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Meetings every Tuesday 5:00-6pm or Friday 12:30-1:30pm in the Gear-room

Come find some tramping/climbing friends at Happy Hour, 6pm every Tuesday at The Bog

Badger
Mar 19

Consolation Peak ~ U-Pass traverse, Hard +

3 comments

Edited: Mar 19

Start up the falls creek route to the river south of the F letter in Falls on the topo map. The track can be poor and overgrown at times. There is a sections after the initial climb where a "track" clearly continues forward though an orange arrow is marked to go left. This follows by a vague arrow and track that points to go right roughly 20 meters later. Enter the bush on the far side of the river and climb to above the treeline. Easy bush bashing with few bluffs.

 

Once above the treeline, climb another 250 vertical meters and sidle around easy river gullies to point 1309. Continue up the northeast arm of consolation and sidle around to the upper saddle heading down to mistake creek at ~ 1640 meters. Lighten packs and climb a scree gully on the northwest side to the true summit south of the false summit. Return the same way, follow the river down to the start of the bush bashing & waterfall. Sidle 100 meters south of the waterfall (to avoid bluffs) and enter the treeline. Once across mistake creek, there is a vague track on the true left of the river (looking down from the valley, so your right.). Once at the waterfall, either climb it directly or the recommended route is to follow the clear and big gully on the true left (your right) until you reach a 5m steepish chimney climb. Once passed that and above the bluff, traverse across easy tussock back to the waterfall and then shuffle around the next bluff to the base of U-pass. Climb up and down the pass into hut creek. There is a large orange triangle in the first bushline heading down the valley but AVOID IT and continue following the river. You will down climb some of the smoothest, most beautiful and unique granite boulders in NZ. You will also pass a cave in the river where a boulder has fallen on another. Once out of the "Grace of Granite", follow the river until you come to the proper bushline. The large orange triangle starts close to the northern mountain side of the valley, quite far from the river. Exit with a river crossing and mud pool haven close to the car park.

 

 

 

 

 

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