South Face

"This face - really the neve of the Baker Glacier - is remarkable in that it not only feeds the Baker but also sends down avalanches to the Elcho Glacier on the other side of the Divide. At the head of the ice face a pleasant interlude was provided by turning the overhanging lip of a schrund, after which a short climb on slabby rocks brought us to the summit of Mt Ward at 9.30 a.m." Scott Russell, Christopher Johnson, New Zealand Alpine Journal, 1935. Mt Ward is a dominant peak in the valley and the south face amongst the most enticing climbs. From Elcho Col sidle past Mts Baker and Dundas before cramponing up the steepening south face. One crevasse bisects the upper part of the Baker Glacier. A steep long pitch up a rocky gully leads to a low point on the summit ridge 300 m west of the high point. A variation on this climb is to travel leftward after crossing the crevasse on the face and climb a 2-3 pitch rock buttress to reach the ridge crest approximately 500m west of the summit. Protection is reported to be sparse on the shattered rock.