Aoraki Mt Cook

A ‘GT’ involves traversing Low, Middle and High Peaks (or vice versa) of Aoraki/Mt Cook. The section from Low Peak to Porter Col involves some rock, whereas the rest of the traverse is ice (and this can be hard, especially in winter). The ridge line from Low to High Peak is New Zealand’s highest and most exposed mile providing the most spectacular and famous traverse in the Southern Alps. In its day it was regarded as one of the most impressive achievements in world mountaineering.

The Bowie Face is the relatively neglected steep rock face on the right side of the Upper Bowie Buttress. A route of 10 pitches ascends the left/ centre of the face.The route starts from the upper Linda Glacier and then follows a narrow chimney , which is often iced up, (crux 18).

This is the most frequently climbed route on Aoraki / Mt Cook, and the easiest descent route from High Peak. However, climbers must be aware that a large portion of the Linda Glacier—from below Teichelmann’s Corner as far as the Linda Shelf—is exposed to frequent ice/rockfall from multiple directions. This worsens during warm conditions and after rain or snow.
The length of the climbing season of the Linda Glacier varies significantly—some years it’s cut off in December; sometimes it hangs in until February. Find out what it’s like before your trip from people who’ve been there recently.
From Plateau Hut, weave a route through the crevasses all the way up the Linda Glacier. At the head of the glacier, under the prominent icecliffs draining the summit ice cap (the ‘Gunbarrels’), traverse left across the Linda Shelf to join Zurbriggen Ridge at the base of the Summit Rocks.
The Summit Rocks are a 180m high triangle of rock separating the Linda Shelf from the upper ice cap. There are two gullies bisecting the lower rocks; the left-hand gully is a popular way to avoid the lowest rocks, if the upper schrund on the Linda Shelf can be crossed easily. The right-hand gully (‘Bryce’s Gully’) is not recommended due to falling rocks and rime.
Climb the rocks near the crest. This involves steep scrambling with a few short steep steps (crux grade 8, but often iced up). You will see some bolted anchors, spaced every 20–30m, but there are also several options for natural anchors. Three to four pitches are typically required.
Once above the Summit Rocks follow the ice cap to the summit. The easiest way to get onto the summit ridge is usually to traverse from the North East Arête up and west to the top of the North Ridge, but the layout of schrunds will dictate this. The North East Arête and North Ridge converge at a point that is a few metres lower than the main summit, which is 50m further south along an exposed ridge. Climbers are asked to respect the wishes of Ngai Tahu by not standing on the very top (refer to the Introduction).
The Linda Glacier is the most common descent route from Aoraki / Mt Cook. Bolted anchors have been placed in the summit rocks for abseiling (March 2017). Do not trust these anchors implicitly. With freeze/thaw effects, some of the rock they are anchored to may loosen, causing them to fail. Check to make sure you are personally happy with every anchor you abseil from. The bolts were placed such that one 60m rope is sufficient to get down, although a 50m rope is usually fine with a bit of easy down-climbing in places. Clean up any loose sling or cord you find—it’s unsightly and unsafe.
On a busy day with lots of climbers, try to avoid climbing under the abseil line—there are several route options. This will lessen the risk of bottlenecks and rockfall, making everyone’s day quicker and safer.
For parties wishing to climb from a higher base than Plateau Hut, the flat section of the Bowie Ridge, between the lower and upper buttresses, provides a relatively safe (but exposed to the weather) bivvy spot. Access it from the Linda Glacier above Teichelmann’s Corner.

On the first known attempt to climb Aoraki / Mt Cook, Emil Boss, William Green, and Ulrich Kaufmann climbed to within about 50m of the summit via this route in 1882, after voyaging from Europe to New Zealand and spending a few weeks bashing through scrub past Lake Pukaki and establishing a camp on Haast Ridge. George Mannering and Marmaduke Dixon, using the same route, reached a similar point in 1891. Both parties were turned back an hour before dark by a wish to avoid benightment, but nevertheless the 1882 party spent a cold night out in rain at the base of the summit rocks. Mannering and Dixon managed to return to the Haast Bivouac Rock at 2:45am on their attempt.

A couple of ‘short cuts’ from the upper Linda have also been used by various parties, but the feasibility of these routes is highly dependent on the condition of the upper icecliffs: See 4.30 and 4.31

From the upper Sheila Glacier head up the rib to the left of Fyfe’s Gut - the narrow couloir directly below the saddle. It is possible to climb Fyfe’s Gut but watch for dangerous stonefall. The route comes out above Green Saddle.
Then up three prominent steps on the North ridge, the last and more difficult ‘Beare Step’ being turned via either a steep hand traverse or an abseil into a couloir on the Sheila Face. It is also possible to bypass the 'Beare direct' by a rock variation on the face to the left at about Grade 14 (Whimp/Tweedie). A classic route used for the first ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook. It was descended by at least four parties on early ascents but this is not recommended.
Green Saddle can also be accessed from the Grand Plateau: Ascend to Green Saddle from the Linda Glacier (schrunds can be problem late in the season).
First ascended from the Linda Glacier by Harry Ayres, Oscar Coberger, Dec 1951.