Mt Cook

[runnynose]

just got back from non-hiking vacation to new zealand. did some easy hikes in the mt cook area and looked at old timey photos of the first folks to summit. peaked my curiousity about the mt (but not enough to buy a book on the subject).... i know it is 10k elevation. has anyone on the site climbed it or read up on climbing it? how technical? what would you compare it to in the u.s..??

 

[DougPaul]

Search and ye shall find:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="Mt+Cook"+"New+Zealand"&btnG=Google+Search

And yes it is technical, including some nasty ice falls.

Doug

 

[David Metsky]

And yes it is technical, including some nasty ice falls.

And some nasty falling ice. In 1991 there was a huge avalanche of 10 million cubic meters of rock and ice that lowered the summit by 30 meters.

-dave-

 

[halfmoon]

I was in Mt. Cook a couple years ago, and did some lighter mountaineering. Mt Cook was greatly discussed in the huts. I met a native New Zealander who said it was nothing more than a nasty little tramp to the top, and that he did it from town in a day. Now, I find that very hard to believe, but that is what he said. Conversely, the guides I spoke with, who I happen to trust a little more, say it is a moderately difficult climb. This would mean you could be climbing on steep (40 - 50 degree) snow or ice depending on conditions. Obviously if you are on ice it will be MUCH scarier, and more difficult than a snow climb. I guess what I am saying is that conditions will dictate the difficulty of the climb, but anyone that feels comfortable in this environment could at least give it a go. One thing I learned is that new Zealand weather is horrible at these altitudes. We on this forum go on and on about the conditions above tree line in the northeast, but I believe the Mt Cook area is another step up in terms of unpredictable weather, and severity of weather. Admittedly I am no seasoned alpine mountaineer, though a fancy myself as a decent rock climber...when I was in Mt Cook I was there to learn alpine mountaineering. I had a fantastic time, and would recommend it to anyone.

If you would like to see our pictures from Mt Cook you can go here: http://www.pbase.com/pudgy_groundhog/mountaineering

And for our whole New Zealand trip we have more pics here : http://www.pbase.com/pudgy_groundhog/new_zealand

 

[giggy]

sounds pretty tough to me:

from summitpost

http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150306/aoraki-cook.html


Climbing Mount Cook is a serious undertaking. Do not underestimate the difficulty because of the relatively low summit elevation. There are no walk-up or non technical routes up the mountain. The standard route on the mountain, Linda Glacier, is signifcantly more difficult than Liberty Ridge on Mount Rainier. Do not attempt this climb without very good skills in glacier travel, creavase rescue, protective systems, steep snow climbing, and ice climbing.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Here is a photo of the debris on the Tasman Glacier from the collapse of the Caroline Face on Mt. Cook in 1991. The Caroline Face was one of the hardest and most dangerous ice climbs on the planet pre-1991. I have no idea whether it has been climbed since.

As noted earlier, there are not any easy routes on Mt. Cook, although some friends who climbed the easiest route in the 1970s said it was not even close to the difficulty of the Liberty Ridge on Rainier. Nevertheless, my guess is that the local who claimed to climb up and down Mt. Cook in a day never came close to the summit.

http://jonathancarr.com/gallery/cook/moraine.html

 

[RoySwkr]

I vaguely recall that Ed Hillary's autobiography mentions his multi-day expedition to Mt Cook in which one party member had to be evacuated. If he thinks it's worth mentioning...

 

[Dave Lang]

I have an old friend, Chip Salaun, of Estes Park, Colorado that died on the mountain in about 1982. I believe his body remains there. He was an expert mountaineer and superb athlete.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

From Discovery: Everest Beyond The Limits:

New Zealand's Mark Inglis is attempting to become the first double amputee to summit Everest. In 1982, he spent 14 days trapped by a storm on New Zealand's highest peak, Mount Cook. As a result, his severely frostbitten legs were amputated just below the knees.

Tim

 

[TomD]

Mt. Cook

You could do the Linda Glacier route in a day if you start from the right place and make it a very long day. Haven't done it myself, but know several people who have. I was hiking in the park several times back in the 80's and did a basic mountaineering course there. Some people think the mountains there are easy because they aren't that high. I used to live at 11.5K in a big city (La Paz) so it's easy to see why 12K doesn't seem that high.

But, NZ's unstable weather and the dangers of rockfall and crevasses make the park much more dangerous than is obvious. I fell in a small one myself up to my chest while taking my course and had to be pulled out. Another time,I remember rangers coming through one of the huts I was in looking for a lost hiker-they looked for a month or so and never did find him.

As already said above, the Caroline face is one of the most dangerous climbs in NZ. It may be a lot worse since the big rockfall. There is a trip report on telemarktips by a guy who was skiing there with the intent of skiing down the Caroline face. His buddies were knocked down by an avalanche, but luckily weren't hurt. That ended that idea pretty quickly.

If you are serious about going down there, get a copy of Hugh Logan's Mt. Cook Guidebook. I think it's available online. Also check out the guiding companies. I took my class from Alpine Guides. They have a website.

 

[runnynose]

mt cook

thanks for input !!

and halfmoon those photos of nz are sooooooooo much better than mine. i checked out the rest of your sites....some great shots. you have a talent that eludes me!