New Zealand’s Mount Cook/Aoraki Saw A First Descent Last Week
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Every so often, the stars and conditions on a particular mountain align perfectly. It’s exactly in those moments when rabid skiers and climbers get to push their limits to new heights and ride lines never thought possible before. Exactly that happened in the last few weeks on New Zealand’s tallest peak Mt. Cook/Aoraki – a 12,000-foot glaciated behemoth of a mountain that rises straight out of the ocean.
Several crews of skiers and climbers did their homework and timed their southern hemi trips perfectly. Chamonix-based guide and steep ski wizard Ross Hewitt joined up with fellow guide Dave Searle to put a first descent on a new line off the top of the oft-skied peak. Check out their variation of the Caroline Face through scary steep terrain. After finishing their first descent, they were able to climb and ski the second descent of the Bowie Couloir, another classic line on the peak.
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At the same time, a crew of Jackson-Hole based crushers including Owen Leeper, and Mark and Janelle Smiley climbed and skied the full East Face of the peak in dreamy conditions.
