Great footage of Aspiring Ascent via SW Ridge - Nov 2011

Thanks to Steve Wyatt and his great footage from his successful ascent of Mt Aspiring in November 2011 via SW Ridge with guide Tim Steward, NZMGA.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas 

and Happy New Year from all the team at Aspiring Guides!

2011 has been a fabulous year for Aspiring Guides and we continue to grow with new guiding staff:-  Thomas Schattovits IFMGA, Matt Chessor, NZMGA joining our permanent team and our 2011/12 international crew:  Xavier Fournier IFMGA (Swiss), Aritza Monasterio IFMGA (Peru) and Federico Varengo, IFMGA (Italy) for this summer.    We also have a new face in the office - Rach Cassaidy who will be joining  Robyn in the sales team.   Even better, we've convinced Leslie our summer Operations Manager to stick around for winter next year.   Leslie will be leaving the world of ski-instructing behind to keep everything running like clock-work for the winter. 

There's been some amazing trips despite the infamous NZ spring weather doing it's best to throw a spanner in the works.   A cold and snowy spring has meant that the Ramp on Aspiring and Linda Glacier on Cook have held their condition longer than last year.  


2011 was an exciting year with our first overseas climbing expedition for many years to Peru with Andinista Adventures and  Aritza Monasterio.   We're hoping for an even more successful trip to Peru in 2012.


It's hard to imagine when it's 30C outside, but we're thinking about winter already and we're busy taking bookings for Ice-climbing and Ski Touring! 

Thank you to all our wonderful clients who have climbed, trekked and skied with us in 2011.  It is our pleasure to share our passion for the NZ Southern Alps and now Peru with you.   We hope you will be back with us again in 2012 for more spectacular mountain adventures.


All the best!


Whit and Andy and all the team at @ Aspiring Guides.

Peru 2012 - Want a little less Oxygen in your life?

Aritza IFMGA (Expedition Leader),  MS, John & Laurie on Tocllaraju 6034m - June 2011

Photo taken by Darwin - Assistant Guide

Too much Oxygen in your life?    

Want to test those mountaineering skills 

on 6000+ m peaks?  

There's still a couple of spaces left on our 2012 Peru Expedition! 

18 June - 5 July, 2012  

Andinista Adventures with expedition leader, Artiza Monasterio, IFMGA is again offering the chance for Aspiring Guides clients to climb the superb peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.   Tony Donaldson, NZMGA who has been guiding with Aspiring Guides for over 6 years now and who has also climbed at altitude in the Himalay will also accompanying Aritza and his Peruvian team.

Aritza has been guiding in Peru for the last 18 years and his experience is unparalleled.  He has pioneered many new routes in the Peruvian Alps, Central Andes and Patagonia.  For his full resume take a look at his website.

"The key to success at altitude is allowing enough time to acclimatize" says Aritza.   His 18 day itinerary does not rush the process and allows for a gradual increase in altitude, climbing Inshinca (5530m), Tocllaraju (6034m) and finally Chopicalqui (6354m).

Here's an extract from John about his experiences on the 2011 expedition:-

"The trip went very smoothly, no real problems,infrastructure by Aritza was first class. The food was great, tents brand new -  it was well done by him.  I will return! It is just a wonderful place and I thoroughly enjoyed climbing there.  I can't speak for the other two, but I had a great time and look forward to heading to the hills again (most likely New Zealand in January).   I think you have great asset here with Aritza and Cordillera Blanca and if people want to climb in the heavens then there is no other place like it."

And Laurie : -

The climbing was superb, especially the steeper ice axe front pointing. We did 4-5 rappels down the steeper sections. As for my personal condition, I was concerned to be late on arrival and up to 4250 the next day. I seemed to cope very well with the altitude, something I was apprehensive about. The boys were amazed at my ability to adjust.... Maybe I have found my thing?  

Peru is just  amazing- Aritza is a gem, as are all his team. The people here are delightful, bar the odd taxi driver who I recognise as an Aussie concretor so am up to the task. All good.

You can read more from Laurie here.

***********************

For full information about the 2012 expedition - please go to our website


Aritza is working with us in NZ this summer as he did in 2010 and if this trip is something you've always wanted to do, we can arrange for you to speak with either Aritza or Tony directly.

Mt Cook - Views from the top of NZ

Paul Thomson from Australia on the summit of Mt Cook / Aoraki - 9 Dec, 2011

Mt Cook is still in good condition.  A wet cold spring that has made ascents of Cook tricky has also meant that  the Linda Glacier route is still well filled in.  While mountain conditions can change rapidly, we seem to be ahead of where we were last year at the same time.

Day 1:  A warm up 3 hour climb on the Anzacs.

Day 2: Summit Day.     Paul, promised us he was fit and he certainly was!   Despite a 2 hour stoppage waiting for climbers to clear the Summit Rocks, Paul and Aritza did the summit in  just under 10 hours. 

Aritza Monasterio, IFMGA and our Peruvian Expedition Leader

He comments :  " Mt Cook is a surprisingly technical peak that can be climbed with a clear head!" 

(Aritza is usually climbing in Peru above 4500m)

For more information on our 2012 Peruvian Expedition - check out our website.

OMG. I think this is some of Sam Neal's finest work, certainly more riveting than Jurasic Park. You can only marvel as these daredevils push the "boundary of what is possible on skis". Great memories of a time gone by.http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/flare---a-ski-trip-1977

MOUNT COOK NEWS - FREDDY GETS HIS FIX

*Photo by Marty Schmidt

On Sunday Nov. 27 Aspiring Guides guide Fredrico Varengo made the first ski descent (to our knowledge) of the East Face of Mnt. Cook. Freddy, an  IFMGA qualified guide from Italy, climbed the Linda Glacier on his first trip up Mnt. Cook. The way down included a right turn just below the summit ice cap. His route took him pretty much straight down untill traversing left and joining the Zubriggins Route just above Grand Plateau. This was just a warm up.

The next day skiing off the summit of Mnt. Tasman.  Again a first and what a route down. Unlike Mnt. Cook which was "easy" now Freddy opted to climb the route he intended to ski.  Ascending below Engineer Col to about elev. 3000m he traversed to the other side of Syme Ridge and proceeded up and diagonal to the summit.    It was this improbable route that he skied back down.  Describing the maze of schrunds and ice blocks below engineer Col as "horrible" Freddy was very happy to reach the safety of the Grand Plateau.  I am not an authority on this sort of thing but as far as I know this is the first ski descent of  Tasman. Anyone mad enough to claim this route before?

Photo of Mt Tasman by John Mletschnig   Oct. 2008