Forum Index > Trip Reports > Part 3 - NZ South Island, Single Cone, Sebastopol, Torlesse
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Gimpilator
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Joined: 12 Oct 2006
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Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostFri Mar 18, 2016 6:08 pm 
lift access road
lift access road
idiotic sign
idiotic sign
We returned the following day to the Remarkables Ski Area access road. The construction project was halted. From the parking area we hiked along the lift access road passing an idiotic sign along the way. We came to picturesque Lake Alta and then Single Cone and Double Cone were visible above the lake. Some might recall the Lake Alta environs as the exit from the mines of Moria, after crossing the bridge and losing Gandalf.
Single Cone and Double Cone
Single Cone and Double Cone
Lake Alta
Lake Alta
the pass above
the pass above
Single Cone
Single Cone
gully visible
gully visible
The Lake Alta access trail ended and we climbed talus to a pass east of the peaks. The idea was to gain the southeast ridge and then traverse over to a steep gully which is the only weakness in the cliffs. The climbers gully was visible above. The closer we got to it, the better it looked.
I wasn't sure what to expect. We had asked around about technicality and necessary gear and received widely varied responses. Some said you definitely need a 60 meter rope to abseil the 3 pitches, but friends of mine said a 30 was probably ok. Some reports alluded to mid-fifth climbing but then one friend of mine called it fourth class. Before leaving home I decided to bring the 30 meter. I also had one hex, 3 cams (.75, 1, 2), 6 nuts, and some slings.
traversing slabs
traversing slabs
pitch 1 above
pitch 1 above
We traversed some nice slabs and scrambled over some steps until we came to the wall below the gully. I started up the first pitch while Heather belayed. I could see the bolted belay anchor above me in the start of the gully. Half way up I couldn't find any protection. There were plenty of cracks but they were all badly flared. After some searching and trying to be creative I decided it was a no go and climbed back down to the base. We walked to the left and looked at another possible start, but it looked pretty bad. You would have to balance your way across a narrow down-sloping ledge in the middle of unprotectable slabs. I was feeling demoralized. Heather said she thought the route started to the right of where I had backed off. We went back to take a look. It appeared steeper. I couldn't see if it was easier to protect, but it must be the right way because there were no options left.
Heather enters the gully
Heather enters the gully
pitch 2 above
pitch 2 above
I started up and was glad to see that Heather had been right. This was definitely the right way. I used all 3 cams and one nut before reaching the belay station. Heather cleaned the route behind me. From others reports, we knew that the second pitch is often filled with icy snow. Snow forces you to climb the walls of the gully, but for us the gully was completely snow free. We scrambled up wet dirt with a little loose rock here and there and went over one or two chockstones. I didn't set any anchors on the way to the second belay station, near the top of the gully.
on the southwest face
on the southwest face
Above us was a notch in the top of the summit ridge. I scrambled through that and came out above some very intense exposure on the southwest face. The summit was now visible. Above the gap on some ledges I slung a giant boulder and belayed Heather up through the gap. We then coiled the rope and walked the narrow ridge over to the summit which had a final class 3 move.
triumphant
triumphant
Double Cone seen from Single Cone
Double Cone seen from Single Cone
Lake Alta and Lake Hayes
Lake Alta and Lake Hayes
So happy!
So happy!
Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu
southern Remarkables
southern Remarkables
Mount Tuwhakaroria
Mount Tuwhakaroria
Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu
summit video link What a great peak! This was the most fun peak we had done yet on the south island. And what a view! Lake Wakatipu spread out below us, and there was Queenstown, and there was Ben Lomond, and there was Mount Aspiring to the far north, and scores of other peaks I could not identify. The nearby summits of Double Cone looked especially impressive. There's a traverse route which follows the entire ridge line. That must be quite an adventure.
old pro
old pro
looking down the gully
looking down the gully
After feasting our eyes and a snack, we went back to the notch in the ridge and prepared for rappels. We skipped the first rap anchor since there was no snow in the gully. From the second anchor we were able to get beyond the chockstones but my 30 meter rope didn't quite reach the 3rd rap anchor, so we pulled the rope and scrambled down to it. We were now back at the top of the wall below the gully. We did a short rap to access the 4th rap anchor down to our right. This last one was a free hanging station with not much in the way of feet or hands. It was Heather's first time hanging at a station without many features and I could tell it was making a new impression on her.
above a chockstone
above a chockstone
final rappel
final rappel
I was very pleased that the 30 meter proved to be all we needed. Thanks Rob and Petter for your advice! It's hard to say what I would rate the route. There was certainly a lot of class 3 and 4. The first pitch might have been low 5th at times and the second certainly would have been if the bottom of the gully was blocked with icy snow forcing a climb of the sidewalls.
We packed up and headed back toward the ski area. During the descent we passed a young teen wearing a harness and small rack. I asked him about the climb and he said they had attempted the northeast ridge route but that it didn't work out for them. Bummer. Our time on the south island was now running short. Before the trip we had meticulously prepared a list of 50 NZ peaks including maps, trip reports, and route photos. Our hope was to bag about half that many in our allotted time, but with the bad weather and van setbacks I was sure we were going to fall short of our goal. It was now time to head back north, towards Picton and the ferry. The Milford Sound region and surrounding peaks as well as objectives along the coast just didn't make the cut. It was a little disappointing because there were some really cool ones on our list, but we were happy for what we had accomplished so far. PM me if you want our beta. A lot of work went into it.
bridge
bridge
Mount Sefton
Mount Sefton
The day after Single Cone we drove to Mount Cook village. The weather was perfect and we wanted to see Mount Cook up close and personal. Initially during our drive south, past Lake Pukaki the weather had been crap and we couldn't see anything, so we were pretty excited when we caught our first glimpse of the biggest baddest monster of a peak in New Zealand. Most hikers who visit Mount Cook village hike up Mount Ollivier because it's famous for being Sir Edmund Hillary's first summit. However we only had a half-day to work with and I wanted to check out this other one I had heard of called Sebastopol. Neither Sebastopol nor Ollivier are prominent. Essentially they are just good viewpoints for observing Sefton, Cook and the surrounding major peaks.
Kitchener above
Kitchener above
Sebastopol east shoulder
Sebastopol east shoulder
From Mount Cook village we crossed the bridge and hiked up the trail to Red Tarns. It was the middle of the day and very hot out. We left the trail at the tarns and ascended a scree slope just right of a gully to reach the east shoulder of Sebastopol. The views were already stunning from here. The remainder of the route looked pretty steep with lots of rocky outcroppings.
views already good
views already good
red tarn
red tarn
above the tarns
above the tarns
glacier on Annette
glacier on Annette
icebergs in Lake Tasman
icebergs in Lake Tasman
mountain splendor
mountain splendor
hail to Aoraki
hail to Aoraki
Sebastopol east face above
Sebastopol east face above
There was a climbers path part of the way with a few class 3 moves and then we came to the top of a blown out gully below a headwall. Heather was tempted to scramble straight up some class 4 from there, but I asked her to wait while I checked out a notch on the far side of the gully. Crossing the top of the gully didn't look good, but it turned out to be innocuous. Beyond the notch, I could see the continuance of the climbers path. Sweet! I called back to Heather that it was all good.
in the blown out gully
in the blown out gully
We hiked up to a false summit and then down to a saddle and ended with a short scramble up to the high point. What a gorgeous area! For us, this was the most beautiful part of New Zealand. Towering above us to the west was a hanging glacier and Mount Annette. Down below to the north was Cook village, dirty Mueller Lake, Mount Sefton, Aoraki, the Hooker Glacier and Mount Wakefield. To the northeast we could see the edge of Lake Tasman and some gigantic icebergs floating there, above which stood Elie de Beaumont and Mount Chudleigh. To the east across the main valley The Nuns Veil, Mount Blackburn, Mount German and Mount Burnett were a long line of tall peaks. To the south was Lake Pukaki and the way we had driven in.
Lake Pukaki
Lake Pukaki
Blackburn, German, Burnette
Blackburn, German, Burnette
false summit
false summit
true from false
true from false
true summit
true summit
Mount Cook (Aoraki)
Mount Cook (Aoraki)
Mueller Lake and Hooker Lake
Mueller Lake and Hooker Lake
Elie de Beaumont and Mount Chudleigh
Elie de Beaumont and Mount Chudleigh
So stoked!
So stoked!
We were reluctant to leave this little summit since the views were so exceptional. Heather commented that she might like to climb Aoraki someday. As for me, it's beyond what I want to pursue. We descended back to the village and drove to Springfield. It was time to get some rest for tomorrow would be a big day.
back at red tarns
back at red tarns
In the pre-dawn darkness we drove the van up toward Porters Pass. Today we would be doing the majority of the renowned Torlesse Traverse route. This long alpine traverse typically begins at Bold Hill and ends on Foggy Peak above Porters Pass, crossing over 7 named summits along the way. Since we had only one vehicle to work with we would have to be creative about our start and finish. One report I found demonstrated that Mount Torlesse could be accessed from the Kowai River drainage, although this was not really ideal. We could then in theory do most of the traverse as a loop, coming in near the midpoint and ending back at Porters Pass. It would just require a bit of road walking. While driving up to the pass, I remarked about how narrow the road was and how a rock wall and guard rail on the far side might make road-walking dangerous in the dark if there was much of any traffic. Unfortunately for us, there were plenty of large trucks, and to make matters worse, a dense fog filled the air reducing visibility. At 5:30am all the truckers were out on the road after coming over Arthurs Pass. Apparently the truck drivers like to go in the early morning so as to miss all the tourist traffic. Squeezing in narrow spaces along the rock wall as large trucks went barreling past was the major crux of the day.
Kowai River
Kowai River
John Hayward Memorial Hut
John Hayward Memorial Hut
We were happy when we came to the gates marking the entrance to the Kawai River valley. We hopped over two locked gates and hiked upstream along an old powerline access road. The fog had materialized into a low cloud deck which blocked our view of the large peaks above. 3 miles up the river we came to the unofficial John Hayward Memorial Hut. This hut is not maintained by the DOC but rather is kept up by the friends and associates of the deceased.
our brush choked gully and saddle above
our brush choked gully and saddle above
Beyond the hut, travel became difficult. We were soon engulfed by thick brush on all sides. We crossed the creek at Heather's suggestion, which was better, but then we had some trouble finding a place to cross back. Now I understood why most folks don't access the ridge this way. We were trying to reach the saddle below the south ridge of Mount Torlesse, but this brush was a real hassle! It was bad enough that I was tempted to say screw it and turn around. I let Heather lead for awhile and she found a better way.
wading
wading
all-in and not happy
all-in and not happy
We gained a small spur ridge along the right side of the main gully leading down from the saddle. The brush was over our heads and pushing through it was awful. But we spooked a chamois and stopped to watch it bound uphill and out of sight. It was only my second encounter with these alpine animals. The last time I saw one was in the Swiss Alps. It kind of made up for our thrashing about in the brush.
Mount Torlesse south ridge
Mount Torlesse south ridge
churning clouds
churning clouds
cushion plant (Raoulia bryoides)
cushion plant (Raoulia bryoides)
Half way up the spur ridge, the brush let up, thank goodness. We ascended scree slopes and then traversed into the gully right below the saddle. Clouds where churning all around us and we hoped that it might clear up later in the day. We could not see the higher peaks of the traverse but we could see the south ridge of Mount Torlesse right in front of us. We went on up, fighting loose scree for 2000 vertical feet. Along the way we passed several nice specimens of cushion plant. Raoulia bryoides looks striking similar to the yareta plants that grow at high altitude in Southwest Bolivia.
Junction and Back seen from Torlesse
Junction and Back seen from Torlesse
Torlesse summit
Torlesse summit
Back Peak
Back Peak
Junction Peak
Junction Peak
looking back at Torlesse
looking back at Torlesse
From the summit of Mount Torlesse we could finally see Junction Peak, Back Peak, Otorama Peak, and Red Peak. We took a short break and then descended to the saddle between Torlesse and Junction. The wind was intense. We hiked up Junction Peak and continued over to Back Peak summit. Back was not exactly on our route but we wanted to add it because it wasn't far off. It only cost us an extra mile to go over there and back.
Torlesse and Junction from near Back summit
Torlesse and Junction from near Back summit
Castle Hill Peak finally visible
Castle Hill Peak finally visible
Otorama Peak
Otorama Peak
nearing Back Peak summit
nearing Back Peak summit
Back at Junction Peak we descended to the saddle between Red and Junction. Somewhere around the summit of Red I felt the first small waves of fatigue. This was a 8k+ feet of gain day. No big deal for Heather, but a lot for me. We still had a long way to go. All the scree and talus was in the process of chewing up my trail runners. I was losing chunks of sole as well as the soft foam underneath. I just hoped they would last through the day. I could wear mountaineering boots for the rest of the trip.
rugged ridge ahead
rugged ridge ahead
Red Peak summit
Red Peak summit
Castle Hill Peak
Castle Hill Peak
The next section of ridge looked pretty rugged. Clouds were swirling along the south side. Castle Hill Peak stood tall, the highest peak on the ridge. At some point the route supposedly drops 400 feet off the south side of the ridge to avoid technical obstacles and then comes back up through a feature called The Gap. I hoped we could find it without too much trouble.
the ridge ahead
the ridge ahead
scree chute
scree chute
Red Peak behind
Red Peak behind
We continued on and the ridge narrowed. There was some scrambling here and there with exposure and loose rock. It was not always advisable to follow the crest. We took the path of least resistance. Inevitably this put us into some steep scree chutes and then we came to an impasse. We crossed over to the south side of the ridge and dropped the necessary 400 feet to get past a rock rib. We then regained the lost elevation plus some more to enter The Gap.
the low point of the work around
the low point of the work around
The Gap above
The Gap above
Heather coming through The Gap
Heather coming through The Gap
The Gap is a pass enclosed by two vertical walls, aptly named. We passed through it and found a narrow ledge leading out on the far side. From there we scrambled up mostly solid rock back to the crest of the ridge, preferring to avoid the alternate loose scree option. The crux of the ridge was now behind us and we were nearing Castle Hill Peak. Sporadic climbers paths weaved along the ridge crest and we went over one more minor point before reaching the gentle true summit.
Castle Hill Peak above
Castle Hill Peak above
rugged crux section below
rugged crux section below
old trig
old trig
Castle Hill Peak summit
Castle Hill Peak summit
There was an old trig on the summit. It was now very late in the day. We took our final break and then followed the ridge toward Foggy Peak. Lake Lyndon was visible below, our camping area for the night. We went over the top of Foggy without stopping and began our descent to Porters Pass and the van, getting there just before dark.
going to Foggy
going to Foggy
Castle Hill Peak behind us
Castle Hill Peak behind us
Lake Lyndon below
Lake Lyndon below
descending to Porters Pass
descending to Porters Pass
The following day we drove to Arthurs Pass where Heather did another alpine traverse from Avalanche Peak to Mount Bealey. This was a route I had selected, but I was just too wiped to get stoked for it, especially in bad weather without great visibility. Heather did the whole thing in 5 hours and in my current state it would have taken me twice that long. My consolation prize while I waited for her was a close encounter with a Kea, the world's only alpine parrot. This was our last hiking day on the south island. It was time to get back to Wellington for Heather's next scheduled presentation.
Kea
Kea
alpine parrot
alpine parrot
Part 1 Hawaii - Mauna Kea, Loa, Ulu, lava tubes, petroglyphs Part 2 – New Zealand South Island, Kaikoura, Edoras and more Part 4 NZ North Island Taranaki, Ruapehu, Mt Doom, Tongariro Part 5 – Fiji after Cyclone Winston

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Anish
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Anish
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PostFri Mar 18, 2016 6:08 pm 
Sebastopol Summit Ridge
Sebastopol Summit Ridge
Tasman Lake
Tasman Lake
Traversing to Castle Hill Peak
Traversing to Castle Hill Peak
Avalanceh Bealey Traverse Route
Avalanceh Bealey Traverse Route
intermittent fog at first
intermittent fog at first
scramble ridge
scramble ridge
visibility on Bealey
visibility on Bealey

"Our way is not soft grass. It's a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upwards, forward, toward the sun." -Ruth Westheimer
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RichP
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PostFri Mar 18, 2016 6:22 pm 
Wow! that was exhausting just reading it. You guys really tore it up over there. NZ looks like a peak bagger's paradise. Lots of good stuff for all levels of skill.

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Brushbuffalo
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Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between
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PostSun Mar 20, 2016 11:10 pm 
Gimpilator wrote:
img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94e4jWwGPjw/VurkT3xhrsI/AAAAAAAAO1M/1EyxkWsYZMs75euE39k6NEituCBNvyMhgCHM/DSCN8081.JPG?imgmax=800[/img]=all-in and not happy
That is the only time I have ever seen Heather look glum, either in a pic or in person. In that brush, I understand why. I remember those keas when we were near The Hermitage, an old-style lodge in the valley near Mt. Cook. The locals cautioned us that keas can use their brain and sharp powerful beak to open tent zippers to cause mayhem to the contents. Fortunately we weren't camping there.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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tekewin
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PostThu Mar 31, 2016 1:05 pm 
That ascent story on Single Cone was awesome. And that view worth every step!

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Bsaimo
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PostFri Apr 15, 2016 1:01 pm 
Thank you for these trip reports! I was lucky enough to spend a month mountaineering between Franz Josef and Cook village, but that was 6 years ago. Your photos brought back a lot of really good memories. NZ alpine rock set the standard in my mind of what can reasonably be considered "loose," and since then many of my trips in the Cascades and Olympics have have seemed a good deal more secure.

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
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Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostTue Apr 19, 2016 8:46 pm 
Brushbuffalo wrote:
Gimpilator wrote:
all-in and not happy
all-in and not happy
That is the only time I have ever seen Heather look glum, either in a pic or in person. In that brush, I understand why.
I thought it was a hysterical picture because folks are always commenting on how happy Heather looks in the photos of her while she's hiking. It's true that she usually beaming, so it's a very funny photo. smile.gif
n9643750 wrote:
NZ alpine rock set the standard in my mind of what can reasonably be considered "loose," and since then many of my trips in the Cascades and Olympics have have seemed a good deal more secure.
We also encountered a lot of rotten rock in New Zealand, but the Single Cone trip wasn't as bad as some of the rest.

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