Spring is now in full swing here in Wanaka, but plenty of snow still covers the tops of the mountains so what better time than Labour Weekend to go climb some. We've had a few clear nights so I knew that early snow conditions would be perfect for a quick accent up Fog Peak, before the afternoon sun hits the slopes. At 6:30am I set off for the drive up the valley to Raspberry Flat Carpark where I assessed the climb, concluding with 'feck thats steep'. Off I went, being careful not to disturb the sheep since its lambing season, for the 1842m incline of steep leg busting slopes. Route finding is fairly simple, I followed the obvious ridges and rib lines until finally reaching the snowline where I traversed the flatter ground towards the base of the summit ridge. After a wee break amongst the footsteps of helicopter snow landings I put on my crampons and set off up the summit ridge. The snow was perfect but would soon soften under the sun, so I quickly climbed up the 2225m Peak. On the summit I check my watch and had somehow managed to climb from the car park to the top in 4.5 hours, I felt like Ueli Steck after he free climbed the North Face of the Eiger. Haha. The summit was spectacular, some of the best views I've seen from a NZ mountain, I could see deep into the Southern Alps and right down into Wanaka. What a Spot! I wasn't on the summit for long, the wind was picking up and the forecasted weather was rolling in from the West. So off I went following the same route back. Crew: Lee. 8 hours return. 25th October 2014.

I climbed Fog Peak on the Saturday, I still had two more days left of the long bank holiday weekend. Heres some footage from my new GoPro Hero 4 over the 'One Long Weekend'

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXjGTYMFETI&w=560&h=315]