2 Nov 2026

Last week’s Intensive Mountaineering Skills Course was a proper taste of spring in the mountains – four seasons in one week, and occasionally all in one day. 🌦️

A beautiful first day, that felt like mid-December, gave us a comfortable walk up to Caroline Hut before the big storm rolled in. Day two was something else entirely. Next-level winds, heavy rain and a definite hut day! We made the most of it with avalanche awareness theory, glacier rope techniques and crevasse rescue practice – all valuable preparation for putting those skills to use when the weather eventually played ball.

Day three started with snow anchors before heading out for a trip to Kaitiaki Peak, Ball Pass and Ball Glacier. Spring conditions certainly kept us on our toes, with spindrift flying everywhere during abseils in what felt decidedly like mid-winter conditions!

Once the weather settled, an alpine start saw us putting our new skills into practice with an ascent of Turner Peak.

And to finish the week? A complete change of scene with a warm, sunny day of multi-pitch rock climbing at Sebastopol Bluffs. ☀️

From storm-bound hut sessions to alpine adventures and sunny rock climbing, it was a fantastic week of learning, adapting and making the most of whatever the mountains threw at us.

That’s spring in the NZ mountains! 🏔️

📷 @hanibu

#Mountaineering #MountaineeringSkills #AorakiMountCook #NewZealandMountains #CarolineHut