In the latter part of March, IFMGA mountain guide Gary Dickson went into Pionner, Fox Glacier for a week where he instructed three NZMGA candidates in Snow and Ice guiding techniques and knowledge.
Snow and Ice guides training
Category Archives: Latest News
Mountain Guiding
Gaz and Phil are back from a great Fiordland Mountain adventure that went to Turners Biv at the head of Leader Creek( off Tutoko river valley below Mt Tutoko).
They flew in by Heli with Milford Helicopters, and then did a small excursion up toward Mt Madeline Glacier.
They then walked out down the rugged and not well traveled or marked leader creek exit route.
Amazing weather( which you need for such trips into the middle of the Darren mountains, Fiordland)
from left: Mt Tutoko, Mt Madeline, Mt Syme
Alpine climbing course
IFMGA mountain guide Gaz has just arrived back from Mt Cook region where he has spent seven days teaching alpine climbing skills to 6 students with fellow IFMGA mountain guide Dave McKinley.
Mountaineering course
IFMGA mountain guides Gaz and Pablo have just completed a 7 day Alpine guides Aoraki, Alpine Skills course with 6 participants. Great weather and excellent conditions at the head of the Tasman Glacier, a great venue for covering the multitude of mountaineering skills for climbing in NZ and the world.
Private instruction mountaineering
Just back from the head of the Fox Glacier, Gary and Josh enjoyed 6 days of brilliant weather and conditions.
Ice climbing, glacier travel, snow and ice anchors, cramponing…. 1:1 private instruction customized….
Glorious West Coast morning
Pioneer hut – spectacular NZ mountain accommodation for a private instruction course
Crevasse rescue prussiking skills on the private instruction course
mountaineering crevasse rescue course
Mountain guide Gary is just back from the Mt Cook region where he instructed a 4 day crevasse rescue course for Alpine Guides.
This was based at Plateau hut, a fantastic venue for this with perfect crevasse terrain right beside the hut and spectacular views of Mt Cook, Silberhorn, Tasman, Lendenfeld, Dixon.
A wee climb on to Glacier Dome gave awesome 360 degree views of glaciers, moraine walls, terminal lakes, firn zones, neves, bergshrunds etc for the participants on the mountaineering skills course.
Prussiking out of a crevasse on the mountaineering course
Participants roping up for glacier travel
Rope rescue systems training
Alpine climbing instruction course
IFMGA Mountain Guide Gary is just back from the Mt Cook, Tasman Saddle area having just completed a 7 day Alpine Guides private instruction course for two clients who wanted to learn/hone their skills for further alpine climbing in the NZ southern alps. The weather was pretty windy, making for spectacular weather clouds( which were fantastic examples to see and learn from) and the neve is well filled in making for easy glacier travel/access/egress for upcoming mountaineering trips.
lenticular cloud formation observed on the recent alpine climbing instruction course
Leading out on the Tasman Glacier , private instruction climbing course
Climbers in the Darwin Icefall, Tasman Glacier, Mt Cook
specialized mountain training
Over the weekend, Mountain Guide Gary Dickson participated in bi annual search and rescue training, this pre summer Wanaka Alpine Cliff Rescue team crevasse rescue training.
Great weather, excellent snowpack and crampon conditions and an awesome team of mountain rescue experts.
Ski Touring the Tasman Glacier
Early September had Mountain Guide Gary heading with two clients up to the head of the Tasman Glacier for ski touring. New snow had recently arrived and they flew in by helicopter on a clearing Southerly, to be based at Tasman Saddle hut for a few days.
Take Photos, leave excellent ski tracks…..10-15cm of powder over a glacier base of hundreds of meters…
Shall we repeat? of course…..
Fox Glacier ski tour
Just back from a week of magnificent ski touring at the head of the Fox Glacier, based out of Pioneer hut 2400m , with a young, enthusiastic couple from Nelson. Wow , what a great settled week of weather.
Skinning back to Pioneer hut 2400m, Fox Glacier after ski touring for the day. What a spectacular home for a week!
Descending at the end of the ski tour to Chancellor Hut perched beautifully above the Fox Glacier hard ice