Hamilton Pk

Grade 1 650 metres Immediately to the north of the Craigieburn Valley ski area is Middle Basin – a well-known “back basin” for Craigieburn skiers, and clearly visible from the new Craigieburn lunch hut. Check at the information board that the basin is open, and ride the rope tows to the top. There are chutes between rock outcrops that descend steeply at first, or else continue along the ridge to a saddle at the head of the basin. The skiing continues down to reach the skifield access road at a prominent bend at 1200m elevation. A 1km walk with 100m height gain takes you back to the lowest rope tow to repeat the whole process, which you’ll be keen to do a few times after a good powder dump. A good fitness work-out, and one of Canterbury’s best lift-accessed back basins. North Middle Basin is separated from the main basin by a rocky ridge. Go beyond the saddle mentioned above, an 800 metre walk or skin NE along the ridge, to access these slopes from near grid ref 047888.

Grade 1 120 metres A short and straightforward crossing. Check with the ski patrol at Craigieburn Valley about snow conditions. From the top of the ski tows, skin or walk about 20 minutes up to the summit of Hamilton Peak, (1922m), and from there you are looking south-east down to Allan’s Basin, adjacent to the Broken River ski area. Alternatively Hamilton Col, a col to the SE of Hamilton Peak (1770m) can be accessed quickly and easily by traversing across Hamilton Face from the Craigieburn top tow, and climbing a few metres on foot. This also leads into Allan’s Basin. It’s a great ski down into Allan’s Basin, traversing to the skier’s right at around 1580m elevation and crossing the ridge that comes off Nervous Knob to reach Broken River ski area. There are usually skier tracks to follow. In years of good snow cover, rather than traversing to BR directly, it is possible to continue skiing down the centre of Allan’s Basin all the way down to a bend on the skifield access track at about 1300m. Then it’s about 20 minutes walk up the track to the BR lifts. Broken River ski club honour Craigieburn Valley ski tickets (and vice versa) so you can do a few runs here before returning. Always introduce yourself to the very friendly ski patrol, so that they know who’s on the mountain at all times. To return to Craigieburn, ride Broken River’s highest rope tow, that leads up the ridge to Nervous Knob. Ski along the ridge to the north-east for a few minutes, and from there it’s a further 15-20 minute climb along the ridge to just below the top of Mt Hamilton, where you look down onto Hamilton Col (mentioned above). Ski down and left onto that col, and down the Hamilton Face back to Craigieburn. Alternatively climb further along the same ridge to the summit of Mt Hamilton.