Mountaineers crack the impossible and climb Aotearoa's highest peaks in one month

Two Kiwi mountaineers have cracked what they had thought was impossible and climbed New Zealand's 24 highest peaks in a month.

Alastair McDowell, 30, and Hamish Fleming, 31, started their arduous mission on November 13 and climbed, camped, hiked and biked to their final summit on December 12.

Hamish Fleming (left) and Alastair McDowell on the summit of Mt Aspiring. Photo / Alastair McDowell

"This was just an epic adventure. It was an adventure that we didn't even think we could achieve. So, we just did one step at a time and broke it into parts then suddenly got to the point where yesterday we finished," said Fleming said on Tuesday.

The pair scaled the 24 peaks across one continuous trip. They were at the mercy of poor weather - sheltering from storms in huts, a tent or ice caves and unwilling to utilise helicopters typically used to access New Zealand's high peaks

Because the entire journey was "human-powered'" they also cycled from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park to Mt Aspiring National Park - a 290km ride - in order to tick the final summit.

Adulations from the climbing community have been flowing in, with fellow climbers hailing their efforts as an amazing feat.

Hamish Fleming on the summit of La Perouse. Photo / Alastair McDowell

"They showed us a level of human endurance that we didn't know was possible with New Zealand mountains. And they're not small mountains. They're as isolated and exposed and difficult as any in the world and they're not to be underestimated," fellow climber and photographer Gavin Lang said.

McDowell said mental exhaustion was the hardest part of the mission.

"It wasn't an overly technical challenge, it was more about the mental aspect being on lots of exposed terrain, just gritting your teeth that hours and hours and hours on end. It was the sustained nature of it all."

Linking the peaks, which are New Zealand's 24 named mountains greater than 3000m, was suggested to McDowell by fellow climbers.

"We've been in New Zealand for a few years since coronavirus, and we both crave going on big adventures and expeditions but since we can't go overseas we want to show that you can do really cool expedition-style adventure in New Zealand. Even though we don't have 8000m peaks, doing a link-up is a really cool way to produce a prolonged adventure."

Hamish Fleming on the Turnbull Glacier with Mt Elie De Beaumont in the background. Photo / Alastair McDowell

According to Lang, the pair became the 12th and 13th climbers to conquer the list of high summits, which usually took years to achieve.

The previous fastest time was by mountain guides Erica Beuzenberg and Gottlieb Braun-Elwert during an impressive single winter season in 1989.

However, completing them in one continuous trip entirely under human power was unprecedented.

McDowell and Fleming credited their combined years of alpinism, adventure racing and outdoor experience for providing the necessary fitness and skills to complete the mission safely.

Hamish Fleming negotiates Aoraki Mt Cook's summit ridge. Photo / Alastair McDowell

"We're not here to push things to the limit or beyond the limit. We want to do things with a margin of safety and I think we achieved that." McDowall said.

Yet they believe their achievement could be surpassed in coming years with numerous talented young alpinists already making their mark in New Zealand's mountains.

Hamish Fleming descending Mt Aspiring's North West Ridge buttress. Photo / Alastair McDowell

McDowell said the mentoring he received as a member of the New Zealand Alpine Team was instrumental in achieving his goals and felt in general New Zealand alpinism was flourishing.

"We're on a rising tide in New Zealand climbing, and I think that's due to the sharing of knowledge and information through social media and clubs. We can already see several different waves of generations in their early 20s doing amazing stuff."

Alastair McDowell (left) and Hamish Fleming at the Ball Rd carpark near Aoraki Mt Cook. Photo / Alastair McDowell

"The peaks provide you an incentive for adventure going to our remote wilderness letting you enjoy the journey in between peaks, as much as the peaks themselves," McDowall said.