Pt 2258

From Lake Hope, gain the N ridge at a col and follow to summit.

"The North Ridge of pt 22258 climbed well – like a slightly impoverished GT, but against a wilder backdrop
of rugged, lake-bejewelled basins. I thought I caught echoes of Canada, but it may have been
Scotland. The gloves went on, the camera came out, but the rope stayed in the pack." - Stirring Embers, NZAJ (/ CIA) c. 2023

"...but our eyes kept
drifting to a brace of giant corners joining the south ridge. We soon abandoned our preconceived
idea, and escaped off on ledges, down and around to below the left-most corner. Cradled deeply
within it, we palmed off perfect red schist, walking our feet up the crack. As things steepened, the

rope came out, and the ensuing belay was well positioned to watch Owen navigate around a large
block/overlap in the steeper second pitch. A third pitch – mainly block dodging – popped us onto the
south ridge of the days’ adopted peak (pt. 2258). Weaving through a few sharp towers and through a
notch brought us to the base of the precarious-looking headwall. To my complete surprise, it
climbed really well, even offering a pitch or two of good cracks. Care was required at the top, but we
felt no terror, only a piercing Southland wind straight off Foveaux Straight. There, too, was
something I’d often looked for from mountains but never seen. Under a scudding foreground
curtain of grey cloud, a blue range punctuated the southern horizon. Satisfied with our adventure on
Rakiura Ridge (17, ~6p) we toddled down the north basin and back through the mornings’ col,
admiring some polished pink corner cracks exposed by the recent demise of another glacier."

• from Stirring Embers, NZAJ (/CIA) c. 2023