Headlong Peak
- Mike Morelli
- Jul 20
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Date: July 19 - 20, 2025
Location: Harris Mountains, Mount Aspiring National Park, Otago, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 25.2 mi / 40.4 km
Total Elevation Gain: 8,624 ft / 2,629 m
Trip Duration: 2 Days
Team: Rob Fraser, Kevin Reid, Emilie Agnew
Field Notes: From Shelter Rock Hut, Headlong Peak is a long climb - and even longer with ski gear. Climb to the top of Rees Saddle and then head north along Snowy Creek on the true left. The most convenient location to cross is about 1.3 km from Rees Saddle and about .7 km from the Snowy Creek Bridge (which is removed during winter). Snowy Creek is impossible to cross in most areas, and it pays to give yourself time to find the correct location to cross, especially in the dark. Once across the creek, take the broad west spur to the summit. There is one short section near the top around 40 degrees.
Climbing Grade: I, 1
Ski Grade: F, 2.2, E1, 40°
Although it hasn't snowed much in New Zealand so far this season, we have had plenty of clear, cold days. Another high-pressure system rolled in for the weekend, lining up perfectly with our schedules.
We had a great team assembled for this trip: Rob, Kevin, and Emilie. Fortunately, we were able to utilize Kevin and Emilie's four-wheel drive truck to get up the Rees Valley.
Rob and I wound up biking as we had a later start to the day. But fortunately, Kevin and Emilie brought our ski gear and packs in their truck. up the valley. From there, it was only a two-and-a-half-hour hike to Shelter Rock Hut, where Rob and I spent the entire time talking about whether Kevin and Emilie would have the fire going upon our arrival.
Funny enough, we arrived at the hut exactly when Kevin and Emilie had just gotten back from skiing Mount Cunningham. Kevin tried his best to get the fire going, and after a brilliant effort, he proved successful.
We shared dinner together and talked about our plans for Headlong Peak. We decided to get up at the ungodly time of two o'clock in the morning with the intentions of being out the door by three.
It was a frosty start, and we headed up the valley on dry ground. I find it's always difficult traveling in the middle of the night, where you can only see the silhouettes of the mountain peaks, the stars above, and the ground in front of you illuminated by a headlamp. It can be disorienting and at times frustrating, which shows us how influential the power of light really is.
Near five a.m., we got under Rees Saddle and boot packed our way to the top. We saw the nasty gut of Snowy Creek, which we assumed would be one of the cruxes of the trip as we were attempting to find a safe passage in the dark.
I was very confident in the route that I had found based on reading the topography and viewing satellite imagery. I led us north along Snowy Creek, at times losing faith, until we came upon the spot I had indicated on the map. It went!
We dropped down to the water, walked across the creek in our ski boots, and attached skins. The excitement was building now as the climbing had finally begun. At this point, we had been traveling for close to four hours, and we still had a 1,200-meter climb ahead of us.
I set off starting the skin track up the West Ridge of Headlong Peak, and we were immediately relieved to find very light and soft snow. And the higher that we traveled, the better the snow became, and the more the stoke built.
And then, obeying the eternal rhythm, the sun rose and splashed colors of pink and red onto the tops of the peaks.
Setting a skin track on a big day is always hard work, and we rotated to keep things efficient. Towards the top, we were beginning to feel the effects of a long day. We were already seven hours in and still had a few hundred meters left to the summit.
There was a section of steeper terrain close to the summit that we had to navigate. Once past this crux, we were knocking on the doorstep. Although we were only one hundred meters away, it looked so far away.
Sure enough, just as we popped over the rise, the summit was right in front of us. Thirty steps later of boot packing, we found ourselves on top of the peak. It was one of the best feelings that I had experienced in a long time, as it had taken us eight hours of hard work from the hut to reach the top.
We were absolutely stoked to be sharing an incredible summit together with not a soul in sight on a beautiful, sunny winter's day.
We were also aware that there was hang fire in the valley from the slopes above and things were heating up, so we wasted no time. We clicked into our skis and all took turns right off the summit.
From that point on, we hooped and hollered as we leapfrogged each other down the mountain, skiing for the most part, in fantastic conditions down to the valley floor. This is truly what we live for!
Back at Snowy Creek, everyone was buzzing. We attached skins, climbed out of the creek, and made our way back to Rees Saddle. At the top of the saddle, we clicked in for the last time and made turns back down to the snow line.
We arrived back at the hut over thirteen hours later.
Although we all wanted to sleep, the sun was setting. So we packed our bags, refueled, and got ready for the two-plus-hour hike back to the truck.
Rob and I led out first, with Kevin and Emilie trailing just behind. Rob and I, which seems to be customary on all of our trips, engaged in deep and thoughtful conversation, interspersed with laughter and jokes, to pass the time.
We were both feeling completely worked. By the time we had gotten back to the truck, it had been sixteen hours. We started in the dark, and we ended in the dark.
Thankfully, Kevin and Emilie's headlamps emerged from the trees - it was time to go home! We loaded up the gear in the back of the truck, and bumped our way out the Rees - eyes and bodies burning from exhaustion.
This was one of my favorite trips in such a long time, not just because the skiing was fantastic, but because the company was sensational. The whole trip was filled with laughter and stoke - and a reminder of the power of good relationships.
Happy days...
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