What you need to know about aircraft access/egress for our guided mountain climbing and mountaineering courses here in the NZ southern alps
Accessing glaciated mountaineering terrain in the Southern alps requires travelling in to our National parks some distance. Most locations if done on foot would require a good weather period, 2 days travel with big packs and a substantial elevation gain all in good weather.( same to get out) Often when the party travelling in via foot access gets to the climbing location the weather is already on the turn, the party gets some hut time, finds their food is running out and then is forced to start heading out down the valley again. Hmmmm. Yep, as a young student at university, this used to be a common scenario. I got a bit done, but not as much as I could have…..
Alpinism and Ski uses helicopters to access and egress the climbing venues ( this is actually a very common and standard thing for NZ mountaineering). There are many helicopter bases close to the mountain venues we go to which is ideal. Yes this is an added expense, but one which many climbers who understand kiwi weather and logistics regularly use.
Flying in and out maximizes your precious time in the alpine zone. Last but not least, when you fly in, your legs are fresh for your climbing, mountaineering and ski touring adventure and so is the food.
Knowing and understanding Kiwi weather is cruicial for trip planning and working in with the helicopter companies. This is where my 30 years of exerience and my solid understanding of local weather patterns comes in.
Our guided mountaineering and ski touring parties wait for good weather in the mountains to arrive and then quickly, efficiently and painlessly fly in. If the weather is bad for flying in, time is spent rock climbing/scrambling, revising rope skills and/or relaxing at the Alpinism and Ski base.
Aircraft cost for alpinism adventures in NZ
Your New Zealand mountaineering and ski touring adventures with Alpinism and Ski Wanaka do not include the price of flights in or out of the mountains. Why….?
Trips in NZ are driven by the weather and conditions options, sometimes you end up going into your first objective, often you end up going somewhere different that first thought.
Prices of flights vary depending on the area flown in to (e.g. Mt Cook-Aoraki National park or Westland National park) as well as aircraft used. The rules and regulations governing these areas vary too. I am more than happy to explain it and give estimates on application to help you with budgeting. You pay directly to the aircraft company involved. there is no fee taken by us for that part of the trip.
We leave the flying to the expert aviation companies. We have an excellent working relationship with them and they and us do our best to get the most efficient and economical flight deals for your New Zealand alpinism adventures.
