CLIMBING MT. ASPIRING IN A SHRINKING WEATHER WINDOW

Two good friends. Six months of preparation. A small weather window and only one day to summit Mt. Aspiring. Sven Hansen and Patrick Hobbs were determined to get the job done when they wanted to summit Tititea.

- Sven Hansen

At 3033m, Mt Aspiring is New Zealand’s highest peak outside of the Aoraki/Mount Cook region. It is often called the Matterhorn of the South, and it is an intimidating mountain of soaring rock and ice.

Six months ago, Patrick posed the question. Somewhat naively, I said yes. It took months for the reality of this commitment to bite. Without much heavy walking or climbing in decades, it was obvious that a significant amount of training was required. Fear became my friend.

Over four months, we set about more serious training with the support of friends and our wives, Sonya and Susan. At age 61, gym work, physio and massage became essential. Finally, it was time for the ascent.

We meet James and Will from Aspiring Guides, based in Wanaka. They were friendly and somewhat sceptical of these two enthusiastic old geezers.