Number One Gully | Remarkables
- Mike Morelli
- Aug 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 18
Date: August 24, 2025
Location: The Remarkables, Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 3.5 mi / 5.6 km
Total Elevation Gain: 1,580 ft / 482 m
Trip Duration: 4 hours
Team: Rob Fraser
Field Notes: Climbed in two pitches. Pitch one is the obvious snow gully that heads up to a rocky area. The gully splits here. The second pitch climbs the left side - a slab/rock wall.
Grade: M2
Still buzzing off some good days on the West Face, I had the Enforcer at the Notch circled as one of the climbs I really wanted to try out. The weather looked perfect, and Rob and I set off early with high stoke.
We walked along the West Face for over an hour trying to find the start of the route. I was convinced we had to be close, but nothing looked right. Rob wasn’t sure either, and after scratching our heads long enough, we called an audible. Plan B: Number One Gully.
It was Rob’s first time mixed climbing, so an M2 felt like a solid introduction. The first pitch was mellow—just an easy snow gully. The second pitch was awkward - a steep slab covered in dry, unconsolidated snow made every move feel awkward. I had to dig and scrape off snow to find anything that resembled a placement, and more than once I felt like things were teetering on the edge of sketchy.
Bit by bit we worked our way up until the snow finally gave way to sun, and we topped out with big grins.
Not the Enforcer, but still a win—Rob got his first taste of mixed climbing, and I got more experience mixed climbing.
Happy days...
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