Alpine summer. Above - during a rainy day I made this compilation of video I took over summer in the mountains of the South Island.

Return to the Summer Alps.

Well , its the 11th of May and we are getting our first taste of winter here with a blanket of white on all the higher regions of the Nelson bays. With winter approaching it was time for the mind to reflect on the previous few months of warmer weather as the body attempts to adjust with the temperature drop. After several years of not much in the way of summer trips if any at all I finally made it back into the hills of the Southern Alps and had some memorable experiences there with my friends as well - long may it continue. Long days and warmer weather make for light packs and relative ease of travel although mountain conditions here are second rate in summer at best. The real excitement though is finally to look forward to getting back to the high country of Asia later this year - it will be 4 years since my last time there which is altogether too long for my piece of mind. More on that in a predeparture blog. next month.

Looking over to Aoraki /Mt Cook and La Perouse from our campsite on the flanks of Mount Sefton

Mount Brewster - climbing in stormy weather.

Picnic time on top of Mount Dun Fiunary

Wandering in crevasse country - a failed attempt on Mount Sefton.

Mt Hopeless in summer conditions.

Glacial cirque below our campsite on Mount Sefton.

Lake Angelus in the Nelson lakes

Start of the day , heading up to a high campsite with Carl.

Several hours later the strain begins to tell.

Damo approaching the top of split gully on Mt Arthur.

Carl Approaching the top of Mount Dun Fiunary.

Jake approaching the top of the South Twin.

Last winter was wet and miserable but so far spring and summer are certainly looking better however the real change is the figurative rains are clearing. After almost 3 years we are starting to see some rays of sun through the murk , and even the murky fog is breaking slowly into slivers of mist. Some good may even have come of all this as both here in NZ and indeed world wide the ideals of authoritative paternalism/materialism that crept on us all have become a failed cause and indeed things may end up been freer in many places worldwide in the future then 3 years ago.

This has left me with some budding morale and motivation with the chance to get back to High Asia looking very promising in the near future and the last months has seen a definite increase in training towards that end. No definite plans as yet but without a doubt the Northern areas of Pakistan and Western areas of China are high on the list.

Below are the few serious trips made in the last months here in New Zealand

ABOVE There are all sorts of reasons for not getting up a peak , too hard , technically or physically, logistically not possible with the time or money available , bad weather or conditions, political or land access problems and sometimes just plain lack of morale on the day, (not to mention some others.) Nemesis as I called 2149m in the Raglans was different - twice I had already completely missed the possible "route up" and on I was well on my way to missing a third time hadn't Kadin saved the error using his phone map. Anyway, although Kadin was lagging most of the morning at the right moment he came around and lead straight up a beautiful but very steep line of ice to the top with only one axe cutting steps up. Well at the top there was a cairn , we weren't the first! but it was a lovely climb and view nonetheless !

ABOVE Each of the higher mountains in the Kaikoura”s give out a certain presence that defines them. Tapuae-o-Uenuku is a true monarch, Alarm looks alarmingly steep and precipitous and indeed the south face is , Mitre has it’s unique shape and form looking quite like Mount Doom and from almost all vantages on the coast one can see Te Ao Whekere, an especially elegant spire when covered in a white mantle. But Manakau is different. It sulks in the background, almost unrecognizable as a major peak , a massive pile of loose scree and rock. Almost in self disgrace from it’s own shapelessness it veils itself well even as one climbs high on it’s flanks. If one discounts the loose nature of the scree and rock then there are no difficulty's climbing Manakau except it is hard – relentlessly hard definitely requiring the most fortitude of all the 5 peaks. Well over 100 years ago Tom Longstaff who is something of an enduring role model and example for all those who have wished to climb and explore mountains wrote “to truly know a mountain is to sleep on it” and I wished to truly get to know Manakau so the decision was to sleep on the summit. There was also a background motive. I knew from Te Ao Whekere in the past that the high points of the Seaward Kiakouras offer one of the most outstanding views I have ever seen whether east wards over the Pacfic or westwards over the Clarence valley and the possibility to be rewarded with sunset and sunrise from the summit of Manakau seemed a justify the effort required no matter how hard. When looking over the Clarence valley from Manakau’s summit the words of another iconic mountaineer came to life as no where I know of in New Zealand is it this so obvious – Reinhold Messner once wrote “...seen from above, landscapes are made up of mountains and watercourses. Just as a transparent model of the human body consists of a framework of bone and a network of arteries, the earth's crust is structured in mountain ridges, river, creeks, and gullies."

ABOVE with all the restrictions around drone flying its actually quite hard to get video of all but a few mountain areas in New Zealand. I managed to get enough together for this short clip.

Sunset on Mt Rolleston and the Southern Alps

Winter long

A long wet winter - and now a cold spring , yes it’s been raining and not just literally but figuratively as well. But the days are now lengthening into spring and to a certain extent there’s a general improvement in the air after a couple of rather hard years.

Finally, after long months house bound it seems I’ve had the chance to get out a bit more often. Often In the mountains I get the frustration of being an amateur - that sense that I’m very limited in what I can do because of lack of time and that improvement in capabilities comes at a very incremental rate. Each trip out one just starts getting fit, strong and technically more proficient and then it seems one has to stop and wait! There are advantages to be strictly amateur though- you have none of the preconditions on what you must do in every sense of the word that comes with anyone in the professional world. Not been bound by what the world leads to a great deal of freedom to follow one's own course and follow the passion rather than the reason. Below are some pictures and videos of the last few months efforts - now running well into spring although until the last few days its been winter like.

The Southern Alps

Winter saw a quick trip south to one of the classic routes in the Southern Alps and a fine day out on Mount Rolleston.

Mount Rolleston via the Rome ridge

The Nelson Lakes

A couple of quick trips to our local alps over winter in the Nelson lakes - also part of the Southern Alps but with a different feel from the glaciated peaks further south..

Mt Kehu

Mt Angelus in mid winter

Mt Arthur and the Arthur range

The local mountain provides most of the entertainment again - with short days made shorter and with a busy winter job wise it’s the most I manage usually. This year has seen a pretty long and reasonably heavy amount of snow on “Arthur” which has provided good entertainment.- for friends, family and myself.

The Twins - high point of the Arthur range viewed over an old barn in the Baton valley.

Mt Arthur in mid winter

Mt Arthur first snow

The Raglans ranges in spring conditions.