PTC - 2025BarronSaddle

Barron Saddle

1–8 February 2025

On 1 February 2025, we were standing in the afternoon heat on the shoulder of the Mount Cook Road. Party gear and meals for eight days were laid out and evenly distributed amongst the party and squeezed into packs, together with ice axes, crampons and helmets.

This was my first PTC alpine trip with the others, having completed many adventures with Geoff over the years. The long-range forecast was exceptionally good as we set off up Bush Stream. It was not long before we stopped for the first swim. As we climbed around boulders in the narrowing stream, deeper pools enticed another dip in the chilly waters.

Geoff had checked out the route a month earlier and knew of a campsite on a small terrace at about 1100m opposite a bivvy rock. The routines of lighting stoves and scratching out tent sites were established. We were soon enjoying hot drinks and a meal as the sun dropped behind the Ben Ohau Range. Kea circled high above but did not come down to investigate.

Morning sun warmed the campsite as we had coffee and breakfast around a small fire. Travel up to a saddle between point 2218m and 2172m was straight-forward and we had lunch looking down into the Dobson Valley and over to the Naumann Range. We made a careful descent down scree to a tarn and a swim and then a leisurely walk to find a campsite at 1500m. A mob of tahr scattered as we made our decent. High cloud parted and we had glimpses of Mt Hopkins, the Black Tower and Barron Saddle.

Geoff went off to investigate possible bluff-free routes to the valley floor. This proved useful and the following morning we made safe progress down a gully, then easy travel through beech forest to a grassy river terrace and a perfect campsite beside a small waterfall at 800m. A very hot afternoon was spent by some of the team, visiting Kennedy Memorial Hut, located about 4km down-valley.

2025 0204 1911_Barron Saddle. Photo by GS

Next morning, we made good time to Reardon Hut, then travelled up terraces, eating snow berries as we went. A steep sidle on old moraine took us to the foot of the route to Barron Saddle. This was the crux of the trip, and the steep bluffs looked a bit unpleasant. Geoff, Raymond and Tony explored access up a narrow gully, while the rest of us sheltered from the heat and watched rocks bounce down an alternative gully a little higher up the valley. The longer we watched the more we realised that this alternative gully was not an option. We were comforted to hear that if we stuck together as a tight group, the narrow gully provided access to a rib and more gentle slopes below the saddle.

We safely negotiated the gully, but we had to move onto rotten rock on the adjacent slope as we climbed out of the gully, requiring every foothold to be carefully checked. We were pleased to reach firmer ground for the final push to the saddle. We all had smiles as we looked back down the Dobson, knowing that it was now just an easy traverse to Barron Saddle Hut.

The hut had recently been repainted and was in excellent condition. It was a worthy destination and provided views down the Mueller Glacier. The last hut-book entry was in November, with most people skiing in and the occasionally party climbing the Scissors and dropping into the Landsborough Valley. The next day was spent relaxing and exploring the area.

The mountain forecast signalled rain was on the way as we made our way down the glacier. Access was straight-forward but the rapid shrinking of the glacier soon made us pick a route through mounds of rubble. A rock wren bobbed on nearby rocks as we turned off, up the Metelille Glacier. As we lunched near the stream, either the same bird or another bobbed over to investigate. Raymond took it as a good omen for finding a good route up. We picked a nice, straightforward route through the bluffs and set up camp amongst the rocks at 1800m. We had fine views of Aoraki Mt Cook and spied Sefton Biv as it caught the late afternoon light.

The following morning, we explored the “middle route” to an uncharted tarn, and potential campsite toward the Sladden Glacier. After lunch we climbed to the Annette Plateau and found a lovely, flat camp-site beside meltwater at the end of the ice. Cloud was spilling over from the west, but the forecast rain did not arrive. Strong gusty wind however buffeted the tents overnight. We packed early and made the sidle around to Mueller Hut. We had hot drinks and sheltered on the veranda before making the final decent to White Horse Hill. Dozens of people were climbing up from Sealy Tarns and in the afternoon heat we made our way down the final 1000 steps to the car park.

2025 0205 0910_Barron Saddle and Mueller Icefall. Photo by GH

2025 0207 1041_Aoraki from Metelille Tarn – IW

After a week of mountain solitude, it was a bit of a shock to be back in the congested Mt Cook village where no car parks could be found. We regrouped for burgers at Tekapo and ice-creams at Geraldine.

We thanked Geoff with a gift basket for organising a series of wonderful alpine trips over seventeen years. I certainly appreciated this opportunity to explore areas I had always wanted to visit.

Trampers: Raymond Ford, Gary Huish, Tony Lawton, Sonja Risa, Geoff Spearpoint (leader), Liz Wightwick, Gaylene Wilkinson, Peter Umbers and Ian Wightwick. IW

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