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Tearing Up the Tasman - Mike Peat, November 2005.

Yibai He, Tom Wilson and the writer (Mike Peat) headed south for a week of mountaineering in the 3rd week of November. We winged our way south to Christchurch on the back of a promising forecast, and pointed our rental car west to Fox Glacier. Gearing up in the car park at HEL Porter light rain began to fall, we headed down to the helipad feeling less optimistic about our chances of getting in. Our optimism took a further dive when we met our pilot, a grumpy character with deep furrows in his forehead - clearly the result of a 40 year frown. We dubbed him 'handle bar man' due to the moustache that grew down almost to his jaw line. Despite the rain and late hour handlebar man decided to give it a shot, and after a fifteen minute flight he slipped us above the cloud to Pioneer Hut and landed us just after the nightly radio sched.

Due to our late arrival the previous night we decided to have an easy first day and found ourselves enjoying the sunshine on the TV slabs of Mt Alack. Then it was back to the hut, an early dinner, and into bed before our first alpine start the following morning. We settled on the north shoulder route on Mt Tasman, which involves gaining the divide at Marcel Col and traversing over Mt Lendenfeld and Engineer Col. We made good time but I had been feeling off colour so on the summit of Lendenfeld at 3am I made the decision to turn back and wait at Marcel Col to give Tom and Yibai the best chance of success. After a couple of hours sleep on the Col I was feeling much better decided to climb Mt Haast. From the summit I could see Tom and Yibai on the north shoulder still on their way up. I was now feeling 100% and decided to catch the boys up, so I quickly descended Haast and reclimbed Lendenfeld in time to meet 2 Franz Glacier Guides on the summit returning from their successful climb of Tasman. They had climbed unroped saying conditions had been good on the ascent, but that it had gotten dangerously soft due to the warm conditions during their descent. In light of this new information I decided to abandon my own attempt and settled in to wait for Tom and Yibai to return. The weather was excellent and I was able to pass the time chatting to various parties that arrived atop Lendenfeld and watching the lads inching up and then back down their mountain. Good effort guys, for Yibai the day had seen him climb his first 3000m peaks.

The next day was also a cracker but following the big effort of the previous day we had a relaxing morning before heading over to Centennial Hut which is about two and a half hours trudge in the heat and soft afternoon snow. Our objective was the Minarets via the standard route from near Graham Saddle. Yet another fine windless morning greeted us the following morning for our 4am start, we headed off with a reasonable freeze, but the warm west wind soon brought in a heavy fog which combined with the lack of any moonlight obscured the route ahead. As it was almost dawn we decided to sit and wait for better visibility. We didn't have to wait long before it lightened and cleared enough to pick a route through the crevasses and within an hour we were up on the broad saddle between de La Beche and the Minarets. According to Murphy the further summit would be the higher, and a check of the map confirmed that he was right. The schrund didn't give us any trouble and not long later we were on top. Great views west to the northern snowfields of the Franz Josef Glacier and to the rugged bush clad valleys beyond, and to the east the entire length of the Tasman Glacier could be seen. The slopes below de La Beche are exposed to rockfall and we were anxious to get back down before the sun hit the route. One abseil was required over a tricky schrund on the descent and a couple of hours later we were back at the hut. After a siesta lasting a couple of hours we packed up and headed back to Pioneer. Tom and Yibai did a sterling job breaking trail in the oppressive heat while I enjoyed a free ride in the middle of the rope.

We had a flight out booked with a couple of Aussies for lunchtime the next day, Tom and I decided to have a look at Mt Alack while Yibai opted for more sleep. We had 5 hours to get up and back which should have been enough except that the route we tried first (pioneer ridge) consisted essentially of loosely stacked shards of rock. We decided we were too old to die young so descended and headed over to the ridge leading up behind the TV slabs which looked much better. By now time had got on and with our flight not far off we decided to turn back, imagine our disappointment later then when despite the perfect weather up top the choppers didn't fly at all due to valley cloud.

The next day was a similar forecast so we elected to head down early to Chancellor Hut and fly or walk from there. As dawn arrives in the lowlands the birds sing but in the highlands its Yibai's camera that sings. And today was no exception, there we were below Chancellor Dome as the first rays of sunlight graced the peaks, out came the camera, there was no escape as he had us hog tied by the rope between us. Panoramas, close-ups, portraits, group shots, stand here, stand there, do this, that, I've still got 400 shots on this film he exclaimed excitedly. By combined mental power we were unable to accelerate the earth's rotation but Yibai's shutter finger soon tired and we resumed our march. It turned out to be a good move heading down as the ubiquitous valley cloud prevented choppers getting to the neve, but Chancellor was just below the cloud ceiling so we got out ok.