Two Thumb Range July 25-26

I will be brief as I think there are only so many ways to describe white snow and blue skies and the pictures probably say it all. Two days of exceptionally clear and still weather seemed to be all the motivation I needed to go for a play in the snow. Snow conditions across the island were extreme, with a high risk of avalanches and a recent death, so we planned a route following ridge lines as much as possible and were extra cautious. The plan was to depart from our car at the head of Lake Tekapo, hike up to the snow where we donned skis and snowshoes (snowshoes for me), traverse a ridge to where we could drop in to a saddle and cross into the next drainage where there was a mustering hut we could stay at. Reality proved slightly different as impressive cornices and unstable snow meant dropping off the east side of the ridge towards the hut would be a risky endeavor. After considering our options we opted to camp on a flat spot on the snowy ridge at an elevation of about 2200m. Needless to say it was a cold night, especially for me since I was the only one in the party sporting leather boots (everyone else had plastic). It was however a beautifully starry night and so calm that we lit two candles out in the open which happily flickered. The morning treated us with beautiful alpenglow on the east face of Mt. Cook and views of Lake Tekapo, the Southern Alps and even of Banks Peninsula far to the east. We tried to continue along the ridge but found ourselves at a place demanding some snow or rock climbing with consequences. We had several options to choose but in the end decided going back the way we came and then dropping down to a different ridge and walking along the Macauley River back to the car would be the sensible thing to do. My feet were quite destroyed by the time I made it back to the car from my stiff unbroken boots.

Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps

Mt Cook in left background