Mt. Abel, North Couloir

Mount Cook

A fantastic half day and accessible ski mountaineering loop

Ski Touring Severe

Distance: 1.6 km
Ascent: 254 m
Descent: 257 m
Duration: 1-2 hrs

Low Point: 2.4 km
High Point: 2.6 km
Gradient: 53˚

From the either the Tasmin Saddle Hut or the Kelman Hut, it is possible to make a very nice roundtrip by traversing Mt. Abel and skiing its attractive North Couloir. This is a good half day route and a quick hit from the Kelman Hut. The North Couloir provides 300 meters vertical of 40-45 degree skiing and can either be climbed or skied onsight in a round trip. Don’t forget since it’s in the Southern Hemisphere and faces north, this line gets a lot of direct sun and can be a good option for finding transformed spring snow if timed right.

At the top of the beautiful diagonal couloir.

Looking out across the upper ridge towards Mt. Brodrick

Climbing up the pencil thin approach gulley.

Description

The best way to ski this line is via a loop and by skinning up the north-west side of Mt. Abel until under a very narrow 50 degree couloir. Change to crampons and climb up this couloir (two ice axes might be helpful for short and easy ice steps) and onto a beautiful ridgeline leading to the summit of Mt. Abel. While this ridgeline is not technical, it is quite exposed and it may be prudent to put on a rope briefly. Although its not a major peak in itself, this summit provides a fantastic panorama of the surrounding area. Down climb the easy ridge a short ways in a north-easterly direction until above the couloir which is more of a large ramp trending skier’s left.

After exiting the couloir it is necessary to skin back up around a 100 meters vertical to the scenic Tasmin Saddle col which separates two major glacial basins, the Tasmin and the Murchison.