The Fox névé is the most popular mountaineering area on the West Coast. There is possibly no better hut in all of New Zealand than Pioneer Hut when you want a base for quality climbs across the full range of difficulties. There is certainly no finer hut at which to relax at the end of the day, watching the lines of breakers on the beach only 25 kilometres away, following the arc of the sinking sun, the shadows spreading across the coastal plain below.
Peter Graham, Henry Newton and Ebenezer Teichelmann explored the Fox névé in January 1903.
By air
The most common access to the Fox névé is a helicopter flight from either Fox Glacier or Franz Josef townships. Helicopters are permitted to land on the south side of the Fox névé, on the Big Mac landing strip, below Katies Col, and at Chancellor and Pioneet huts.
On foot
Foot access up the Fox is more feasible than at Franz Josef, but still takes a couple of days.
The most common approach to Pioneer Hut is up the glacier itself, with diversions on either side to get around the lower and upper icefalls, and a night at the magical Chancellor Hut.
A popular exit strategy is to walk or ski from Pioneer to Chancellor, then get a flight out – weather conditions and dollars usually stack up better down there.
From the east
The most direct route is pretty serious, via Pioneer Pass or Governor Col. Other routes from Plateau Hut, such as Marcel Col, are considerably more difficult but can be quick when firm snow conditions occur. The route via Graham Saddle and West Hoe Pass is the least-technical access from the east but is long and circuitous.
Lower Fox valley to Chancellor Hut
Route 11A , grade II, 1
Ignore the map for everything below Chancellor Hut. Start up the DOC-maintained tourist track on the gravel flats of the Fox River and find a way onto the lower glacier.
Conditions on the lower glacier vary frequently. In particular, the locations where it's feasible to get on and off the ice can change even on a monthly basis. Get in touch with Fox Glacier Guiding to find out the latest recommendations as they know it better than anyone.
There are also online sources where you can ask for updated information (the NZAC Facebook page is a good place to start).
Once on the lower glacier and to bypass the lower icefall, you'll need to head to the south side and find a spot to step off the ice onto the base of the large scree slope at the base of Passchendaele Ridge.
The scree slope is a very unstable area with frequent rockfall from higher up, especially during rain. If you must stop in this area, make sure you're on the downhill side of one of the big rocks, in case something comes down. This was known as 'Suicide Alley' when the glacier was advancing, as the route was confined to a narrow gut along the edge of the glacier, from which there was no escape.
Travel quickly up valley on the scree until you can get back onto the ice above the lower icefall, roughly opposite Victoria Falls – this is Victoria Flat.
Cross Victoria Flat diagonally to the north side of the glacier, aiming for a vegetated fan of scree and slabs, to the right of the smooth bluffs up valley from Victoria Falls. Find a spot where you can get off the ice onto the fan, head up valley a little further, then turn left up a creek-bed/track that weaves up through the vegetation to the western end of the Chancellor Shelf. There are some orange track markers on this route.
The historic Chancellor Hut is situated at the upper end of the shelf.
Fox Glacier road to Chancellor Hut: 5–7 hrs
Chancellor Hut to Pioneer Hut
Route 11B, grade II, 1
Beyond Chancellor Hut, continue to a prominent shoulder at the top of the shelf using a marked track, and then drop onto the 'the trough', a flat section near the edge of the Fox Glacier.
Then follow the true right edge of the glacier, keeping hard under Chancellor Dome, to reach the broad saddle where Chancellor Ridge merges with the slopes above.
Crevasses leading to this point can present problems late in the season, in which case it may be preferable to climb Chancellor Dome then traverse the ridge to the saddle.
From here, head up the side of the glacier beneath Pts 2240m and 2245m, and then swing around to the right to travel up the Fox Glacier parallel to the Fritz Range, before finally angling across to the prominent depression known as the Pioneer Gap, between the upper and lower Pioneer Ridge.
Ascend the snow slopes close to the toe of the upper Pioneer Ridge.
Pioneer Hut is on an elevated rock outcrop, mid-way along Pioneer Ridge, and is best approached from the west. If large crevasses become problematic at Pioneer Gap, there is an alternative slope below Pioneer Hut on lower Pioneer Ridge that enables access to the hut.
Be aware if you flew into Pioneer Hut and have never been down the Fox Glacier, it's not a place to be in a storm or when there is low visibility. More than one party has ended up down in the Victoria Glacier thinking they were on the south side of Chancellor Dome.
As you descend, the avalanche hazard can increase. There are large avalanche paths on the slopes of Chancellor Dome. The hazard may be low in the upper névé due to the scouring effect of gale-force winds, but lower down the loading can be significant. Watch you do not get sucked into a point of no return.
Chancellor Hut to Pioneer Hut: 5–6 hrs
Lower Fox valley to Fox Range
Route 11C, grade II, 2
Boyd Creek can be used to access the central Fox Range and the Castries Glacier from the lower Fox valley. Crossing the lower glacier to reach the bottom of Boyd Creek is easier than crossing the Fox River!
Climb 300m up a steep, lightly-vegetated, eroding gravel spur on the true right of the creek to avoid the steep, lower section of the creek, and then traverse into the bouldery creek bed. Boulder hop up the creek bed to reach the pleasant, upper flats of Boyd Creek, and then pick a route onto the Fox Range or the upper Passchendaele Ridge.
Also check out the Cook River for access to the lower Fox Range at McKenna Saddle.
John Harrison, Brian Hearfield, Wally Romanes and Jim Wilson descended this route in January 1960 after climbing the Balfour Rib on Tasman.
Victoria valley
Route 11D, grade II, 1+
To access the Victoria valley from Victoria Flat on the Fox Glacier, climb onto the shelf west of Victoria Falls, and then sidle into the valley to reach gravel river flats.
Charlie Douglas and Arthur P Harper climbed to the Victoria valley and up the Route Glacier to a saddle on the Victoria Range in April 1894
Shelter
- Chancellor Hut: altitude ~1250m, grid ref: BX15 663 785, 12 bunks, VHF radio. Built in 1930, this hut is a classic from a bygone era, situated in a spectacular spot on the Chancellor shelf.
- Pioneer Hut: altitude ~2380m, grid ref: BX16 723 764, 15 bunks, utensils, pots, plates and cups, a radio, and USB chargers. Owned by NZAC and jointly managed with Westland Tai Poutini National Park. The hut can be busy almost year-round, with the exception of March to early June, so be prepared to use alternative shelter as the hut cannot be pre-booked.
- Snow caves will give you more security and comfort than a tent. More than one tent has disappeared under metres of snow or been blown away (annual snowfall on the névé is more than 40 metres, and gales of 130km per hour are common.
