The Department of Conservation is hopeful for opening the Milford Track on Sunday, which would mean forward staging in Te Anu tomorrow. The D.O.C. avalanche team is scouting the snow pack and crust density to determine the opening date. Yesterday’s rain on Mt. Lomond meant wet heavy snow out in the Milford range.
Armed with better weather, warm gear, food, and plenty of water the summit of Ben Lomond was today’s target. Given that the mountain is tucked just behind Queenstown the trailhead is an easy entry point for approximately four hours of climbing. Yesterday, at the suggestion of the owner of the hostel, I started at the chairlift trail. This translated into just over a thousand meters or over 3,000 ft. straight up. To pose a better mental image, hang gliders use the top of this face as a launching point. Learning from this brutal initiation, yesterday’s descent trail along the waterfalls was the better choice for a “non-staircase” style beginning to the day.
The ascent was relentless with a huge payoff. There actually is one saddle prior to the ascent, complete with a memorial bench marking the beginning of the Southern Alps viewing vantage point.
After soaking in the views and a sandwich, the rocky “mountain goat” style climax remained. Climbing poles were definitely my friends. Pushing forward and pacing for a consistent ascent a woman almost literally flew by me, also leaving her male climbing partner in the dust. They had just finished the Sydney 100K race the previous week. Another couple came by in reverse order. Her commentary was, “This climb certainly is a bugger… bugger, bugger, bugger.” It seems improper syntax to only use the word once. I was in complete agreement and we crossed the snowfield together, working our way to the ultimate summit.
The summit platform was very narrow, with a survey marker defining the pinnacle. A mountain man from Colorado, the partner of my “bugger” climbing buddy, stood on top of the survey marker. Heights generally are not an issue for me, but with the wind blowing and the surrounding shear slopes the best I could muster was a brief balancing quadruped perch without full extension. Vertigo got the better of me and finally I settled for a seated picture.
The descent was scenic in the waning afternoon light, complete with antique coal steamer and a wild ram sighting. The eight-hour plus scheduled trek took just under six and a half hours.
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