UKC

I'm after some advice on realistic mountaineering objectives from Queenstown at the end of November. I will need to hire a guide. It would need to be doable in a 2/3 day time slot. It would be good to do a snowy mountain with a little bit of moderate technical difficulty.

In reply to EarlyBird:

Aspiring or Brewster come to mind (I haven't done Brewster). I'm sure there will be many other options too. Adventure Consultants have a good reputation as a guide company (no affiliation) and I'm sure there will be other decent local companies too.

I suspect you will need to prepare to pay more than you would for 2-3 days of Chamonix/Alps guide rates so bear that in mind.

In reply to mcawle:

Thanks. I'll have a look at those. I'm kind of prepared for it being costly, but I'm unlikely to be back there again!

In reply to EarlyBird:

Yes, sometimes just got to bite the bullet!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'm from NZ originally although haven't lived there in some time, but I can at least give some idea of what to potentially expect with the NZ backcountry compared to e.g. UK or Europe. Main factors are weather and logistics/access.

In reply to EarlyBird:

Aspiring would be a great thing to climb although 2 - 3 days is a pretty short window for that - normally a guided Aspiring ascent is a 5 day trip to allow for some weather plus getting in and out.  Still, if you had a good forecast and didn't mind flying both ways (helicopter) then it's do-able.  Brewster can be a bit easier to arrange around the weather although there's a river crossing right at the start / end so that can be a problem if it has just rained.  The other objective that springs to mind if you're in QT is the Double Cone - Single Cone traverse in the Remarkables.  It's just a one day mission but is lots of fun in a spectacular spot and more technical than many NZ mountains.

Adventure Consultants are only operating their overseas expeditions now so you'll need to try an alternative guiding company.  Again, since you're in QT you could try Mike Madden at Queenstown Mountain Guides.  Alternatively there are a few options in Wanaka -  Tim at Wanaka Mountain Guides or Thomas at Summit Explorers or Gavin at First Light.  (I should say that they're all friends / erstwhile employers of mine so this isn't an unbiased list.)  Aspiring Guides is another option and there are probably others.  Like many industries, NZ guiding has found recruitment tough in recent years so guides are busy and it'd be worth getting in touch with them sooner rather than later.  (That's not the "hard sell" btw - it's true!)

Feel free to drop me an email if you want any other information.

In reply to EarlyBird: good advice above. I would agree re Mike Madden who I know through a friend; pm me if you want to be put in touch.

Other suggestion would be Earnslaw from the Rees valley. Impressive alpine peak with a fairly straightforward east peak (and a much tougher west peak). Close to QT and logistics easier than aspiring from a standing start.

Have fun

b

In reply to EarlyBird:

I'd endorse Ben B's suggestion of Earnslaw - easier to fit into your very tight time slot, less risk of a total wipe-out by bad weather.  Not the kudos of Aspiring maybe but well worthwhile.  Best of luck with grabbing something.

In reply to EarlyBird:

Mt Earnslaw is very doable from Queenstown in that tine. I did it in two days, or rather one night and two very long days. It's a nice mountain, great views, non-technical with just a short glacier crossing. Confusing approch though.

Enjoy. Look out for the glow worms.

In reply to all:

Thanks, all. Some food for thought there. Having had a look at some of your suggestions I’m beginning to think a 2/3 day slot is too tight   

In reply to EarlyBird:

I'd back the vote for Earnslaw as it's likely to be quieter and will feel like a wilder ascent. We tried it but failed right at the start due to a storm the night before that brought the river past the banks, we didn't even get past the river crossing. We did a lot of research and the route looked pretty amazing.