access down the trough is possible, but add some extra time to your itinerary to make it possible....it's pretty convoluted crevasse country.
Entered by: Gavin
Topic: fox franz neve 25/3/11
Comment: Access from the heli pad to Centennial is needing ropes and crampons, but all other access is getting better with each little dump of snow and wind we get. Meteor peak and various others are still climbable kind of mixed ice rock conditions on the faces.
Newton pass is quite easy with a very short harness lower and the heading west up high will drop you into the fox lower neve.
Mid fox to vic gap is a shambles but still able to be passed head high up under the pyramid and drop into the vic to get around vic gap. One spot of bother where you have to go down into the crevasse and out the other side and you're into the trough which is better than the past few months.
cheers tony
Topic: Centennial and Pioneer 18 Feb 2011
Comment: Access to Centennial is from the South and is a particularly tricky descent early morning on hard, dry ice with heavy packs.
Many new rock avalanches off Spencer, Mallory, Barnicoat and Christie.
Access across Halcombe Pass possible, but tricky and time consuming. I descended a route down the true left into ice-block chaos that required straightforward walking under some stable looking ice.
A rap off the true right would also be possible.
It looks like West Hoe Pass would also be passable with a long traverse
(150m) on steep terrain under Triad.
Access to Pioneer hut via slopes to the West of Toilet Peak.
Entered by: Gavin Lang
Topic: Centennial and Pioneer 18 Feb 2011
Comment: Direct radio contact with Heli services is now possible with hut radio. (Previously only possible if a machine was in the air).
Entered by: Gavin
Topic: Centennial - 14 Feb 2011
Comment: The access around the hut is still good but will fall apart if more melt occurs in the next few weeks. Meteor is still an easily climbed peak.
The trip over Newton Pass is easy but the rock fall from south side of Christie is massive and requires care and speed. From Vic gap down the ice is a maze and steep ice leading into the trough can be lowered if hard.
Trough is full of rock at the top and takes time. Traverse from Vic gap to trough is quite exposed in places and takes time. Getting harder to make it through than I have had before.
Halcombe Col looks to be cut off but I didn't get really close.
Entered by: tonyd
Topic: Grey Peak - 10 Feb 2011
Comment: Access up to Grey Peak from north is becoming cut up but passable and the 'shrund on the West Face crossable at the far climbers right via a short, steep ice pitch.
Entered by: Tim Steward
Topic: Pioneer 7 Feb 2011
Comment: Travel to Grey Peak still good, as is north ridge snow slope.
Access to Ledenfield good, rock fall can be avoided on descent by rapping schrund. Hard dry ice above Schrund below Marcel col.
Halcombe pass requires negotiation of large slot- can be done on true right slope.
Entered by: Felix Landman
|
