Date: February 27 - 29, 2024
Location: Snowdrift Range, West Matukituki, Mount Aspiring National Park, Otago, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance (from Aspiring Hut): 21.09 miles / 33.94 km
Total Elevation Gain (from Aspiring Hut): 9,466 ft / 2,885 m
Trip Duration: 3 days
Team: Solo
Field Notes: Mount Liverpool makes a fantastic climb over a long weekend. Bike into Aspiring Hut and climb the steep track to Cascade Saddle which offers plenty of scenic camp spots along with water and a toilet. From Cascade Saddle, Liverpool is climbed (along with Plunket and Islington Dome) by following the broad ridge. The crux of this trip are the crevasses along the ridge. From the camp at Cascade Saddle it took me 8 hours return.
Rating: II, 1
Originally this trip was planned to go with the OSONZAC club. However, a perfect weather forecast and a desire to climb on snow saw me biking solo up the West Matukituki. I've written about it before, but I simply love this place. It is almost as God himself designed this valley for mountaineers.
There are still so many great peaks I've yet to climb...Rob Roy, Avalanche, Aspiring, Fog Peak, Tyndall, Popes Nose...this trip gave me this inspiration to potentially climb all the peaks of the West Matukituki. I'm not super keen on lists, so if it happens it happens by its own accord.
I got way too late of a jump on the day and I left Aspiring Hut at six in the evening. Carrying three days of food, mountaineering equipment, and my bivy gear up a 1,450 meter climb was fun work. It took me exactly three hours to reach the saddle. Along the way, the views were incredible as normal. The sunset over Mount Aspiring was one of the best I've seen all season.
I got into camp under headlight, quickly unpacked, ate dinner, and tried to get in as much sleep as possible. My original plan was to climb Tyndall on day two, but the more I thought about it I felt like I should go for Liverpool (and I'm glad I did).
The weather forecast was calling for sun, clouds, and no precipitation. Being that there was virtually no risk of avalanches on the route, I slept in as much as possible. I was slow moving in the morning and was in a blanket of clouds all the way to a few hundred meters below Plunket Dome. When I broke the clouds and reached the snowline, I was surprised to see just how many crevasses were on the slope to Plunket Dome. I put on crampons, took out my ice axe, and moved cautiously up the slope.
The feeling of sharp tools on hard snow is one of my favorites. The air was crisp, the sky blue, the views powerful. I quickly reached the summit of Plunket Dome and looked along Governor's Ridge to Liverpool. What I saw I couldn't believe - there were virtually no major crevasses to avoid! I was thrilled and kept moving. Once along the ridge the views of Mount Edward, Maoriri, Maruiwi, and Maori were stunning. From the Dart Glacier these are imposing climbs.
Once above the last climb, I walked across a long snowfield before reaching the summit of Islington Dome. I scrambled up one of the pinnacles, unsure if I was actually on the highest one. To be honest, I didn't really care and am surprised this is even considered a summit. What lay before me was the final ridge to Liverpool and what a treat it was. A layer of cloud had swamped the the West Matukituki to the right while the Dart Glacier was clear on the left. The sun hit against the cloud and created an almost surreal scene. The summit ridge had a knife-like look to it, making the final steps an epic finish to the climb.
I found a sheltered spot to have lunch and refuel. It was dead silent and I was alone in the alpine. Right before I left, the cloud cleared a bit and I was able to snap some summit shots. I retreated back to camp, took a seriously cold swim in the glacial fed stream, and crashed.
The next morning I woke up to a brilliant sunrise and everything soaking wet with condensation. I hobbled out of my tent, fired up some coffee, and watched the sun hit the slopes of Tyndall and Ansted. I had the idea of climbing Tyndall but I lacked the motivation. By the time I reached the pylon, it was already way to hot. Down I go!
Along the way I was able to chat with two young climbers who were stoked to have climbed Tyndall yesterday. It was cool to see them fired up on one of their first major climbs. We reached Aspiring Hut together and shared some snacks before I biked out and they walked.
This was another classic New Zealand trip. Powerful scenes, a fun climb, solitude, great weather, and met some nice folks along the way.
Happy days...
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