East Face | ClimbNZ

Type

Part of

This iconic and immensely visible face can be climbed a number of ways, starting either direct from the Mueller Glacier or via Sefton Bivvy and across the slopes under the Footstool ridge, and finishing by a variety of routes. Study the face well before your attempt.

Aspect

East

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Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Quality
	For Whom the Bell Tolls, V,14,5	V,14,5	2000m	0
A direct 2000m line from the Mueller Glacier moraine to the unnamed peak south of Sefton, deviating around some big crevasses on the upper shelf. The lower shelf was reached by climbing a loose 70º moraine wall. This could be avoided by walking up the lower Shelf Glacier instead. P1 14 Alpine (Commitment) V Alpine (Mt Cook) 5 2000m
	Direct Route, 4+	4+	0m	0
P1 Alpine (Mt Cook) 4+ Scale scree and bluffs above the Mueller Glacier, to reach the lower Shelf Glacier, beneath and just north of the prominent cliffs of the upper Shelf Glacier. Ascend the lower Shelf Glacier onto a snow face below and to the right of the icecliffs. Use the snow face to reach an arête on the right hand edge of the upper Shelf. At this point the two access routes from Sefton Bivvy join.
	Triple Direct, 5	5	0m	0
P1 Alpine (Mt Cook) 5
	The Ramp, 4+	4+	0m	0
P1 Alpine (Mt Cook) 4+ On the upper face. Drop onto the upper Shelf and head out on the prominent ramp angling onto the upper South Ridge.
	Goldsmith Route		0m	0
P1 On the upper face. Up a short couloir onto snowslopes leading onto the South Summit.
	Direct, 4	4	0m	0
P1 Alpine (Mt Cook) 4 On the upper face. Straight up the couloir dropping beneath the two summits. A number of leaders have experienced falls here!

Images

Comments

Peter Dickson

NB, that pic I uploaded belongs to Cam Mulvey. I just borrowed it to indicate roughly where my solo route goes. The fat ski bunny in the foreground is probably Guy McSkinnin

Thu, 22/09/2011 - 22:32 Permalink

Peter Dickson

For Whom The Bell Tolls: the route is marked completely wrong in the guidebook photo. The route does not connect up with any other lines, it is a completely independent climb. It takes a direct 2000m line from the Mueller Glacier moriane to the unnamed peak south of Sefton, deviating around some big crevasses on the upper shelf.

The first part of the climb up to the lower shelf is like a loose 70 degree moraine wall and no fun to climb. It could be avoided by walking up the lower shelf glacier instead.

Wed, 31/08/2011 - 15:49 Permalink

This place appears in

Aoraki Tai Poutini: a guide for mountaineers, 2018

Buy this guidebook

Attribution

Alex Palman

UUID

d20d5fbd-43fe-4991-826c-f68c95776b97