| | | Mt Aiguilles Rouges, Mt Cook National Park |
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Graeme Bathurst on the summit of Aiguilles Rouges - winter ascent from Beatham hut. A bit of a tramper's mountain really - almost 3000m but not much more than a long walk with a shrund and a steeper bit near the top - unlike its neighbour, Malte Brun. Of course there are harder ways up - mainly rock ribs and routes from the Murchison side. We set off with an excellent freeze (-15C-20C) and quickly gained Malte Brun Pass after sunrise where a cold wind looked like it was going to get the better of us... however, 500m later there was hardly a breath on the summit. A full hour of eating, relaxing and having a good look round was in order. Mt Chudleigh lies behind. The Caroline face of Cook is sneaking into view on the right (in shade) while the distant sunlit pyramid of Sefton (to the right of ice axe on the horizon) marks the location of the nearest pub and Mt Cook village. Aiguilles Rouges is pronounced "ugly rooges" in NZish. |
Mt Cook overview | Back to Jonathan's gallery Copyright (c) 1996 Jonathan Carr |