Mount Earnslaw
- Mike Morelli
- Feb 22
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 22
Date: February 23, 2025
Location: Forbes Mountains, Mount Aspiring National Park, Glenorchy, Otago, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 25 mi / 40 km Total Elevation Gain: 8,228 ft / 2,508 m
Trip Duration: 14 hours 38 min
Team: Alex Catalfamo
Field Notes: The fastest and easiest way to get up the Rees Valley is via bicycle. At Kea Basin, continue following a trail north, to the obvious spur starting at 1,100 meters. Follow cairns and a ground trail up the spur to Point 1445. A heavily cairned route continues up the mountain, angling southwest at 1800 meters through rock slabs. Cross the Birley Glacier to the notoriously windy Wright Col. From Wright Col, head south up through scree and a gully until a steep ledges are encountered at 2600 meters. Follow a ledge system to the climbers left until 'The Keyhole' is encountered. This crux is more awkward than difficult and there is a fixed rope there if one trusts it. Above this, an easy walk leads out to the summit. We did this route in summer in perfect conditions and light crampons and a helmet were all that was needed. That being said, this route would change drastically in different conditions and is very prone to verglas.
Rating: I, 1+
It was a chilly summer morning as we loaded the gear into my Nissan Caravan. Starry skies above made us optimistic for a beautiful weather day.
We left the house somewhere around four thirty in the morning with the aim at starting at six. Fergburger was just closing, the staff were packing to go home, and we were going in.
Our landlord, Evan, was kind enough to lend us a spare bicycle and we pedaled up the Rees Valley towards Earnslaw. What a difference the bicycle makes on these long valley approaches.
Halfway up the valley, Alex exclaims, “Wow - what a luxury this is!” And instantly my pedal falls off. You can’t make this stuff up.
Unable to fix the bike we ditched them by the river and walked another forty minutes to the trailhead. Mentally, in the back of my mind, I was preparing myself for how hard the walkout was going to suck.
Somewhere around seven, we were blasting our way up to Kea Basin. Light packs, minimal gear, and plenty of good food allowed us to travel light and fast - my favorite way to go.
Above Kea Basin we were caught from behind by a Kiwi couple in their sixties, Mike and Julie.
“You don’t need all that gear,” Mike exclaimed.
What! All that gear! We were carrying 20-liter packs with our helmets on the inside.
Then, “You guys want to tag along?”
Our hearts said yes, but our bodies said no. Let’s make it clear - Alex and I were moving fast. It took us a little over five hours from the valley floor to the summit, but Mike and Julie were crushing. Even better, they were cool as. We enjoyed running into them a few times throughout the day. Their vibe was on another level. Just proves you don’t need to be a grumpy cunt as you get older.
We climbed higher, trading tussock for rock slabs. The sun beamed to remind us of the heat it would bring later in the day.
Travel was fast and easy as it seems like there is so much traffic in this area it has become a trail. We weren’t complaining by any means.
At the glacier, we donned our ultra-light crampons, walked across the Birley Glacier, and arrived at the windy Wright Col. There were quite a few people out and about today. In fact, it was the busiest day I’ve seen on any mountain, ever, in New Zealand outside of the tramping trails.
A father and son were wearing bicycle helmets and turned around at the keyhole as it was apparently dangerous. I guy wearing a rainbow tutu overheard him and said, “I just came down, it was sweet as.”
We put our bets on the rainbow tutu guy that it would be “sweet as.” And indeed it was. The keyhole is more of a pain than it is difficult. It is an awkward squeeze through a narrow slot.
Above the keyhole, we followed the heavily cairned route where we ran into Mike and Julie one last time. We spoke about fitness, age, and mountain goals. What stuck with me was Julie’s words, “We are just getting started.”
We are just getting started.
How deeply that hits home. Alex and I, best friends for the last 14 years, have said this phrase to each other every year.
At thirty-three years old as I write this, I still feel it in my bones. I’m just getting started. Why not?
We are all just getting started. However, it is easy to be convinced otherwise if one lives in their past or they are convinced happiness is someone else, somewhere else, or something else.
To quote my mentor Garrett Gunderson, it’s about creating a life you never want to retire from.
Alex and I arrived at the summit in the early afternoon, alone. The views were some of the most spectacular I’ve seen in a long time. The ocean of peaks that lead out to the deep blue ocean is not a common thing to witness.
As we moved off the peak, the euphoria of the summit had washed away. It was going to be a grind.
Back across the glacier, zig-zagging down through the slabs, and eventually back on tussock I had to hide in the shade. The sun was ruthless. Alex and I talked shit to each other to make each other laugh.
We continued down, down, down. Right before the actual Kea Basin trail, I got us slightly off route and we battled with scrub. Alex was frustrated, mainly at me, and then took one of the best falls I’ve ever seen into a bush. The laughter was surreal.
At last, we returned to the bikes feeling pretty tired. I sat down to rest but Alex motioned us to keep walking to the bikes. He was right.
At the bikes, a miracle happened. Somehow I was able to jam my pedal into the bike and get it to pedal just enough to function. Every two turns I pushed the pedal back in with my foot. Life saver!
Back at the van we threw our gear in and sped off back to Queenstown, just in time for a couple thousand calories of Indian.
Happy days…