My first time - Troy Fardell 
 Hi I'm Troy, I wanted to climb ... with these guides ...
 
 I learned a lot ... stayed at a hut .... and a snowcave !

 
 
 It was also FUN,
 my friend DUDE loved it we had a New Years Eve party
 in our snowcave! 
 Read on .....

" Oh Yeah!…..Awesome!"
The feeling of Brilliant Quiet White. For those of you that have experienced the
sensation of absolute quiet on a brilliant white landscape you know what I am
feeling. For those of you that haven't and want to … Do This Course!
One minute your heart is racing quicker than the rotors of the helicopter. The
clammer of the chopper engine assaults your ears, where talking to the person
jammed next to you is out of the question. Five minutes of this exciting abuse
goes by. You are suspended by a couple of sticks whizzing around very fast, over
breathtaking scenery. Then you find yourself sprawled over backpacks on virgin
powder snow trying to prevent them from blowing away. The chopper whips up a
final snowstorm as it …jooomz …it's gone! Then there is Nothing, not a sound as
if instantly deaf.
It’s a bizarre feeling to have no sound in such a brilliant white place with no
other sign of man for as far as you could see - today that was a long way. The
freshness and peacefulness of absolute isolation are your next sensations, very
cool!
I love those chopper rides! But now the Real ride begins!
I came to NZ by myself. Simply to do as much "tramping" as I could in 6 weeks -
yes a long over due holiday, years! Not that I am a mad keen bushy or greeny, in
fact I am sort of new to the hiking hobby. My first week was in MT Cook area
where I had volunteered to do a weeks Hut wardening at Meuller hut. At the time
that was the steepest and longest continuous walk I had ever done, 3hrs 20 min
and soaked to the bone…. The weather rarely got better for my whole trip. For 6
days it rained, snowed and blew - oh and an earthquake thrown in too. But it was
here that my trip took a fundamental change in course. I met this guy, Victor, a
member of the Quensland SWAT team (police) big bugger of a bloke. Anyway he had
just finished a mountaineering course and raved about it. He showed me a few
things such as "prussicing up a rope" and heaps of stories. So from that moment
I wanted to do a mountaineering course too.
I recall looking at the MAG website once long ago but thought it was a pipe
dream and I couldn’t afford it anyway. Now I was hell bent on doing it - Visa
card would solve one of the problems (the easiest one) the trouble was finding a
vacancy on a course. I spent three days in Mt. Cook trying to get on a course
with no luck. With head hung low I resumed my Plan A and headed to Wanaka to do
the Cascade Saddle & Dart River track. Things were starting to fall into place
somehow. A free ride to Queenstown, then a shuttle to Wanaka just the driver and
myself and a Swiss guy called Silvan who as chance would have it wrote the
previous article to this - freaky huh!
I expressed my disappointment of not getting on a course in Mt. Cook, he
suggested I call into MAG. I was charged again. I briskly walked to the MAG
office sensing a need for urgency (I don’t know why ok!) and was warmly greeted
by Carol and Jean who regretfully told me they too were booked out. But then in
came Dave on his day off. My story was told and in seeing my disappointment
Dave's cogs started turning "Hmmm…U hah, don’t we have two guides on this
course?" pointing to the white board. Two guides and four punters plus me,
that’s still a good ratio. I was IN!!! Wananka became my new home until my
course began.
The tramps were now simply fillers until the real adventure began, the 27th of
December. I did the Young River to Siberia Hut via Gillespies Pass and of course
Cascade Saddle to Dart river - I now had a bigger vertical climb under my belt,
Meuller was a piece of cake!
Wanaka is a must do in itself. By the end I wanted to move there from Australia
and I reckon I live in a bloody nice part of Oz. It's December, summer, there
are people water skiing and paragliding on the beautiful lake, people walking
around in boardshorts and singlets but, Hello who are these characters clunking
towards me? They are dressed in snowboots, thermals and lug a huge pack with all
sorts of climbing gadgetry hanging from them. Curiously enough no one it seems
is curious. They barely attract any attention. This is common, they are
Mountaineers!
The day comes and things were not looking good for our course, the weather was
crap so what's new? I hadn't seen many sunny days in four weeks, and the outlook
was no better. I was starting to worry that I had paid for a course that wasn’t
even gonna get off the ground. Day 1 we all met and went out to the local crag's
to try out our rockclimbing skills (zero in my case) especially in our plastic
ski like boots. Be prepared to get a few scratches here! Climbing up a wall of
shist rock trying to get afoot hold on a 20 cent piece size of rock in these
boots is a joke, well it is for those waiting their turn. Fish'n'chip for dinner
and it's on the road to Fox with a number of photo stop requests to capture the
beauty of this drive.
When you sign up for one of these things like any small group size activity, you
cant help wonder what the others are going to be like. We had a mixed bag.
Ranging in age from a pommy come Kiwi veterinarian Liz at 24, Aussie Meat Market
Mat(family meat business) at 25, Miss Anna a journo from Holland nearing 30,
myself an ex finance type now roof plumber from Oz at 33 and finally John who
deceived many at 53. For nine and half days we ate, drank, snored and smelt
together. Everyone was an individual yet at the same time a close and supportive
team of strangers.
Another thing when you sign up at the MAG office is the short questionnaire you
fill out. E.g. what you reckon your fitness level is like, now I had just been
talked into doing this course by a police SWAT team member who was a big bugger,
no fat, basically tough… I therefore ranked myself as a "2" 5 Being Very Fit. As
it turned out I was fine; there were a few moments when a bit of effort was
required. I think stamina is more important. I was fortunate that my course was
towards the end of a hiking holiday so I was used to the going UP! Mind you I
didn’t wade 10hrs through knee deep snow and driving sleet, like some of the
team. My chopper got a lucky break and we flew within 200 mtrs of Centennial Hut
(my condolences to the rest of my team J ).
Now I had spent weeks tramping around living off 2min noodles, cheese and
biscuits and dried fruit and nuts, so I was expecting nothing more. But I tell
you we ate like fools despite leaving one of the two boxes of food in Fox. Heaps
of food and better than you get at mums house! Paul our guide didn’t believe in
single course dinners, at least 3 courses per night - even in the snow cave…but
then it was New Years Eve! When they say, "food is provide" - don’t take
anything!
I am now so glad I didn’t get on a course in Mt. Cook. When I was sitting in my
tin can hut on Meuller as warden listening to the other huts and courses in that
area on the CB whining about their drafty and leaking huts I didn’t appreciate
there predicament. This is one of the beauties of the MAG courses. MAG run their
course on the West Coast and in particular use Centennial Hut some 2423m ASL…the
highest hut in the South. Its huge and its isolation means few gate crashers.
For the nine and a half days we didn’t see anyone else (note: allow for a few
trapped by weather days in your travel plans… we couldn’t get down for a couple
of days - ummm that 2nd food box would have been nice after all) - we saw a lot
of each other. We were able to spread out and it was easy to forget that it
wasn’t our hut. This made for a great atmosphere for learning, asking dumb
questions without embarrassment from would be outsiders. We even did many of our
rope practicals in the hut with 6:1 Z-pulleys everywhere!
It soon became apparent that the poor weather wasn't going to let up for a
couple of days with 15cm of snow the first night - and this is summer! So we
settled into hut bound life. Hut life revolves around the MSR stoves.
Ear plugs, whilst sometimes antisocial devices are nevertheless a necessity.
There are just so many times you can listen to the chorus of Robbie Williams
"Better Man" from Anna who is Dutch and Liz a Pom. Of course there is hut
shaki'n snoring as well.
Centennial Hut is quite big so it gets a little cool in there, especially around
the toes and fingers. Our super flexible gymnastic guide, Anna, lead the aerobic
sessions to get the blood pumping and the brain going. Since it is a bit cool,
chores like cooking and doing the dishes are sometimes a good thing as you get
to have warm hands. Just a note on discarding the wash up water outside in a
blizzard on a catwalk some 30m over an arete…water can defy gravity as it gets
whipped up and swirled all over you - so too does spitting out toothpaste!
Whilst hut bound we studied hard. Doing Navigation plans for various excursions.
I was in Army Reserves for three years and figured I knew a bit about map &
compass work but in the bush you don’t get whiteouts that hide your reference
points or crevasses every 20m to weave through. So the range of ingenious
techniques used were very interesting.
As the spindrift built up at the door we utilised the structural features of the
hut to rig up an assortment of crevasse rescue systems and other roping
techniques, becoming familiar with terms such as Alpine clutch, prussic, Bachman
and 6:1 Z pulley systems.
Avalanche theory was another topic covered and one I read about in a book whilst
confined to Mueller Hut. However it wasn't until Anna took us out (in pretty
poor weather I might add) that I really began to understand the dynamic and
metamorphic nature within the snow layers…sounds like pretty dry stuff but was
quite interesting and indeed a necessity. There was even evidence of the Sydney
(Aust) bushfires within the snow layers.
Eventually the weather let up to reveal a superb sunny morning. The hut sprang
to life like some prize lay outside and no one wanted to be last out the door.
Paul inspected our packs so as to go light for climbing mode. We ventured out
onto the snowfield where we all practiced setting up snow anchors and then
having the team try and make it fail! Fortunately (for our confidence) none did,
in fact we were all amazed at their effectiveness - what a reassuring exercise
and what a classroom!
After a gourmet picnic morning tea on the pristine landscape we roped up for
glacier travel and headed off for a climb. The objective was to climb up the
northern couloir of Meteor Peak. The sun was beating down and had already
softened the snow, making the going a bit of a slog. Before we even got to the
base of out climb we had 2 stops to strip off layers of clothing. Whilst not a
terribly technical climb, the slope allowed us to consolidate our theory on rock
anchors and the newly learned snow anchors. We made four and a bit pitches to
the top of the couloir; the snow covered a Gendarme (knife-edge). The sensation
of reaching the top and poking your head over the other side of the pillow of
snow is exhilarating ...no its simply awesome…nah that doesn't do it justice
either. It's a blood cool feeling. We stood on the West Coast but if I held out
my ice axe over the edge it was in the East Coast high above the Tasman Glacier.
I couldn't help thinking how much of an overhang of snow we were standing on. It
was whilst deep in thought that I forgot I my Nikon was resting on my knee. So
when Paul asked for another "quickdraw" I pivoted around and at that moment saw
my $2500 Nikon begin a rapid descent technique incorporating a Base jump off
some crumbly rocks and then into a rapid rotation manuvoure. I lost count at how
many times it spun and snowballed down. Fortunately it followed the fall-line
directly towards the rest of the upward coming team. "Camera! Camera! Stop the
Camera! Right into the lap of Anna, she didn’t event have to reach for it. I had
written it off in those tumbling seconds. But then it's a Nikon, apart from a
broken lens hood barely a scratch after 40 meters freedom. The lesson here is to
use that strap thing!
After everyone was up and we had done our "Yeee Haaaas" and shook our guide's
hands in gratitude for showing us a part of their special world, it was time to
descend. The first couple of abseil steps were the trickiest. The rock up here
is crumbly and fractures off in layers. It was a 'first up -last down' deal so I
was last. A mixture of haste and added traffic caused a dinner plate size 2
inches thick to come loose. "Shit! Rock! ROCK! ROCK! The meteor rock now
followed the Nikons path and once again Anna was there to wear it. Climbing does
have risks, maybe that’s what draws us to it. All I could do was watch as it
tumbled headlong towards the team below as they tried to duck behind their
packs. 'WACK" right into Anna's thigh. "oh, Oh, OH OH AH! (MP3 for the rest).
Needless to say I felt so bad and the bruise was huge. I was amazed at Anna's
inner strength to get back to the hut as well as she did…"That's gotta hurt!"
We returned to Centennial Hut against an amazing backdrop of changing sky hues.
A full moon was rising as we got to the hut around 8pm. The moon sparkled in the
snow crystals and made the vista to the toilet surreal. New Zealanders must have
a thing for toilets, each is poised on a monolith or suspended over shear drops
(hence the name 'Long drop" toilets) with views that take your breath away and
that’s not due to any odor mind you. Still, I don’t know how to use the pile of
snow next to the toilet seat when the paper runs out.
The next day, still pretty proud of our selves, we all took back our previous
remarks aimed at Paul's makeup routine and application. Estee Lauder isn't it
Paul? Paul covers himself in this thick foundation looking cream giving him a
very plastic spooky look. Well we all suffered badly, crusty foreheads and
imparticular crusty under the nose, as if the constant sniffling wasn’t enough -
this we all did as a team! J
So it's New Years Eve and we have all voted on spending it in a special way. So
after lunch we head out shovels in hand (4). About 1/2 a K there is a jagged
group of rocks that rise up and at their base is a huge 20-foot snow scoop;
ideal for building snow caves. Paul, a veteran of some 100 plus such shelters,
revises our previous lesson on shelters. Its all very 'hands-on' as we determine
starting points and levels for the 2 entrances (yes this is gonna be big), then
we are into it at a ballistic pace. One gouges at the snow face as the other two
shovel it out. The pace doesn’t stop for 3 1/2 hours, each person rotating
tasks. If you are cold and the weather is looking grim this is the best way to
get warm. The cozy feeling of a snow cave is amazing when it's blowing at the
door. The cave was gigantic, almost 7m long by 3.5 wide with 2 rooms, a storage
wing (was gonna be the toilet but…), complete with benches and champagne
coolers.
That evening, while Paul organised another superb NYE meal, we made the cave
home. Adding candleholders in the walls, shelves for the o'derves of crackers,
various cheeses and smoked mussels. We even had party balloons, hats and those
kazoo type blowers. After setting up our air mats in bivvi bags for later, we
took a multitude of team picks inside the cave that had really cool looking ice
blue walls. As the evening rolled on the jokes and stories flowed along with the
Mandarin Vodka, Baileys and most memorable the "flaming Drambuies". We had quite
a bit of alcohol on our course and we made good use of it. The Baileys and
Drambuie were used in cakes, mousses, coffees, basically anything. As dinner
cooked and the laughter gathered so too did the fog inside the cave making it
very hard to take a decent NYE photo.
The time on my GPS began the countdown, 10-9-8….1 !!! "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Mayhem
broke as the party blowers went off! The noise was unbelievable, you'd have
thought it was at a NYE nightclub. Everyone shook hands gave hugs and kisses to
our new friends. Sleep soon followed. As we all lay there my closing thoughts
were: "Are we really safe in……zzzzzzZZZ". I woke up really happy…I was still
alive and inside my Fairydown Everest (free plug) I was toasty and warm.
The year started off with poor weather again. The decision was made that we
should bug out and head down to Elmer Hut situated next to the Franz Joseph Ice
fall, where we might have a better chance of chopper extraction. Our previous
Nav plans were to be put to the test in rain and frequent whiteouts making it
hard to see the other end of the rope at times. I had earlier done a nav plan on
my GPS as a backup - yeah right, the bloody thing died after getting moisture in
it, so much for waterproof - bit like Gortex really! The rain had collapsed the
snowbridges making the crevasses very obvious across the snowfield. At first I
think we all found crevasses a little daunting but soon we were crossing the
fissures in our stride, zig zagging the larger ones. It’s the Zig and zag that
make nav tricky.
Finally we got to Elmer; a hut built in the 50's with few renovations since
(none my guess). This hut is old and not a patch on out previous lodgings. The
weather was wild outside with winds picking up stones and throwing them at the
perspex windows. Here we sat for two days. It was a time to reflect on the
week's events, to chill out, to finish that book or read from the hut library of
Readers Digest of similar vintage. The Franz icefall is a marvel to see from
this hut. It is so big and impassable; to think it is all on the move down.
Eventually the choppers came in under the cloud and our time was coming to and
end. As we flew down the Franz towards humidity, towards civilization we saw the
damage the weather had wreaked, rivers had burst, bridges were damaged and land
slips by the roads. Johns hire car had been broken into by the Chopper Company
so as to get it out of the flood path. Over the headset the pilot said it was
the worst he had seen. Thing is, despite the worst weather, I found the course
to be the best thing I have ever done. I was no sooner off the chopper wanting
to go back to the mountains - well after a shower maybe. That morning we hit
that second food box hard. Bacon and eggs, toast, beers and a whole bottle of
port to celebrate…that was breaky!
I came to NZ to bushwalk; I went home a mountain climber. Some people pay to sit
around and call it a holiday, but why not do something, learn something,
experience something, get some value out of life I reckon. Thanks to everyone at
MAG for the highlight of a fantastic holiday.