The lower Marian valley provides access to long alpine routes on the north-east face of Christina and east face of Crosscut. The upper hanging valley holds the dark giant south faces of Sabre, Marian and Barrier.
Upper Marian peaks in winter: Barrier, Marian, Sabre and Adelaide
Lake Marian
From the Hollyford Road, cross the Hollyford River by the swing bridge and follow the maintained track through bush to the Lake.
Time: 1.5 hrs
Upper hanging valley via Lyttle Falls
Follow the stream at the head of the lake until the falls are in sight, then climb to the top of a large shingle fan on the left. Climb a gully to ledges which lead round to the top of the falls. There is a bivvy rock just at the top of the waterfall giving very limited shelter. It is not a place to shelter from a storm.
The first climb to the upper valley was made on the left side, close to the waterfall itself, by Len Kitson and Peter Robinson in 1955.
The upper hanging valley can also be approached from the Gertrude valley via the Barrier Crosscut Col.
Access in winter
In winter, the trek up the Marian sometimes has the novelty of a frozen lake and always the complication of the cirque headwall. This can be bypassed on the west side by going up a fan well before the wall, traversing on ledge systems and dropping into the upper cirque. If there is more snow it may be possible to forge a way up the headwall directly. The bivvy rock isn’t much more than something to lean against and is prone to being avalanched. From three sides! Potential exists to access the upper Marian via the Barrier Crosscut Col in the right conditions.
Photo : Bill McLeod