Mount Awful, 20 - 22 January 2013

An ascent of the not-so-awful Mount Awful in picture perfect weather. On Sunday we crossed the Makarora River and walked up the Young River past Young Hut to set up camp in the Young Basin. It was still too windy to camp up high. On Monday morning we walked to Gillespie Pass then climbed the south-east ridge of Mt Awful. It was a long climb, which took us all day -- we camped on Gillespie Pass. On Tuesday, we walked down Gillespie Stream into the Siberia Stream and to Siberia Hut. Then a long trudge down the Wilkin River to Makarora. After waiting (and waiting...) for a ride that never came, Aaron still had the energy to hobble along the road to the car. Party: Aaron Whitehead and Danilo Hegg

Trip map. 1 grid square = 1km. Left click on map then select "Sizes -> Original" in bottom right corner of screen to view full size
Lake Hawea at sunset
Climbing Hawea Lake Hawea Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 002
Lake Hawea at sunset
Climbing Hawea Lake Hawea Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 007
Crossing the Makarora River
Climbing Makarora River Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand River crossing Tramping ford Mount Awful 016a
Young River mouth
Young River Mount Awful 020
Young River
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 035
Young Hut
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young Hut Young River hut Mount Awful 037
Campsite in Young Basin (Young River South Branch). Unnamed Peak pt 2108m above
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young Basin Young River camp campsite tent Mount Awful 046
Young Basin campsite. Mount Awful in cloud top left
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young Basin Young River camp campsite tent Mount Awful 051
Climbing day! View of Mt Awful and its east face from our campsite in Young Basin
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 063
Mount Awful (2192m) from Gillespie Pass
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 071
Mount Awful route topo - from Gillespie Pass
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping route topo Mount Awful 071a
Young Peak poking above the east ridge of Mt Awful, from Gillespie Pass
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young Peak Mount Awful 072
Aaron at the start of Mount Awful's south east ridge. Little did we know that it was going to be relentlessly slow and exposed the whole way to the summit!
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 080
View into Gillespie Stream from the SE ridge of Mt Awful. Unnamed Peak pt 2151m top left
Climbing Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 084
View into the Young River South Branch from the SE ridge of Mt Awful. Unnamed Peak pt 2151m top right
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 092a
Panorama from Mt Awful's SE ridge
Climbing Gillespie Pass Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Jumbo Mount Kuri Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 100a Edit
Panorama from Mt Awful's SE ridge
Climbing Gillespie Pass Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Jumbo Mount Kuri Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 100a
Aaron on Mt Awful's SE ridge
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 106
Looking up to Mt Awful's top section
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 110
Tarn on the SE ridge of Mt Awful
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 124
The summit of Mt Awful
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 127
Aarom reaches the summit of Mt Awful
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 129
View down the Young River South Branch (left) from the summit of Mt Awful
Climbing Gillespie Pass Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 141a
View from the summit of Mt Awful - looking north across the Young River North Branch to Aoraki / Mount Cook (centre left) and Mt Brewster (right)
Aoraki Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Brewster Mount Cook Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young River Mount Awful 144
View from the summit of Mt Awful - looking north to Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mt Ward
Aoraki Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Cook Mount Sefton Mount Ward Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 148
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Mount Brewster
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Brewster Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 156
View of the Browning Range from the summit of Mt Awful - Mount Warren, Mount Harris, Mount Franklin
Browning Range Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mount Franklin Mount Harris Mount Warren Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 161
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Young Peak and Misty Peak (foreground) and the Marks Range (back)
Climbing Marks Range Misty Peak Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Young Peak Mount Awful 165
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Mt Aspiring, Pollux, Castor, Mt Alba and the Siberia valley head
Castor Climbing Mount Alba Mount Aspiring Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Pollux Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tititea Tramping Mount Awful 172
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Mt Aspiring
Climbing Mount Aspiring Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tititea Tramping Mount Awful 176
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Mt Aspiring, Pollux and Castor
Castor Climbing Mount Aspiring Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Pollux Tititea Tramping Mount Awful 181
View from the summit of Mt Awful - Pollux, Castor and Mt Alba
Castor Climbing Mount Alba Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Pollux Tramping Mount Awful 188
Siberia valley head from the summit of Mt Awful
Castor Climbing Mount Alba Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Pollux Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tititea Tramping Mount Awful 193
Aaron on the summit of Mt Awful
Castor Climbing Mount Aspiring Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Pollux Tramping Mount Awful 198
Abseiling a rock step just below the summit of Mt Awful
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping abseil abseiling Mount Awful 203
Descending the steep snow slopes off the summit of Mt Awful
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 208
Abseiling across the schrund on Mt Awful's snow field
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping abseil abseiling schrund Mount Awful 223
On the narrow chossy ridgeline just north of Gillespie Pass
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 227
Campsite on Gillespie Pass. Unnamed Peak pt 2026m behind
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping camp campsite tent Mount Awful 236
Mount Awful from Gillespie Pass. A long, challenging climb!
Climbing Gillespie Pass Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 254
The south face of Mt Awful from Gillespie Stream
Climbing Gillespie Pass Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 257
Descending into Gillespie Steam
Climbing Gillespie Pass Gillespie Stream Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Kuri Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Mount Awful 261
Mt Dreadful at the head of the SIberia Valley
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Dreadful Mountaineering New Zealand Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tramping Mount Awful 265
Mt Dreadful at the head of the SIberia Valley
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Dreadful Mountaineering New Zealand Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tramping Mount Awful 271
Mt Alba (left) and Mt Dreadful (right), Siberia Valley
Climbing Mount Alba Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Dreadful Mountaineering New Zealand Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tramping Mount Awful 278
Siberia Hut
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mountaineering New Zealand Siberia Hut Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tramping hut Mount Awful 290
Siberia Stream and Mount Awful
Climbing Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Awful Mountaineering New Zealand Siberia Stream Siberia Valley Tramping Mount Awful 295

Southern Alps Photography

Mount Awful, 20 - 22 January 2013

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