Helicopter Mount French 4 Day Traverse (Queenstown & Wanaka)

You will meet your guide at 9am in Wanaka for a briefing and an equipment issue. Your guide will drive you to the edge of Mt Aspiring National Park and the start of your adventure. The helicopter will arrive and after a safety briefing, you will board the aircraft for the very scenic flight into the mountains. After the helicopter departs you are left on a remote alpine col on the edge of the Bonar Glacier, with a view of snowy peaks that seems to go forever. It is two hours walk to the hut where you will be spending the night. Before the walk, the group will stop for a lesson from the guide on how to walk safely on the glacier and other relevant techniques for getting around in the mountains. The next day is spent learning general snow and glacier skills. As well as learning how to use your ice axe and crampons. You will also practise with ropes and snow anchors. The terrain near the hut is ideal for this, and a climb to the top of the Shipowner Ridge rewards you with views over the Therma & Volta glaciers to the north of Mt Aspiring. The third day is summit day! The climb begins by climbing up the Bonar Glacier to the 'Quarter Deck'. You are able to leave your main pack here and tackle the final part of the climb unencumbered. The summit is always a place to celebrate and reflect on the efforts of the day and a place to appreciate the grandeur of the surrounding mountainous terrain. After the climb, the descent route takes you down French Ridge to another high alpine hut. This hut is perched above 'Gloomy Gorge' and has spectacular views of Mt Rob Roy and over the Matukituki valley. Dinner that night is a relaxed occasion as you reflect on a full day and your achievement. The final day is a walk out down the Matukituki Valley itself. The ridge drops into the beech forest and is a reminder that climbing is not all about snow and ice. The last few hours are a gentle gradient following the river back to the car at the road end.