CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Hochstetter Dome looking serene in
the evening light; Couldn't have asked for a finer day to stand on
the top; Prakash scopes out our destination, Tasman Saddle Hut;
Lydia giving Jonathon a few pointers on a rainy day in the hut;
Dan pulls in rope while Brad kicks and swings, all under Lydia's
watchful eye.NZ MOUNTAINEERING
Day one in the mountains was tiring, but when I glanced
around the hut that evening, I could tell everyone was
energised. That emotional lift we gained from being in nature
is what united our team as we ate dinner and shared our
strangely diverse stories.
Over the following days we trudged through snow, learned
about snow and ice anchors, crevasse rescue and all manner of
alpine necessities. Weather came and went, we walked through
blasting winds, sun and fog until Sunday’s forecast predicted
35 millimetres of rain that would keep us inside for the day.
Following our restful rainy day, we were quick to get going
and headed out a little earlier than anticipated. The sun shone
amber as we walked to the south-east ridge of Hochstetter
Dome with the goal of traversing its twin summits. The terrain
steepened as views of the west coast unfolded as the ridge
dropped away to out right. John and Damien were guided
ahead by Prakash, who short-roped and belayed them along, in
a similar style that they would use on Aspiring. The rest of us
belayed one another up the steepest sections as our guide Lydia
climbed solo back and forth between us. It was a thrill to see
how easily she moved on this ground, how in her element she
looked compared to how out of place I was feeling.
It was a real initiation to the ways of alpine climbing. Though
we had a perfect day, we were conscious of how fast we were
moving so as not to drag it out. The rising shining sun softened
the icy laminate atop the snow, our footsteps deepened and
certain aspects grew less stable. The safety systems and terrain
were unfamiliar and at times I had to focus my breath to
manage a visceral fear that lurked somewhere around the top
of my spine. As I allayed my worries, my temper wore unusually
thin. It wasn’t until Lydia insisted I stop and eat a sandwich
that I realise how depleted I’d become in such a relatively short
time.
64 / Outdoor