5 DAY MOUNTAINEERING EXPEDITIONS
5 day New Zealand climbing expedition to a world class mountaineering objective.
New Zealand Mountain guiding specialists. Queenstown Mountain Guides specialise in guided ascents of premier New Zealand mountaineering peaks and private instruction with a focus on ascents.
The 5 day Mountaineering expedition is for climbers looking to climb New Zealand mountaineering objectives. This could be ascents of classic New Zealand 3000m peaks like the Minarets or Mt Lendenfeld. Our private instruction is customised to suit the participant’s future climbing goals. This could be expedition climbing skills or focusing on teaching individuals or rope teams lead climbing skills on steep snow and ice with more difficult objectives on the trip.
POSSIBLE ASCENTS
The 5 day New Zealand mountaineering expedition gives you the option to choose a climbing objective for the week or to have the flexibility to choose the best mountain for the weather forecast and conditions for the duration of the trip. See the below list of possible climbing objectives; there are many more options so ask us if you have a specific mountaineering objective that you would like to climb.
Mt Cook Region: A classic venue for ascents and instruction offering a huge variety of snow, ice, and rock routes.
- Mt Green
- Mt Walter
- Hochstetter Dome
- Mt Aylmer
- Mt Dixon
- Anzac Peaks
Mt Aspiring Region: A good option for a walk or fly in and walk out trip.
- Rolling Pin
- Mt French
- Mt Avalanche
- Rob Roy
West Coast Neve’s, Fox & Franz Joseph Glaciers: Huge variety of climbing objectives for all levels of climbers.
- Mt Sefton
- Mt Haidinger
- Lendenfield
- Mt Haast
- Minarets
- Douglas Peak
- Glacier Peak
- Grey Peak
- Mt Aurora
- Meteor Peak
Darran Mountains: New Zealand Alpine Rock Climbing also known as New Zealand’s Patagonia.
- Mt Madelaine
- Macpherson-Talbot Traverse
- Diamond & West Face Moirs Mate
- North Buttress Sabre Peak
LOCATION
Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, Darran Mountains Fiordland.
MEETING POINT & TIME
Your guide will meet with you at 8.30am on the first day of the trip at your accomodation.
ITINERARY
Day 1 – 5
On the first morning of the trip your guide will discuss the weather forecast, conditions, and logistics for the trip. After the trip briefing you will travel to the mountain area that your trip is based from.
5 DAY MOUNTAINEERING EXPEDITIONS
BOOK A PRIVATE TRIP
INCLUSIONS
TRIP NOTES
Additional booking conditions
These are additional conditions to our standard booking terms and conditions.
As part of the 5 Day Mountaineering Expedition a period of 5 days guiding is included in the price of the trip. It may be possible to complete the climb before the 5 day period is over. If you finish the climb early you may choose to retain the services of the guide. If you choose to finish the trip early no refund is due.
Extending your 5 Day Mountaineering Expedition may be possible depending on your guides commitments.
The cost of extending your trip is $700 plus $200 per person per day.
If your trip is involuntarily extended (for example being stuck in Tasman Saddle hut due to bad weather) the cost will be $600 plus $100 per person per day.
Experience required
The trip is suitable for beginner through to very experienced climbers. For more serious climbing objectives it is imporatnt that you have suitable previous experience and currency for the mountain. As part of the booking process we will ask you about your previous experience and currency in snow, rock, ice climbing, and glacier travel skills. More experienced clients will be able to climb more difficult peaks. For more difficult climbs the maximum guide to client ratio is 1:1.
Clothing & equipment
Climbing in the New Zealand mountains requires that you have high quality equipment and clothing due to the extremes of weather we experience. Please ensure you look carefully at our equipment checklist. At the start of the trip your guide will go through your equipment and make sure that you have everything that you need for the trip. Please organise to have your extra equipment stored at your accomodation for the duration of the trip.
It is important that you keep as close as possible to the equipment checklist. The focus is on ensuring that you have the equipment you need, but also on keeping your pack as light as possible. If your guide is meeting you at your accomodation for the start of the trip it would be helpful if you have all your equipment and clothing organised and laid out in a logical fashion so they can check that everyone has the right equipment and clothing for the trip.
Accomodation during the trip
In the mountains you will stay in mountains huts. These dormitory style huts are cosy and provide good shelter form the elements, they are all located in spectacular locations, but they are also basic. The huts have water, cooking facilities, a mountain radio, and a bunk area with individual mattresses. There are no showers or electrical sockets for recharging.
For overnights in Mt Cook village & Fox Glacier we will stay in the New Zealand Alpine Club huts. These dormitory style huts have shared bathroom facilities.
Accomodation in Queenstown before or after the trip is not included in trip costs.
To organise accomodation in Queenstown, we recommend www.booking.com. Here you will find a wide range of accomodation depending on your preferred style and budget. The cost of accomodation in Queenstown is not included in your trip costs.
Daily trip logistics
Every day in the mountains is different with changing weather, snowpack, and access conditions. When you book your trip with Queenstown Mountain Guides we will discuss your goals for the trip and the general plan. When you meet with your guide on the first morning of your trip your guide will discuss with you the weather forecast and current conditions and make a final plan for the trip. It is best to be flexible so we can ensure that you will make the most of your time with us.
At the start of the trip we will fly into the mountains at the first possible opportunity.
On any poor weather days it is possible to learn skills inside the hut – for example crevasse rescue, navigation, weather theory, avalanche awareness.
On the final day of the trip we will aim to have you back in Queenstown by approximately 5.00pm.
Queenstown Mountain Guides uses aircraft to fly into the mountains and this enables us to bring a good supply of fresh food on our trips. Your guide will organise breakfast, lunch, and dinner for you when you are in the mountains. Your guide will cook your meals on a basic mountain stove but you will impressed by what is possible!
Aircraft access and egress
The flight into and out of the mountains is not included in the trip cost. Our goal is to minimise the cost of the flight out by sharing the cost of flights with other climbing and skiing parties when possible.
The below costs include GST and are the total price of the helicopter and this cost will be divided by the number of clients in the helicopter. For example Plateau hut 2 clients plus guide the cost would be $535 per client for a drop off.
*All prices are subject to availability and occasional change by aircraft operators.
Mt Cook Region.
Plateau Hut: $1,070. Max 5 passengers.
Upper Tasman Glacier – Kelman Hut & Tasman Saddle Hut: $1,430. Max 5 passengers.
Lower Tasman Glacier Pickup: $1,070. Max 5 passengers.
Fox Glacier Region.
Upper Fox & Franz Joseph Glaciers Drop Off – Pioneer & Centennial Hut: $1,050. Max 4 passengers.
Upper Fox & Franz Joseph Glaciers Drop Off – Pioneer & Centennial Hut: $770. Max 3 passengers.
Lower Fox Glacier Pickup – Chancellor Hut: $575. Max 4 passengers.
Lower Fox Glacier Pickup – Chancellor Hut: $420. Max 3 passengers.
Mt Aspiring Region.
Mt Aspiring – Bevan Col: $1,250. Max 5 passengers.
Fiordland Region.
Mitre Peak Fiordland: $950. Max 5 passengers.
Turners Bivy – Darran Mountains: $1,430. Max 5 passengers.
Guide to participant ratios
The maximum guide to participant ratio that we operate at is 1 guide to 4 participants. For groups larger than 4 participants extra guides are needed.
For climbing serious alpine routes (grade 3 or more e.g. Mt Cook & Mt Tasman) we only guide at a 1:1 ratio.
For groups of 2 or more your guide can teach your team to operate as an individual climbing team i.e of conditions are right you will get to experience lead climbing with your guide climbing next to you helping.
