Mt Bealey to Avalanche Peak Traverse

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Posted By: Michal 7.4.2022

  • Classic Arthur’s Pass / CTC trip. Because of the non-favourable weather forecast for the afternoon, we decided to go from Mt Bealey to Avalanche Peak rather than the other way around.
  • A few of us shot off at about 9 AM from Mt Bealey carpark. I was unusually nauseated from the car ride – that’s what happens when you sit in the passenger’s seat and turn around to talk to Ivan and Emma!
  • Somewhere at the bushline we caught up with some other CTC members (Monika, Zack, Grant) who had an early start as they spent last night at CTC hut. They decided to take a scree down from a saddle by Little Bealey while we continued attacking the top.
  • On the top, we decided to continue towards Lyell Peak as the weather was looking alright. A lot of clouds were sitting on Mt Rolleston though and I was hoping that they would stay there for at least another hour which they did. 
  • In general, the ridge between Mt Bealey and Lyell Peak is sharp with some exciting sections where careful footing is required. Nothing too bad though, the rock is surprisingly solid most of the time (on Arthur’s Pass scale of course which means stil crumbly but not as much as some other ridges in AP). There are also some reasonable escape routes to a terrace on either side of the ridge where an easy route could be taken to bypass the sharp ridge.
  • Around pt1778, the ridge flattens and it’s just a Sunday stroll from now and on.
  • At the top of Avalanche Peak, we briefly discussed which route to take and agreed that the quickest would be to take Avalanche Track instead of Scotts Track.
  • Great trip with fun company ended up in the Bealey Hotel. People sometimes say it’s pricey but I find 8 bucks for a pint of beer is reasonable!
  • Jiang’s video at https://youtu.be/ApfzKxpudX4

Rough stats: 8h, 10.2 kms, 1500m up
Participants: Michal Klajban (leader, scribe), Emma Rogers (photos, moral support), Xiaoqiu Jiang (videographer), Alan Ross (entertainment), Paul Yeoman, Stephen Lukey, Rodney Erickson, Ivan Andrews

Photos by Emma Rogers

Map

Total distance: 11052 m
Max elevation: 1832 m
Min elevation: 731 m
Download file: GPX-hikingisgood-com-nz-2022-Mt-Bealy-to-Avalanche-Peak.gpx

Related posts:

Mt Bealey loop via Rough Creek Mt Foweraker from Hawdon Shelter Photography weekend in Arthur’s Pass with the Christchurch Tramping Club The Pyramid – Loop via Sudden Valley

About the Author

Michal
I lived a pretty ordinary life for a while. I did my studies, my second studies, my third studies, my first job, my second job, and my third job. I wasn’t really sure what’s going on so, in 2014, I left my home country (Czechia) to learn about the world. I’m still not sure what’s going on but I enjoy it much more. I lived in a few countries before settling in New Zealand.

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