Mt Aspiring Attempt, and Mt Avalanche Traverse 25.12.2023 - 28.12.2023
The first day we camped at Aspiring hut, with the intention of heading up and camping under the West face of Aspiring the next day for an attempt on the South West ridge. The next day we made a start, however conditions deteriorated quickly. Starting with overcast skies, it soon turned into a downpour with a slog uo to French ridge hut. Soaked through we made the call that the hut was the choice. Whilst we made an attempt the next day on the South West ridge, the route finding onto the ridge was time consuming in a thick low cloud in the dark, which never cleared. We made the call that the conditions just weren’t with us. It eventually lifted lowering into the valley, however we were way behind time.
We got back to French ridge hut, and had been on the go for probably close to 10 hours, however decided we still needed to get out the next day with the final weather window, but with the problem that we needed to walk out the same day. Due to that, Aspiring was off, however reading through the hut guide books, the shorter climb of Mt Avalanche was on the cards. A classically beautiful peak, we decided that a traverse of the lesser climbed North ridge and down the West was the plan, and what a climb it proved to be! The North ridge was as good as ridge climbing gets, a very exposed cheval to start on great rock with ok protection with slings. Two steps needed to be climbed, with good rock on the ridge proper, but gravelly and slightly chossy to the sides with protection from a set of cams and wires. We then downclimbed the West ridge and went back to the hut via the Quarterdeck for an awesome day out. Whilst most rappel on the West ridge, some of the blocks with slings we saw must have been no bigger than a small microwave, slighty nerve wracking! But the downclimbing proved ok, however the rock was much worse than the North Ridge. Slabby however some cracks proved to be great, although exposed, downclimbing.
