In early October I got the invite from Ryan Nicol to check out a zone based out of the Cameron Hut. There had been a bit of new snow and the weather wasn’t looking so good but the area looked to have lots of options. Soon we were driving from Otago into the Canterbury backcountry.
Note to everyone that September and October are the new winter months in NZ.
As we drove to the trailhead we could tell there was a bunch of new snow. We drove the car as far as we could before starting a long hike. We were hoping to make it to the Cameron Hut before dark.
Approaching the Cameron Hut
From the research we did there was an 8 hour approach to Cameron hut. But the new snow made travel quite hard as we slipped around trying to find a trail.
The further we made our way up the valley the deeper the snow got. While it was a bit of a challenge down lower it was becoming harder the higher we went up the Cameron Valley
It was a stunning area but we were rushing to beat the sunset. As we climbed it was brutal seeing the final destination a few hours away.
We arrived late in the night so we didn’t get to see any of the terrain surrounding us but the next morning we realized how awesome of a zone the Cameron Hut was.
Day 2 touring in the Arrowsmith Range
The next day we had a small weather window during the morning and decided it was our only chance to get out. We wanted to see the Cameron Glacier and different backcountry ski touring options.
We decided to make our way up the Cameron Glacier in hopes of finding a nice line. Our weather window was small so we wanted to make the most out of it.
We found a nice wind sheltered couloir with a stunning view of the Arrowsmith Range. As we climbed the lines what was blue skies quickly turned into white out conditions. The transition was so fast it caught us a bit off guard.
Our window had closed up so it was time to head back to the hut. That afternoon we hoped it would clear up again but sadly the alpine was stuck in the clouds.
Day 3 Exciting the Cameron Hut
With a wind storm approaching and predicted wind getting up to 220 kph we decided to get out while we still had a chance. Turns out this storm ripped down numerous trees in the Canterbury Plains.
It was awesome seeing the contrast between the snow and the Golden Tussock as we made our way down from the Cameron Hut.
And though the trip was short I learned quite a bit about NZ weather and was happy to eat some fruit and drink some energy drinks. The terrain around the Cameron Hut was stunning. Though I only got a small view it was obvious that it was worth visiting again.
Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within New Zealand check out this link