Choose between Rock or Alpine mode at any time using the button in the main menu.

Mt Dampier Rakiroa

Type

Altitude

3440m

Part of

New Zealand's third highest peak, and the second highest point on the Main Divide.

Mt Dampier Rakiroa from near Empress Hut, January 2015

Rights credit

Gavin Lang/First Light Guiding

Lat/lon

-43.5894493,170.1399345, NZ Topo Map

Topo50

BX15 691 697

Accessed from

La Perouse Glacier

Add Place Add Route

Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Pro	Quality	Alert	Operations
3.61	3.61 West Ridge (Hicks–Dampier Traverse), IV,3	IV,3	0m		0
Traverse from Mt Hicks via the ridge, avoiding two prominent towers on whichever side is best in the prevailing conditions. Then go up the ridge to a schrund. From here continue up steep snow, through rocks, to the summit. It is also possible to cross the north face to the north ridge and then up to the summit. The true summit maybe harder to attain than how it appears in the literature. (personal observation, Peter Dickson circa 1987). P1 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 3
3.62	3.62Hicks–Dampier Couloir, IV,4+	IV,4+	0m		1.02
From the Sheila Glacier, ascend the right diagonal couloir onto the upper Hicks–Dampier ridge. Two thirds up the couloir it is possible to break left and follow an ice slope to the ridgeline that leads to Hicks. P1 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 4+
3.63	3.63Fantini Dignan, V,4+	V,4+	0m		0
Follow ice gullies left of the Māori Route to ultimately arrive on the Hicks–Dampier Ridge. This route is mostly out of the icecliff fall-line. P1 Alpine (Commitment) V Alpine (Technical) 4+
3.64	3.64Māori Route, V,4+	V,4+	0m		0
Ascend the gully in the centre of the face and connect with a snow ramp leading left. Then climb steep ice on the left edge of the icecliff to gain the upper west ridge. P1 Alpine (Commitment) V Alpine (Technical) 4+
3.65	3.65Barcham Waterhouse, IV,3+	IV,3+	0m		0
Climb towards Green Saddle, but before the saddle is reached traverse left above the icecliffs to reach the top of the west ridge. P1 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 3+
3.66	3.66South Ridge, IV,3+	IV,3+	0m		0
From Green Saddle, follow a ridge of rotten rock to the summit (good snow cover would help here). See also the East Face route. A variant on the Hooker side involves moving left before reaching Green Saddle and into a narrow ice couloir which leads to the upper south ridge. First ascent from Hooker Glacier unknown. P1 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 3+
4.34	4.34East Face, IV,3+,3+	IV,3+,3+	0m		0
P1 Alpine (Mt Cook) 3+ From the Linda Glacier it is possible to head up various routes on sound rock to arrive either on the South Ridge or near the summit. There are no recorded ascents of gully routes on the left side of the face, or any routes at all on the right side of the face. P2 Alpine (Commitment) IV Alpine (Technical) 3+
4.35	4.35North Ridge, via Mt Vancouver, V,3+,3+	V,3+,3+	0m		0
From the summit of Mt Vancouver, follow the ridge to a prominent rock step, which can be climbed via a hidden gully on the eastern side. Climbers wishing to avoid this ridge can traverse across the north face to the Hicks– Dampier Ridge. See Route 13.21. P1 Alpine (Commitment) V Alpine (Technical) 3+ Alpine (Mt Cook) 3+
13.21	13.21North West Flank, V,3+,3+	V,3+,3+	0m		0
P1 Alpine (Commitment) V Alpine (Technical) 3+ Alpine (Mt Cook) 3+ From the La Perouse neve. Start up the avalanche chute to the right of Vancouver’s West Buttress, trending right to gain the left edge of a large diamond buttress of rock. Climb up to gain a snow rib above the buttress, then traverse right, to gain the large snow apron surrounding the summit block of Dampier. The easiest route from here moves right to gain the Hicks-Dampier Ridge, which is followed up steep snow to the summit. Alternatively, head left to gain the north ridge, which involves rock slabs then a sharp ridge to reach the summit. The easiest descent route from Dampier lies down into the Grand Plateau via the south ridge (Route 4.33).

Comments

This place appears in

Aoraki Tai Poutini: a guide for mountaineers, 2018

Buy this guidebook

Attribution

ATP 2018 (Rob Frost)

UUID

2bcea73f-2d99-44ca-b012-17bbac8b8d62