Greetings from Aspiring Guides,

We welcome Andy Oxley as a new director to Aspiring Guides. Andy will be taking over the role of Office Administration ensuring that all your paperwork is completed, your questions are answered and keeping our guides on the straight and narrow. We farewell Jean Clairmonte who has left to pursue her own adventures. I’m sure many of you who have met Jean in the office over the last 10 years join us in wishing her well in her future endeavours. 

Andy Oxley has lived in Wanaka for 10 years and skied here for 15 years. She comes from a hospitality background – some of you may have been served breakfast by her! Now she puts her skills to good use behind the desk whilst checking the weather out the window.

It has been the coldest spring in memory which is good news if you are a glacier, with record snowfalls the neves are more filled in than anyone can ever remember. Guide Simon Howells and Martin Baier took advantage of the well filled in Therma Glacier to make a fast Mt Aspiring Ascent. The Therma is probably the shortest route up Aspiring but it is only in condition in early spring conditions. 

Guides Stefan Sporli and Gary Kuehn achieved an unusual first by being the first people to carry skis up the S. W. Ridge on Aspiring. Approaching from French Ridge the goal was to ski from the Summit down the N.W. Ridge. Taking the most direct route they completed one of the mountains most sought after ice routes. While there have been lots of attempts to ski the S.W. Ridge and West Face no one has ever managed to ski the entire route due to the 70 degree ice and rock couloir which leads to the summit. As far as I know everyone has always turned around at the bottom of the couloir and skied from there. So while the route still remains unskied, Stefan and Gary can make the dubious claim to be the first people to make it through with skis, even if they were going up! The ski down was “beautiful corn skiing” and went off without a hitch.

Marc Hester and Guide Whitney Thurlow attempted a two day car park return up Mt Brewster but with a full blown blizzard as they approached the summit the duo were forced to turn back just below the summit. Pushing the limits of human endurance and bravery (can you tell who is writing this?) Marc and his heroic guide, retreated to Makarora for cappuchinos and sweets. 

With some mixed weather on the west coast Stuart Drury and Guide Tony Donaldson found some great snow for ski touring on the Cleves Glacier and Masami Matsubara and Rob Armstrong learned about our Steep Ice Course with Guide Davie Robinson. 

November kicked off the start of our trekking season. While there is still too much snow for the high passes to be safe to cross, the Upper Wilkin Valley was turning on some brilliant trips. David Kantor and Michael Hampton had a chilly time as a southerly blew through (no waterfall bathing on that trip) with Guide Brenda George. Peter and Rosanne Robinson had such a good time on a previous Mt Aspiring Glacier Expedition they talked friend Graeme Copley into joining them for an Upper Wilkin trip. Ideal hiking weather with one day of rain to sit by the fire and read made for the perfect combination of exhilarating hiking and relaxation. 

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Put forth your aspirations, we will convert them to reality ....