Finale - last trip of the year , up Mt-Tapuaenuku with Carl , Elliot and Ashley.  Another great trip to the Monarch of the upper South Island.

At home with Linna, Isabelle and Leo

On the beach , just a Kilometer from home where we spend alot of summer!!

Below , Pictures from the Trip to Tapuaenuku

The day after Tapuaenuku, Carl and I went up Point 2411m on the ridge West of the Hodder river. Unfortunately I had lost my Camera and Carl's phone lost its power and we only got a few shots on way up. The view from the top was one of the best Mountain views I have seen (no photos unfortunately) . To the West river valleys curled in all directions and Mt Gladstone looked rather rocky - and another peak 2578m to South East looked outright ornery . Almost the whole Inland Kaikoura range from South to North was visible which gave a great indication for conditions of the traverse I'd like to make when a few free days come up. But above all was Tapuaenuku - you never really see it in its entirety when you climb from the Hodder but from 2411m it was the absolute Monarch reducing both Mitre and Alarm to second rank. It filled the whole eastern horizon Buttress's , Pinnacles , gully's , ridges - real Character.

Sunning on the warm summit before the Thunderstorms rolled in.

Mt Alarm

Looking West to Mitre peak

The trip up the Hodder river canyons takes 4 to 5 hours and up to 80 river crossings before arriving at the Hodder hutsite below the mountain.

We left late and I'm searching in my bag for lights on the way up the canyon.

Morning view North from Huts - to the Richmond ranges.

View to the East and South America over the Pacific from the Summit 

Carl Heading to the Summit Pyramid which we attacked in somewhat unorthodox style by a series of snow gullies on the West Face.

Black and White

Resting before the final part of the climb.

Final Pyramid rising about 200 vertical meters above.

looking Noorth from the summit.

the striking final pyramid.

Climbing the long snow coulior that lead to the small resting plateau.

On descent.

Elliot , Vicho and Sergio celebrate with snowflakes on the summit of Angelus

Spring 

Its been almost 2 1/2 months since returning to New Zealand and spring is a good season to be out. This year the weather has been warmer and more settled than the last , perhaps not a perfect spring but much easier to get out nonetheless.  With Mount Arthur still under a snowy veil it provided ideal training once or twice a week with some trips down to the Nelson lakes when I can manage and  I've almost always had company this year! _ - another change from the last when almost every trip was solo.  There is a small band of keen outdoors types to head out with often giving not only company but a different perspective of the mountain's. Soon I will be flat out with my job as walking guide in the Kahurangi National park over the summer but still hoping for a few more quick mountain bash's before been engulfed by "bush" tramps as we call forest hikes here down under.

Segio on Cyrstal peak above Lake Tennyson 

Heading up the Turk ridge 

Descent of Dora 

Elliot , glissading down Dora

River crossings , a regular feature of local mountain access 

Acess to the river valleys - by bike!!

Nelson lakes peaks in Spring 

Paske Hut , below a mounatin wall

Very striking Mount Paske

Peak 1926 sports an array of small avalanches , traversing the ridge with Ashley we had either loose rock or snow to contend with

South face of Angelus

A view on the tops

And from below

Heading out , early in the day

Coulior climbing

Kaydin on the local peaks , Kahurangi National park

With Kaydin and Ashley on tricky steep snow grass country. 

In the Limestone Karst lower down

Finding a Pinnacle

Higher up

passing the Sharks tooth 

Getting snowed in during a late winter storm

early spring on the tops

Looking down to Crystal peak at the end of Lake Tennyson

Above Lake tennyson Leo and Isabelle go exploring - gathering rocks indeed

Lovely Mt Una  at sunset 

Pik Semionova 4895m from Uchitel 4530m in the Tien-Shanskogo. This spectacular mountain range rises directly more than 4 kms vertically above  the Capital - ,Biskek.

Going Alpine in Kyrgyzstan

 Although the high point of the trip was the Pamirs what really impressed was the sheer amount of Alpine country in Kyrgyzstan  - in almost every place in the country even the lowest valleys glaciated mountains were visible. The variety of mountain scenery was incredible as well, some days one could find oneself in the European Alps or the Rockies, maybe here in New Zealand or on the Tibetan plateau! There were peaks, valleys , lakes,  rivers  and streams of all descriptions and often on crossing a pass one went from one alpine world to another. This is not a comprehensive post to either my trip or the Alps of Kyrgyzstan , rather I have just picked out some moments/memories  of interest to me on the trip. As the journey progressed so did the scratch's on my camera lens hence the increasingly poor images.  

First pass and first mountain attempt, Teo -Ashoo pass on the old road , an almost 3000 m climb to the pass at 3586 m. Above are the 2 mountains (left side of picture) I was to attempt.

Looking down to the North from the summit of Teo -Ashoo Pass.

Have no idea what these peaks are named , I called them Teo Ashoo 1 and 2 , around 4000 m in height. They looked straight forward but here was to experience what was to become somewhat normal for many of the subsequent mountains I climbed - they weren't as easy as they looked - especially with most unstable rock and slope's. Climbed the closer easier peak  but gave up on the knife edge loose ridge leading to the main summit. The following day attempted to circumnavigate the smaller mountain to the easier southern side of its larger neighbor but this proved  to long - apparently I still had a big day on the bike ahead.

Soiuth side of Teo Ahoo pass.

on the way down

Ala Bel Pass - looked like Switerland

summit Ala Bel pass 3184 m

Dipchik pass 4185 m, in the Alay range , the highest and most difficult pass I crossed , took several bike relays over the pass in centre picture.

I called it Dipchik 1 , this non- descript pile of rock of about 4400 m proved the most difficult of the 9 different peaks I climbed. It almost compared in difficulty with that mass of moving material I climbed near Nanga Parbat once in sheer looseness of rock and scree. Like that pile I didn't have the nerve to retrace the ascent in descent and found a much easier way down , just as loose but not so steep. As I had carried nothing but a rain-jacket and left late the dying rays of the sun meant I was kept nervous to the very end in finding my campsite!!

Miles of bike pushing on the descent of Jip Tik pass

a couple of budding explorers!!

In Osh  I meet up and had dinner with this very friendly group of Russian mountaineers who came from the Southern Urals and just completed a very interesting 5 week traverse of the Alay mountain range

Dry pass, no water to be had here. many pass's like peaks have  no names - so I liberally gave them appellations of my own. 

There was a brook at the bottom of dry pass - saved me a thirsty night.

Possibly the hardest pass I actually rode all the way up was this one into the basin that forms Lake. Son Kul - unnamed but there is a slightly lower trekking pass called beside it. called Kortika pass , 3200m.

Loveliest camp[site was this mountain Alp above Kalmak Shou pass of about 3400m, A nice walk can be had over the peaks behind , the highest not visible in this picture being.roughly 4000 m in height The night was very cold , a sheet of ice covered the tent in the morning.

Bokonbaev,  from here thru to Karakol on the Northern shores of Lake Issy Kul was probably my favorite part of the trip -the lower parts of the Tien Shan mountains running along the lakeside.

Before I left, Nathan Faarve had said Kyrgyzstan remineded him of British Colombia , this area must have been where he went.

Heading up the mighty Barskoon pass - when there is a name like Barskoon on the map its certainly a lure to find out what it denotes

Despite its size the Barskoon was one of the easier pass's I went up - reason being it was well maintained, apparently for a Canadian mining firm and i was passed by these long lines of tankers more than once - note the zigzags thru the snow above,.

The Tibetian like plateau above the Barskoon on the way to the Suek  pass.

apart  from miners vechiles and a couple of shepards it was empty country up there

Riding south across the plateau I selected a mountain to climb and it seemed that the furthest  peak , the white glacier center right of picture, was highest and by good fortune the one directly over the Suek  pass.

Campsite  on the Suek pass 4230 m- looking out the Tent door into the Main Tien Shan mountains close to the Chinese border. The night was surprisingly mild 

My only other camping companion the whole trip was Vitek from Czechoslovakia. He was on an interesting biking mission and set up camp close to me. He also had a map which seemed to confirm that the highest mountain in the area was off the glacier above  us so I made a quick dash to the top.

Nice view down the Glacier and out into the plateau but the highest point of the range was an unlikely looking pile of scree further beyond,  perhaps about 80 meters higher than the one I stood on (approx 4600 m). 

Last trip was to the Ala Archa National park , just outside Biskek. This is the Ak-Sai Glacier  just above the Racek pass. I had meet Mike from Switzerland  that morning and he told me of his prposed day trip to the Ala Archa National park so I jumped on board his plan. As we drove in to the car park  at 2100 m (quite a difference driving to a mountain rather than riding to it) I spotted a likely looking peak to climb and made an all out bid to get up and back in the remaining daylight hours - summit fever so to speak. I had no idea what the mountain was or the height but finding a map later it turned out to be Ucitel 4530 m which left me rather pleased , a 2400 m ascent and descent in 7 1/2 hours. The payment came later though, 2 days of very sore legs and feeling rather exhausted.

Climbing Uchitel

Climbing Ucitel

Big Plunge from the summit of Ucitel to the Ak Say Glacier 1300 m directly below

Summit Uchitel

The steepness of the walls of this Glacial cirque is evident here

and here

Camping site not far from Biskek

Good bye - partinfg shot