Nazomi

From the upper Noeline Glacier, choose a line up to the central snowfield on the face. Depending on conditions, the route to the snowfield can involve up to two pitches of moderately steep ice and/or rock. From the upper left corner of the snowfield, ascend the couloir (with some rock steps in mid to late summer) which tops out north of the main summit. This is the best descent route from Nazomi but involves careful route finding. The steep steps between smaller snowfields can usually be abseiled with only one 50m rope.

The southern wall of the Noeline Glacier can be gained at various points, and although the upper portion has been climbed often, the ridge does not appear to have been climbed in its entirety. Excellent rock buttresses are found on the lower ridge.

The stunning red slab clearly visible from the top of Pudding Rock (old Gardiner Hut site), on the western end of the west ridge of Pt 2560m. Climb the north side of the buttress using the obvious left facing corner for three pitches, turning two large roofs on the left. Move onto the broken slabs of the west face through an overhanging ‘V’ slot on the north-west ridge (crux). Easy scrambling along the ridge then leads to a point above a large snow slope leading down the north side, to the Noeline Glacier descent route. Plenty of scope for other climbs on the first slab.

If you can’t get onto Pudding Rock but have favourable weather and time, this would be a very nice consolation climb. Gain the buttress from the Hooker Glacier below the Hooker icefall. Involves moderately hard climbing on excellent rock (grade 13–15).
‘I’d say the starting altitude would be about 1500m and the rope work continues to about 1900m, after which it becomes a walk up snow and maybe a bit of ice here and there. Dave and I went no further up than circa. 2500m, where the ridge line levels off.’ – Aat Vervoorn

A sustained classic with a better cheval than Malte Brun’s West Ridge. Some parties have taken a long time on this climb, so don’t underestimate it. Starting from the lower Hooker Glacier beside the stream from the Mona Glacier, climb the first buttress (the only continuous loose rock of the climb), then onto the second buttress of good rock (with a 20m cheval) and up to the ‘Gnome’, from where a short descent leads onto a small glacier below the final wall. An escape route above Pt 2560m exists to the left. Otherwise, continue straight up variable rock to the summit ridge. This section can often be iced up.
Lincoln Hall and Tim McCartney-Snape made a superb link up of MacInnes Ridge and Aoraki South Ridge in the summer of 1977-78.