North West Chimney

The north-west chimney provides an excellent rock route onto the west end of the summit ridge and is a big day from Elcho Stream. From Elcho Pass, traverse Barker Pk and Mt Dundas, then sidle around the toe of the west ridge on exposed snow or scree slopes. (Alternatively, drop into the McKerrow Creek basin and climb out at BY14 437 381.) Climb the western icefield to the col between Mt Ward and a subsidiary peak to the north-west. Superb steep rock for 70m eases off as the western shoulder is reached (can be descended in three 25m abseils). The ridge across to the eastern summit has been described both as ‘wide enough to take a bus’ and ‘overhung on both sides’, which are not mutually exclusive descriptions. Mt Ward is a steep mountain but the near horizontal summit ridge provides good access to the high point.