I was fortunate enough to get one more hit out before Christmas came around. The weather had cleared and snow melted. It was time to put my big boy pants on and head into the heart of the Alps, Arthur’s Pass.
It had been some time since I had ventured this deep into the Alps and it wasn’t long before I was reminded on how big this type of country is.
An early wake up had me leaving the car at 8:30am and gaining elevation fast!
Today’s targets were Avalanche Peak (1,833m), Lyell Peak (1,828m) and Mt Bealey (1,836m).
I set myself a fast pace early on and gained some good height. The cloud was low with a moderate breeze coming from the West. At times the low cloud impeded visibility down to 20 meters at time which made for some very eerie atmospheres.
I reached Avalanche Peak in 90 minutes just as the cloud was starting to burn off which made for momentary glimpses of stunning vistas South.
After a quick bite to eat I began the traverse across to Lyell. On my travels I had some Keas come in for a closer look. Upon arrival at Lyell, they came down to join me on my food break.
Three landed just behind me while another at my feet, of which, the nearest proceeded to hop around looking for something to have a nibble on. After trying his luck on my bag he backed off and just sat there looking around. This gave me great opportunity to take a few pictures!
When doing some research into these peaks one piece of information said that the ridgeline between Lyell and Mt Bealey got very exposed. Soon after leaving Lyell, the ridge did just that. It started out innocent then got rather serious!
I was pleased not to be doing it in windy conditions!
Although there was significant exposure, it was awesome. Making sure each step was a good placement and picking your line through the rocky ridge. At times there were drop off of up to 70-80 meters!
After this prolonged period of exposure, there was one last push to the top of Mt Bealey.
The clouds burnt off and I was fortunate to be given beautiful views down onto the Waimak River and Turkey Flat. Lunch wasn’t much but it felt good to give the legs a break.
After my sit down and water break it was off back to Arthur’s Pass. The ridge still had the odd piece of exposure, but nothing like previously experienced.
Along this ridge I stopped every now and again looking for any signs of animals. I was lucky enough to lay my eyes on a Chamois! My first in the wild. It was pretty cool to see bounding along the hillside and through gnarly rocky terrain.
Not long after I was back in the bush which was a welcome relief from the patchy sun and breeze. The descent was steep but not as rocky as the climb at the start of the day.
Back at the car, it was boots off and down to the shop for a pie and chocolate milk. Peppered steak was delicious and I would recommend.
Christmas is right around the corner so will try my luck in getting out post Xmas.
Till next time.
#22 Avalanche Peak – 1,833m, 11.8km, 5 hours 27 min
#23 Lyell Peak – 1,828m, 11.8km, 5 hours 27 min
#24 Mt Bealey – 1,836m, 11.8km, 5 hours 27 min
Cam.