The Best Backcountry Skiing Routes in Mount Cook

If you are just looking to get out with a small weather window and get a feel of the snow this is a great trip. Being that the Tasman Glacier has ski tours for people with all levels of abilities I would say this is the easiest option to make it up to a summit....

Starting from either the Kelman Hut or the Tasmin Saddle Hut there are many accessible and fantastic ski touring options. Of the best is surely the traverse of Hochstetter Dome, an appealing and largely non-technical ridgeline forming a boundary at the upper end of the Tasmin Glacier....

From Cook Village there are a wealth of awesome skiing opportunities without the need for a flight into the high mountains. Along with Footstool (see Fatmap route), one of the best options for ski touring straight from the village is to head up towards the Mueller Hut....

This ski tour is a great trip for people of all abilities that are looking to climb one of the many 3,000 meter peaks in New Zealand. While the Franz Joesph Glacier has numerous ski touring options this is the biggest around and offers one of if not the best view of the surrounding environment....

If you have ever spent anytime at the Kelman Hut than you can’t help but notice the Murchison Headwall. Not only is this the gateway to numerous other zones but it in itself is a great ski run....

If you are looking to explore beyond the Tasman Glacier to the West than Rumdoodle is a great ski tour. While the climb isn’t too technical it should be said that this is a long day....

If you are up on the Tasman Glacier and looking for options than Darwin ridge ticks all the boxes. Not only is this a fun ski but it also offers great views of both the upper and lower sections of the Tasman Glacier....

The Mannering Glacier is a nice ski tour which gets you out of the Tasman Glacier area and allows you to explore a few new zones in a single ski trip....

Mount Sydney King is about as far as you can get for day tours based out of the Kelman hut. Being on the far opposite end of the Murchison Valley it’s not a technical route and can be skied by people of average abilities....

The Aiguille Rouges is a beautiful mountain with striking red rock forming jagged towers and steep buttress. Some of the best alpine rock climbing in the range is to be found on these rock buttresses....

The Muller Hut is one of those places that sees people all year around. It is easy to see why as you get to the shelter with stunning views of Mount Sefton and a relatively straigthforeword climb up....

The Sealy couloir is a really nice line found on the Northern ridge of Mount Sealy and has fun and steep turns but doesn’t actually reach the summit itself. This is a good area to head out to if you feel confident in your ski touring skills as the approach is quite a long sidehill and the climb should be down with crampons....

The West Coast of New Zealand is a stunning and rugged area where you are at the mercy of the weather. What seems to the locals like a little wind could feel like a hurricane to the unaware tourist....

Staying on the Tasman Glacier on a clear day you can’t help but stare across the valley at Ellie De Beaumont. It dominates the skyline as you look towards the west with it being one of the many starting points of the Glacier....

Beyond the Tasman Glacier lies the Murchison zone where there is an equivalent amount of ski touring options. Lying just above the now closed Murchison Hut is Cooper Peak. Being situated where the glacier bends into the valley this zone has seen a lot of erosion sculpting one of the best fall line runs around....

If you are looking to get out onto the Murchison Glacier but don’t want a really long and committed day than Mini Cooper is a fun and exciting ski tour. It is a great scouting mission or just exploring a bit more remote zone within Mount Cook National Park....

The Joie De Vivre ski tour is one of those trips for people who are used to big ski tours in serious terrain. Being that the Murchison Hut is closed this trip borders on the edge of a day tour, saying that make sure to start this trip at first light as it is always better to be early compared to being too late....

Looking at the map it is easy to see why you would want to do this traverse. Heading from the East over the great divide is as scenic as it gets but it is far from easy....

One of the most classic peaks in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Mt. Dixon is a very popular mountaineering peak and one of the easier summits to reach from the superbly positioned Plateau hut....

A fantastic mountain and one of the most worthwhile and prominent summits accessible from the upper reaches of the Tasmin Glacier. A popular introductory alpine climb, Elie de Beaumont is often guided in the spring and early summer months....