Mountaineering & Climbing Reviews
Mountaineering & Climbing Reviews
Reviews and feedback from guests on our Alpine Rock Climbing, Mountaineering Courses and Guided Ascents.
Mount Cook is a world-class climb. Fantastic guide, extremely strong climber and great instructor. (Completed as a ski ascent).
I completely a guided ascent of Mount Cook in December 2020, booked through Alpine Rec. Axel was very good to deal with and the guide (Dean Staples) was excellent. It was all well-organised, I learnt a lot and got to the summit and back down safely. I'd never done a guided climb before so I don't have much to compare with but I'd recommend them.
I thought the level of organization and planning at every level was excellent. The office staff was very quick to respond to emails from the beginning, the food was well proportioned and varied, and the guides organized the week well to take advantage of the weather. I also think my guides were exceptionally good. Compared to other trips Gernot and Elke were more knowledgeable about New Zealand routes and conditions than other guides who had perhaps been here fewer seasons. This meant that they chose awesome routes, and were very efficient setting up belays during the climbs which saved time.
Die Mt. Tasman-Tour hat die höchste Stellenwert in meinem Bergsteigerleben! Wir waren die ganze Zeit alleine unterwegs, war besonders beeindruckend. (The Mt Tasman climb has the highest rating out of all the climbs I've done. We had the whole mountain to ourselves, it was particularly impressive.)
Fantastic custom trip, got to climb and ski Elie De Beaumont, single cone and Mt Aylmer with Mark Austin guiding, everything was perfect and they had a bunch of flexibility when the weather turned poor to change plans at the last minute.
I would like to say that you have exceeded my expectations (yet again). I came and did the Introductory Mountaineering Course (IDM) and was blown away by the professionalism of the guide and the experience of the course. I have since climbed in Europe and must say that NZ is the place to be! I decided to get my brother involved in mountaineering and so I booked the IDM again for this year. We had a brilliant time. The guide again pushed us safely to experience new things. The weather and hut were awesome and I would strongly urge anyone with an interest in getting into mountaineering to sign up for the IDM course. You run a brilliant business and I look forward to organizing my next trip.
Thanks Alpine Rec for a fantastic week of learning and adventuring on the intro mountaineering course!
Excellent planning. Excellent guides. Had an amazing mountaineering experience with this company doing their mountaineering course.
Amazing trip up to Caroline Hut in the Mount Cook range. Friendly, professional guides. Felt safe the entire time. Had a beautiful but difficult walk up, and spent 3 nights in the most beautiful and amazingly well equipped hut right in the face of the Caroline Face of Aoraki Mount Cook. Excellent pre-trip info, food, equipment etc. Would love to come for a second trip.
Did the introductory mountaineering course with Alpine Recreation in June this year. It was truly fantastic. Way better than I had expected on all fronts. Five of the best days outdoors I've had in years. If you think you want to get into the mountains above the snow line, but don't have the skills, then do a course with these guys, you wont regret it.
I just completed the 4 day introductory mountaineering course with Alpine Recreation. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me. I have never done any mountaineering before or done a guided hike but the whole experience was very satisfying and rewarding. We learnt A LOT and got to Kaitiaki Peak and down safely :D Thanks to awesome knowledgeable guide Bia and Axel for great organisation of the trip! Highly recommend!!
I had a fantastic experience doing the Introductory Mountaineering Course. Our guide Andy was professional, encouraging and patient. I definitely feel that the course was worth the financial expenditure. A positive and growth stimulating experience through and through.
Thanks Andy and Alpine Rec.
Alpine Recreation must offer the best introductory mountaineering course in New Zealand. Our instructor Gideon was exceptional and the views of Aoraki from Caroline Hut were incredible.
Fantastic set up by @alpinerecreation that allowed me and a few others to learn how to be a bit safer in the mountains! Their introductory mountaineering course covered everything from avalanche awareness to general snow safety & rock climbing. Generally how to make good decisions while out there! I learned a lot, had an experience that would otherwise have been pretty difficult, and had an amazing time, all while pushing my limits !
Thank you Anne, Elke & Pablo for such an inspiring experience 🫶🏻
My Intensive Mountaineering Skills trip was everything I expected and beyond. It covered all the areas I wanted to find out more about and Mark our guide did his best to pack in as much information as possible. Caroline hut is fantastic and provides access to some many great mountains and to stunning views.
I had a great time and learnt a lot. The guide was expert level. The Caroline Hut was comfortable and well stocked with food. The view from the hut was incredible, watching avalanches tear down Aoraki (Mt Cook) on the other side of the valley. The trip was excellent value.
Had an incredible experience on their Intensive Mountaineering Course. Had the amazing opportunity to learn from Nick Cradock and Simon Bell. Both shared their invaluable experience in a manner that was very safety oriented while being practical - providing a perfect blend approaches best suited to mountaineering.
Used the experience learnt immediately to successfully navigate to the summit of Mount Aspiring.
Overall the course was very enjoyable and worthwhile - one that I would happily recommend to others.
Was also very well fed.
Had a phenomenal week on the intensive mountaineering course with Simon and Dave from Alpine Rec. Both were very experienced, patient and thorough guides and teachers with a focus on safety. And they were also epic company, making a week in a hut with a group of strangers work seamlessly. They were very generous in sharing their experience and knowledge and we came away from the week with a huge tool kit and feeling very competent in tackling future endeavours in the hills.
Caroline Hut is a spectacular location, looking straight at the Caroline face of Mt Cook. Alpine Rec organised everything seamlessly and everyone went above and beyond in helping us on our way. The gear provided was very high quality and well looked after. Thanks team, we’ll definitely be back!
I took an intensive mountaineering course with Alpine Recreation, and it was very well organised. Our mountain guide, Pablo was highly skilled, patient, and made the most of the available weather and time, teaching us an incredible amount within just one week. Communication before the course was excellent, and everything went exactly as planned, even though I booked well in advance. I highly recommend this course for those looking to advance their mountaineering skills. The private hut facing the stunning Caroline Face of Mount Cook made the experience even more exciting.
What a fantastic week with awesome people. We were truly blessed with brilliant weather. Al is a legend. His knowledge and experience made for a very informative course with lots of learning and perspective. He was very responsive to the group and made sure we got the most out of our time. Caroline Hut is well stocked and in a beautiful location. Such a great experience.
Fantastic adventure. Good communication with Alpine Recreation prior to trip, high quality equipment provided, fun, skilled and knowledgeable guide. Highly recommend.