KEY POINTS:
The first flush of dawn floods the towering ice cliffs of Aoraki's Caroline Face. From my Ball Ridge viewpoint I see the telltale puff of powder snow that heralds an avalanche.
A thunderous roar shatters the air as tonnes of ice tumble down the rock face, leaving a curtain of pulverised ice particles suspended in space as a white mist. Our group lingers awhile to marvel at the sight and then pushes on through the rock-hard icefield.
Soon we are standing atop Ball Pass, with its breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks in every direction. Soaring mountains, eternal ice sheets and great buttresses of fragmented rock and glistening ice make it a grand spectacle.
This is a moment to savour. The alpine world has an undefined mystique: exciting and threatening at the same time. To stand on a 2120m-high mountain pass looking over jagged ridges up to the triple summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook - "The Cloud-Piercer" - is an exhilarating experience.
The Ball Pass trek is a three-day guided traverse from the Tasman Valley over the flank of Mount Cook, into the Hooker Valley. First I have to learn how to use the alpinist's ice axe and crampons and mastering the technical skills and standing atop the pass is the climax of my trip.
At the start, our group of amateur climbers assembles at The Hermitage in Mount Cook Village. A Land Rover soon whisks us up the stony margins of the Tasman River. The river is braided into numerous channels and its waters are a pale glacial blue, coloured by rock-flour sediments scoured out by the glacier. In the Ball Shelter area the rock-studded Tasman Glacier has sunk 130m below the old moraine walls.
This is a glacier in serious decline, although still the Southern Hemisphere's longest at 27km. The jumble of shattered greywacke rock, called Ball Spur, has little semblance of a track.
I climb the slope cautiously, staring at the heels of the five climbers ahead who are as lithe as leprechauns. After a five-hour slog nothing can restrain my involuntary "yee-haa" as the distant outline of Caroline Hut comes into view.
Next to conquer is the Caroline Face of Mount Cook - a monumental slab of rock and ice. I try to capture on film the effects of the changing light under the setting sun. It is hauntingly beautiful and serene.
Our training begins with snow - and ice-travel techniques. With our crampons strapped on securely, we sidle across steep slopes, slowly gaining confidence and adjusting to the deep bite of the crampon points into the ice.
Our third day starts with an early wake-up call and an 8am departure. Deep in the valley we can see the Hooker Glacier terminal moraine lake and above that, Mt Sefton and the Sealy Range. We are buffeted by wind gusts and I recoil at the steepness of the descent before us - our guides explain that a slip during this part of the descent will mean sliding into a rock pile 300m below. The morning sun has not yet reached the western slopes of the pass, so the ice is as hard as concrete.
Even after an hour of tortuous descent from the pass, the Hooker Glacier floor is still a steel-grey jumble of moraine debris far below us. Finally a flat alpine tussock plateau is sighted, known locally as the Playing Fields. I think the end is near, until our guide casually mentions there are still 3 1/2 hours to go.
This illustrates the deceptiveness of scale in the Southern Alps. The altitude and grandeur of the surrounding mountains shrinks the valley floor in my mind's eye. Pressing on along the high Hooker terraces we reach the camp at White House Hill. The mission is complete and we have achieved our goal. We have successfully crossed Ball Pass. The first day is a six-hour climb up Ball Ridge, the second day is four hours of training, and on the third day, there's a 10-hour climb.
The Ball Pass crossing is an unforgettable experience. You are learning how to play the alpinist's game with a serious input of energy and concentration - but how satisfying it is when you win.
FACT FILE
Getting there:
Mount Cook Airlines fly from Christchurch and Queenstown.
Intercity buses connect with Christchurch and Queenstown.
Road access is via SH8 from Timaru and SH80 from Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook.
Where to Stay:
The Hermitage, Motel and Chalets
Phone 0800 68 68 00, email reservations@hermitage.co.nz or go to www.hermitage.co.nz.
YHA Hostel
Tel (03) 435 1820
www.yha.co.nz
What to do:
DOC Visitor Centre
Tel (03) 435 1186
Web: www.doc.govt.nz
Alpine Recreation
www.alpinerecreation.com
