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East Face

Type
Face
Altitude
3114m
Part of
Mt Haast

The spurs on the east face of Mt Haast have been numbered from 1 to 5, starting at Pioneer Pass and heading right. There are no recorded ascents of Spur 1 and Spur 3.

Aspect
East
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Routes

Reference Title Grade Length Pro Quality Alert Operations
11.79 11.79Authors' Route, III,3 III,3 0m
0

Ascend the prominent couloir between Spur 1 and Spur 2, beginning about 150m west of the crest of Pioneer Pass, reaching the Main Divide about 100m east of where the Haast massif abuts it. Traverse the ridge to the summit (refer to Route 11.110).

  • P1
  • Alpine (Commitment) III
  • Alpine (Technical) 3
11.80 11.80Spur 2, III,3 III,3 0m
0

Gained from a quarter of the way up Route 11.79, and leads directly to High Peak. The climbing is fairly steep without being technical. The rock is sound to begin with and very shattered towards the top.

  • P1
  • Alpine (Commitment) III
  • Alpine (Technical) 3
11.81 11.81Goulstone-Rockell Gully, III,4+ III,4+ 0m
0

Ascend the next obvious gully right of Spur 2, then up mixed ground to the left of the upper gully to finish near the summit.

  • P1
  • Alpine (Commitment) III
  • Alpine (Technical) 4+
 Hotline, IV,5+,WI3,M4 IV,5+,WI3,M4 445m
2.01

On the East Face of Mt Haast, start right of the triangle (Little Big Wall). Best climbed after a good freeze and/ or a cycle of melting to get rid of any hang fire or loose wet avalanche danger. This is a steep solar aspect getting sun for most of the day, hence the name 'Hotline'.
This route is as close to spur 3 (as per 2018 guidebook) as possible and is situated between route 11.81 and 11.83.

  • P1
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 3+
  • 100m

Free climbed first 100m on first ascent.

  • P2
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 4
  • Mixed M4
  • 60m

Left through mixed terrain to gain steep ice at obvious gully. Belay on right to avoid hang fire.

  • P3
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 4+
  • Water Ice WI3
  • Mixed M4
  • 60m

Steepening ice with M4+ move to exit and belay

  • P4
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 3+
  • Water Ice WI2
  • 55m

Up steep snow/ ice trending left to prominent spur

  • P5
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 5+
  • Mixed M5
  • 60m

Up steeping snow/ ice ramp trending right until it steepens and deal to the short vertical and overhanging rock/rime/ ice bulges. Relents to find a good rock bollard belay on spur. Beware loose rock through steep section.

  • P6
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 3
  • 70m

Follow Spur/ ridgeline until it steepens and overhangs. Step left and downclimb or rappel 3-4m

  • P7
  • Alpine (Commitment) IV
  • Alpine (Technical) 3
  • 40m

Follow exit gully to reach ridgeline. First ascent party continued to summit of High Peak via the complementary mixed ground (70m) facing north, at approx M4.
Comments
This place appears in
Aoraki Tai Poutini: a guide for mountaineers, 2018
Buy this guidebook
UUID
 
2608a300-8167-46e3-9e4e-e6b6b748cd7a