Mt Christina | ClimbNZ

Type

Mountain

Altitude

2474m

Part of

Darran Mountains

Aspect

North West

Lat/lon

-44.79298018,168.04837475, NZ Topo Map

Topo50

CB09 083 281

Accessed from

Hollyford River Whakatipu Ka Tuka

Marian Creek

Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Quality
2	2Original Route		0m	3
P1 Start up Cirque Creek, ascending a steep tussock and scrub fan to below a large vertical bluff. Trend right on a long traverse crossing two sculptured watercourses. From here it gets a little tricky; ascend steep tussock directly up until a small terrace leads right to a large snow basin (avoid the temptation to head directly up as the terrain steepens dramatically) then continue traversing right into the centre of the face. Follow easy slopes to the ridge north of the summit.
4	4Skyline Buttress		0m	0
P1 The buttress is approached by sidling down from high on the Original Route.
5	5The European Connection, 20	20	0m	0
Seven pitches. A ridge and face route on the skyline as seen from Homer Hut, on the rock spur west of the South West Ridge of Christina. There is an easier variant missing the grade 20 pitch: stick to the main chimney crack instead of traversing right. P1 20 Trad
	South West Face		0m	0
P1 Climb the south side of a prominent gut above Lyttle's Flat and continue up scree and snow slopes to the col just north of the summit.
8	8South West Ridge			0
From the col northeast of the South Pk, climb a snow gully to join the South West Ridge on the right. The first ascent began by climbing the South West Ridge of the South Peak.
9	9South Ridge		0m	0
P1 Climb up the shingle to a waterfall which drops out of a prominent west-facing gut, easily climbed on the north side. Early season avalanche danger from the hanging glacier can be avoided by crossing to slabs on the true right. A steep band is crossed in the central section and the rock deteriorates towards the summit.
	East Ridge, III	III	0m	0
Cross the Hollyford River and (as for the Christina East Peak route) climb the large scree fan, going round to the right and up a gully, then across a small spur. Descend to a second gully, moving diagonally right into the big gully which is followed to snowfields and the East Ridge. Drop onto the Marian side of the ridge below Pt 1983 and back to the ridge beyond. P1 Alpine (Commitment) III
1	1McLeod Route			0
On first reaching Lake Marian head up directly to the Marian Bluffs. Climb a short scrubby wall right of a small gut, gaining the terraces above. Continue up the grassy slopes and ribs, tending left at the top to avoid rock walls. The travel on these bluffs is made easy by plentiful stout snowgrass. The snow slopes above give simple access to the East Ridge, which is gained well above the East Peak for a straightforward approach to the summit.
	Brookes Simpson			0
Up the bluffs and snow directly above Lake Marian to the upper Marian Ridge.
3	3Gordon Hall-Jones Miller			0
From the top of the highest snowgrass slope beyond the lake, climb up and sidle left around a waterfall basin to a gendarme at the foot of the summit snow-slopes. The first ascent party made the first traverse of Mt Christina.
	Complete East Ridge, IV,3	IV,3	0m	2.01
Cross the Lake Marian Track Bridge off the Hollyford Road and go directly through the forest to the base of the ridge. The initial ridge was climbed to above the bluffs by Milton Bardsley and Ian Cameron in January 1964. Follow a vegetated weakness left (south) under obvious cliff, then back right, then left again to reach the bush line (about 4 hrs). Then follow the ridge for about 9km to all summits. The black cliff with slabby base that protects the final part of the east ridge to the true summit was bypassed to the north on the first ascent but has been climbed direct at grade 16. There is a good bivvy platform on the west side of the ridge about 200m north of the summit. The photo is from Key Summit and shows the line of first ascent (which also took in Mt Crosscut and Barrier Peak). There is a descent to Cirque Creek from near Christina’s north peak. P1 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 3

Attribution

Craig Jefferies

UUID

199627d2-2bd5-452b-b059-d8dd20692d58