Mt Darwin

A long rock ridge involving five (but you might find more) major rock steps of dubious quality rock.

Ascend the prominent rib onto the Annan-Darwin Ridge. The lower half of the rib is good rock, but the upper section contains some evil looking, loose black gullies.

Climb the couloir between the Horn/McLean Rib and the Central Buttress.

Commence up solid rock from the right toe of the buttress and ascend to the first snowfield. Then traverse right and up to a second snowfield before taking the left of two prominent rock buttresses. Above here the climbing becomes easy scrambling on broken rock.

Ascend the original route but take the right of the two prominent rock buttresses. So named because a Japanese party placed a bolt ladder that no one has found again.

Ascend the prominent rock spur leading up onto the West Ridge.
Several routes have been descended to the left (north) of the North West Arête, but be careful as some couloirs end in bluffs.

A long climb gained from the névé feeding the Tasman Glacier above Darwin Corner. Narrow and loose in places. This is the recommended descent route from Darwin.

Climbs Darwin’s south-west face. Up easy snow slopes trending slightly left of the black thumbnail and the corniced ridge above. Steep climbing and technical crux (AI4) lessening to 70 degree ice leads left up a snow-ice couloir to a ridgeline. Traverse left and straight up a headwall for 80m of 60 degree ice.

On the south face above the Darwin Glacier, head up the left edge of a large snow/ice field, winding around icecliffs and crevasses where necessary. Finish via a couloir onto the west ridge at about 2800m, then continue to the summit.

Ascend towards the saddle at the head of the Darwin Glacier, weaving around crevasses as required, then cut left up snowslopes on the south face to reach the west ridge 150m from the summit.