To get to the upper slopes of the Tasman Glacier is it always good to rent a helicopter or ski plane. Usually just showing up at Mount Cook Airport you can book one for a reasonable price. In exchange for a brutal slog up the Tasman moraine field you are rewarded with jaw droopingly scenic views. Landing on the upper Glacier bring your gear up to the Kelman Hut where we will be starting this tour.

Leaving from the shelter drop 100 meters lower on the glacier before traversing around to the Tasman Saddle. Dropping off the Murchison Headwall is easier than it looks by traversing a few meters to the right before riding fall line to the lower slopes. Stopping at about 2100 meters you will see Mini Cooper to the skiers right with Starvation saddle next to it. From here start skinning towards the mellow ridge that will take you all the way to the summit.

Riding down Mini Cooper is a bit more challenging than climbing up. To access the North face you need to ride down the ridge for a little bit before there is a steep ramp onto the main face. After a few steep turns traverse onto the main face and ride 200 meters but right before the slope steepens again you need to traverse to the skiers left side where their usually isn’t a crevasse. Once over the bend now you are able to ride all the way into the valley but don’t loose too much vert as you need to climb back up.

Making your way up the Murchison Glacier is pretty straightforeword as you stay in the valley and slowly gain vert. Passing by some ice bulges you will finally reach the Murchison Headwall where you can climb back up your old tracks to get onto the saddle. From there it is a mellow traverse back up to the Kelman Hut where your food and warm clothes await.

For more pictures and the full story check out this link https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/new-zealand/back-ski-touring-tasman-glacier/