Date: April 29, 2024
Location: Richardson Mountains, Queenstown / Glenorchy Road, Otago, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 7.19 mi / 11.57 km
Total Elevation Gain: 4,784 ft / 1,458 m
Trip Duration: 5 hours
Team: Solo
Field Notes: An excellent walk with fantastic access directly off the Glenorchy Queenstown road. You can see the summit from the parking lot. Park at Lake Face Creek Falls trailhead, walk across the street, and head straight uphill doing your best to avoid the scrub between 700 and 950 meters. Take the northwest ridge to the summit.
Rating: 1, I
With the new snow beginning to fall and winter approaching, I sought out a trip where I could still get up relatively high. Minor Peak seemed like a quick trip in comparison to others and it would also give me the opportunity to scout out the route for Stone Peak.
I parked at Lake Face Creek trailhead and stared up the at the 1,768 meter summit which can be viewed directly from the road. It was a perfect autumn day. There was not a cloud in the sky and as I began climbing up the ridge I realized I wasn't wearing my sunglasses. Rather than walk three minutes back to the car I continued uphill.
A few frightened sheep later and I hit the scrub at roughly 800 meters. This is totally avoidable by sidling south, however, there are ankle high thorn bushes to deal with and it's better to just pick a route through the scrub. Once through this short section of bush, travel is fast. I gained the summit ridge in just over two hours and the views of Stone Peak, Mount Larkins, and Major Peak are sensational.
As I looked up at Major Peak I asked myself a very sincere question: is this skied from the summit? From my initial research I haven't found any information online (which is typical of New Zealand mountains). But I've climbed that face before and think it could make for a fantastic ski mountaineering mission.
As I reached the final steps to the summit of Minor Peak I couldn't help but feel a pulse of excitement through my veins for the upcoming winter season. There is so much to do here in New Zealand we are beyond blessed. This will be my first ski mountaineering season here and am looking forward to exploring the mountains with planks attached to my feet.
Happy days...
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