2009 Expedition: Ball Pass

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December 21, 2009

When Freddy showed up to meet us at the gas station this morning, I was somewhat surprised to see him. It would have been easy to blow us off, but it looked like he was actually going to follow through with his promise from yesterday to take us to Mount Cook Village. So we began the three-hour drive, which took nearly four since Fred drives slower than anyone in New Zealand. We were passed by everyone, but I reminded myself that at least we were getting there without having to hitchhike. Eric and I each slept along the way, still tired from the previous night of partying in Queenstown.
We got to Mount Cook Village eventually, and found a place to stay before starting the Ball Pass Route tomorrow. It should be an interesting tramp because it’s the closest hiking you can do to Mount Cook itself (the highest mountain in New Zealand) without needing ropes and the full range of mountaineering equipment. We are going to rent crampons and ice axes, though, for the icy sections near the top of the pass.
We’re also waiting until tomorrow to start because we’re going to be joined by our friends Kristina and Rotem (the girls we met on the previous track), who decided to change their plans and come with us for a few days. They are hitchhiking from Queenstown this afternoon and hopefully will arrive in time to get an early start tomorrow.

December 22, 2009

We went into the Alpine Guides outpost in the hotel in the village to rent our gear, which we had reserved. With the crampons tied to our backpacks, we were finally set to go. So we began the hike up the Hooker Valley towards Mount Cook.
The first half hour followed the tourist trail to the lake, which gave a false sense of the difficulty of today. Within two minutes of stepping off of that trail and onto our route, we were shown that we would be on a much more difficult path.
The trail followed the old moraine wall created when the Hooker Glacier used to come this far down the valley. Now the terminal lake sits in the U-shaped valley. As we went along the moraine, to the left was a 100-meter drop to the lake, and to the right were high cliffs. The moraine itself, once just a long pile of rock, is now covered in dense brush and scrub. Weaving our way through this, our legs took quite a beating. The sharp grass and gnarled scrub cut deep scratches and poked like needles into our flesh. It was slow going, and by the time we got past it, we all had many lines of blood coming down our legs and arms.
But we did get past it and arrived at the base of the gully; we’ll use our crampons to climb up tomorrow. There are no huts here, so we’re using tents, which seems foreign after so many nights in huts. But the weather is fantastic and I couldn’t imagine a better spot to sleep out under the stars. We’re at the base of Mount Cook and the view is incredible.

December 23, 2009

An epic day! We climbed the highest pass we’ve been on yet in New Zealand, became proficient with ice axes and crampons, saw Mount Cook and many glaciers from right up close, and had our longest day of hiking yet.
We started far later than we should have, at 10am. I would have liked to have started much sooner, but getting a group of four people going is more difficult than when it’s just me and Eric.
Right from the start, we had to climb up through a deep and very steep gully in the mountainside. It was about 1200 feet high and filled with snow, so this was our first chance to use crampons. I put mine on and was immediately impressed with how well they worked and how easy they were to get the hang of. So with the proper gear, we ascended the steep snow chute until we arrived at a flat area about half way between our campsite from last night and Ball Pass itself. We rested there briefly to take in the view of Mount Cook from closer than most people ever get to it. The Hooker Glacier snaked through the valley below and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was another perfect day.
From there, we ascended the snowfields further. I slipped once and was glad to have the ice axe with me. After sliding about 15 feet, I was able to slam the axe into the slope and perform the first self-arrest move I would need today. There would be a few more yet to come.
Two thirds of the way up the Pass we had to take off the crampons to walk a section of rocks and scree. After getting across this, the crampons went back on for the final snowfield leading to the pass. It was the last 50 feet before the actual pass itself that was the most difficult. It was steep and rocky, and the rocks only crumbled and slid away from under our hands and feet as we scrambled up it. But once over it, we were rewarded with an incredible view of the highest mountain in New Zealand. You could also see the glaciers coming down both the Hooker and Tasman Valleys and many peaks in all directions. It was like standing on the roof of the world, truly an incredible feeling.
But since it was late in the afternoon and we had a long way to go down the other side of the Pass, we only stayed half an hour on top. We had to use the crampons to descend for the next two hours. We followed a ridge down as we had been warned that just following the snowfield down would lead to a glacier face and an impossible path down. The snow was steep in places, but the sun made it soft and I found it quite enjoyable to be going downward with the most amazing alpine views all around me.
It was about 6pm when we got below the snow and still had several thousand feet yet to descend. Starting so late this morning was about to become a potential problem, as the fading light made the descent more difficult with our already weary bodies.
At 8pm, we finally arrived at a place suitable for camping. It was a flat area beside the Tasman Glacial Moraine on this, the opposite side of Ball Pass from where we spent last night. It was a great day, but my muscles were very glad for it to be over.
We cooked dinner as the last light faded away, and I had a great feeling of satisfaction from completing my favorite hike yet in New Zealand.

December 24, 2009

I was surprised by the fact that I wasn’t as sore this morning as I had expected to be after the long day yesterday. The two-hour hike out the Tasman Valley along the moraine wall was a nice change from the knee-killing climbs and descents of yesterday, and by noon we were at the parking lot where people come to do a 15-minute walk to view the Tasman Glacier. The four of us split up into groups of two again and had no trouble getting rides back into the village to return our rental gear.
From there, Kristina, Eric, and I checked into the only hostel in town, while Rotem was going to take advantage of today’s nice weather to climb the 1000 meters up to the Mueller Hut, an alpine hut just outside the village. Eric and I had been there already during our last time in New Zealand, so hot showers and soft dorm beds at the hostel sounded more appealing for Christmas Eve than more climbing.

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