Mt Underwood

From the Milford Road climb steep bush and tussock to the rocky ridge.

A 300m buttress up to the South Ridge.

The climb takes the left of two prominent ribs to the ridge north of the summit. Scramble up a small snow chute down-valley from the most prominent one. Veer left across tussock to the first rock slabs then climb a mixture of wet slabs and overhanging snow grass to a prominent shelf. Climb the snowfield to the foot of a left tending rib which leads to the second prominent shelf. Climb the first buttress (a mixture of aid and free climbing) to another snowfield then climb a second buttresses of poorer quality rock. Climb beside the third buttress of rotten rock exiting via a snow gully leading to the summit ridge.

From Patuki Col climb the snow-field to the ridge. In December 1955 Lloyd Warburton, Gerry Hall-Jones, Lindsay Bruce and Reg Scott climbed Mt Underwood’s north east ridge via the Taoko Icefall.

The icefall between Underwood and Karetai offers a route from the head of the Donne Valley to Patuki Col. Climb the corner against the face of Karetai and traverse the slabs below the icefall towards Mt Underwood, then head back across the snowfield to Patuki Col.