An ascent of Mt Alaska (1965m) in winter. This walk was an instant favourite when I first did it in summer 2018/2019, and winter added a whole new dimension.
I did this walk for the first time in the summer of 2018/19 and it became an instant favourite. When Sophia and I came back to Queenstown the following winter it was first choice to kick off the holiday, and it did not disappoint. Much of the scenery was unsurprisingly enhanced by snow, although I just went back to see my photos from summer and realised the colours were very nice then, so you can’t lose really.
Accessing the summit presented no particular problems, but still felt like an achievement. If walking in winter then best to take your crampons and ice axe just in case, as there are one or two steep sections that might be a bit tricky depending on the conditions.
I found ascending harder then the descent, not just because it is a hard slog up, but also because I repeated a mistake I made on my first time up the mountain, going around some rocks on a steep slope when it is easier to go over them. The better route is more obvious on the way down.
Click here for more details on the walk from the original blog post published in January 2019, or view on for the winter scenery. As you will see, a substantial cloud inversion added to the great views. Enjoy!
On obvious tracks as far as Heather Jock Hut, then off track to the summit of Mt Alaska.
Mt Alaska ascent (winter): The Scenery
Walking up through cloud. I didn’t know for sure that this was a cloud inversion, but I quietly hoped it would be. Mt Alaska top right, our target for the day. Sophia trudging up towards Heather Jock Hut, with a very pleasing cloud inversion behind. The Humboldt Mountains on the other side of the Wakatipu Basin, which was covered in cloud.
I couldn’t help but take lots of photos of this cloud inversion. Resting at Heather Jock Hut. Not sure what mountains these are in the distance. Looking towards the final ascent to Mt Alaska. Not all that much snow on top.
We should have put on our crampons in this section, which we avoided on the way down. I’ve chosen this wrong route twice now, when the easier way is more directly up the rocks on the right (to Sophia’s left). My wife Sophia looking intrepid in this photo. One of my favourite shots from the day. A good sense of scale. Snowy slopes viewed from the summit. Me on the summit. Mt Larkins (2300m) at the back. The view from the summit. A panorama of Mt Larkins, point 2232m, and Stone Peak. I liked the textures, shapes and colours in this shot.
A steep descent.
Black Peak (1989) looming large. This can be climbed as a side trip off the McIntosh Loop Track (which I’ve not yet done). You could do it as an epic day walk, but there are huts up there to make it a an overnight walk. Mt Earnslaw at the back. Goats! The sun going down on Bonnie Jean Hut. Still a ways to go from here. Something a little abstract. Mt McIntosh and Black Peak in twilight. Dying sunset.
