Full route length: 1600m
Total ascent height: 620m
From Barker Hut commence heading towards the Marmaduke Dixon Glacier route, however stay to the left-hand side of the large rock buttress south of the glacier. Ascend the boulder strewn scree slope to its highest point at a gut running in from the left, scramble on slabs, up and initially leftwards, before climbing the centre of the face using good interconnecting slabs to join the northeast ridge at 2020m with a view towards the tarns northwest of the ridge. Continue to follow the ridge.
The section of ridge below the 2189m point is extremely narrow (only space for feet and hands) with considerable exposure on both sides. Several rotten pinnacles are met on this section of ridge, most can be climbed over, however the final pinnacle is not climbable. The solution is to drop down onto the north face of the ridge, sidling underneath the pinnacle via a network of crumbly catwalks/ledges and reascending 15m vertically back to the ridge; this is the most exposed part of the route. Continue scrambling to the 2189m point, following the ridge to join the standard Marmaduke Dixon Glacier route at a steep gully (usually ice) descending onto the ice-field north of the summit. Cross the ice-field, climbing onto the steep, loose northeast spur that ascends to the summit rocks.
- P1
- 14
- Alpine (Technical) 3+
- Alpine (Commitment) IV
- Alpine (Mt Cook) 3
- 15m
The crux of this this ridge climb is met at a set of ridge pinnacles before the final ascent onto the 2189m point. The final pinnacle is not climbable. The solution is to drop down onto the north face of the ridge, sidling underneath the pinnacle via a network of crumbly catwalks/ledges and reascending 15m vertically back to the ridge; this is also the most exposed part of the route.
