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Yibai HeGuest
Hi,
I’m looking for some information of climbing Mt Earnslaw, I’ll be in that area for about 10 days, but I’m not very keen to carry heavy climbing gears, will ice axe & crampons be sufficient? Thanks beforehand.
Cheers
Yibai -
AndrewGuest
It really depends on the conditions. We took a rope, snow stakes, harness but didn’t use them in the end. We climbed a snow neve on the eastern (Rees) side of the East peak in ealy Dec some years ago. This gave steep but otherwise straightforward access to NW ridge that then leads easily to the summit. On descent we went down the gut that seems to be the recommended and cairned route from the huts. We would have liked to use the rope as it is very steep with horrible runout. We encountered some ice and quite a bit of freshish snow. Consequently we couldn’t find any useful belay anchors for slings. There were old remnants of slings encased in ice as we went down but i wasn’t keen to use them. We got down slowly but safely in crampons. Allen Higgins did the same descent later that summer without any snow on the descent route. I think they used a rope.
We climbed from the highest bivvy rock (sleeps 2/3 people or one small tent) on the way up and walked out to our car at end of Rees track in about 13 hrs. We had very calm and sunny conditions, with relatively firm snow.
I’d recommend taking full kit – it would be a shame not to climb it just because of a lack of gear. if its any consolation I just carried rope/harness/crampons on my xmas trip and never got to use them.
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Lee-AnnGuest
Yibai..also catch up with Keith Gerritsen I know he and Craig were in there only a few days ago not sure when he is back in Wgtn..but you could try giving him a call/email
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BeckyGuest
Hi Yibai – Keith and Craig didn’t end up going onto Mt Earnslaw because of the waether being so wet and warm. they’re now mtnbiking down the shotover gorge so out of contact till friday. I think they had intended to take ropes etc if they had gone in though.
Becky -
YibaiGuest
Thanks Becky, hey your e-mail bounced back.
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Grant NewtonGuest
Yibai,
I climbed the east peak with Allen H and we took the guidebook route ….. we used a rope to abseil on the one rocky gut about halway between Wright Col and the summit as it was raining and was slippery (didn’t bother to use a rope going up). The rest of the climb is straightforward ice axe and crampons climb ….. it had to be as even I got up!
Cheers
Grant
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