PRIVATE GUIDING
Privately guided mountaineering, ski mountaineering, & ski touring.
Privately guided mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ski touring.
All of our trips are completely customised to suit you, We can organise trips for beginners through to experienced climbers, ski mountaineers, and ski touring parties.
The advantage of private guiding is that your program will be totally flexible and your guide can be focused on your goals. The trip can be run at a pace and fitness level that suits you.
To plan your trip we need to know about your individual or groups previous experience level, fitness level, and the goal for the trip.
LOCATION
New Zealand’s Southern Alps mountain areas.
MEETING POINT & TIME
Your guide will meet with you at 8.30am on the first day of the trip at your accomodation. Alternatively, you are welcome to come to our office at Unit 403, 875 Frankton Rd in Queenstown.
ITINERARY
Please note your final itinerary is subject to weather and other mountain conditions.
Day 1
Meet at your accomodation at 8.30am for introductions and a gear check before we drive to the mountain area for the trip.
Please note that sometimes because of weather it is not possible to fly into the mountains on the first day, but we will fly in at the first possible time.
Day 2 – 8
Customised itinerary.
Final Day
On the last day of the trip you can expect to be back in Queenstown by 5pm.
PRIVATE GUIDING
PRIVATE TRIPS
| People | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 days | $4,890 | $3,300 | $2,500 | $2,000 |
| 5 days | $5,890 | $4,100 | $3,000 | $2,500 |
| 6 days | $6,950 | $4,800 | $3,500 | $2,900 |
| 7 days | $7,950 | $5,500 | $4,000 | $3,400 |
| 8 days | $8,950 | $6,200 | $4,500 | $3,900 |
| 9 days | $9,950 | $6,900 | $5,000 | $4,300 |
INCLUSIONS
TRIP NOTES
Experience required
Privately guided trips are customised to suit your previous experience level and fitness. We can run trips for beginners through to advanced parties and individuals.
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
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.
Each day in the mountains will typically start at 7.00am. On some days for example a serious alpine climbing objective you may be required to start climbing by as early as 2.00am to make the most of the safe frozen early morning conditions and quick glacier travel.
On any poor weather days it is possible to learn skills inside the hut – for example cliff and 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.
Aircraft access & 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 e.g. Mt Cook & Mt Tasman, Mt Aspiring) we only guide at a 1:1 ratio.
The guide to client ratio will determine what it is possible to do on a trip. For example it is not possible to guide serious ski mountaineering objectives at a 4:1 client to guide ratio. Please discuss with us your goals for the trip so we can ensure we have the correct ratio for your group.
