Plateau Hut in Winter
A big part of what I believe in, is getting out and enjoying what we have here in such a special country. It is the overlap of professional and personal interests, where it fills my bucket being with like minded friends, outdoors, taking photos.
In what has become an ongoing winter escape, I am lucky to have a core group of like minded photographer friends, who also revel at the prospect of a dramatic winter wonderland!
After what was a pretty hectic couple of weeks, it worked out that heading away could in fact work. Balancing the weather and commitments at home, it was decided it was ‘green for go’!
So we headed off to Mt Cook after what can only be described as a terrible fortnight of weather prior. Afterall, how long could this last really?!
Plans were to head up to Pioneer Hut, high in the Southern Alps just over on the West Coast side. Yet weather forecasts were not promising for an extraction, so we had Plateau Hut as our back up. Plateau Hut sits on the East side of the Main Divide, at ~2200m. It is perched precariously above Tasman Lake, right at the top of the Hochstetter Icefall, about 2/3 up Mt Cook. Plateau Hut is the most common base for climbers heading up Mt Cook.
This was probably for the best on all accounts, as we were lucky to get out when we did with the weather.
We live in such a beautiful country, and winter is certainly a landscape photographers dream. Albeit cold!!!
With a great bunch of dedicated landscape photographers, we headed up into the Alps, knowing it would be cold. So we had kitted ourselves up well, and surprisingly all managed to stay warm despite overnight temperatures around -15deg (and that’s also inside the bunk area!). Water was all frozen so we relied on snow melt.
The hut is spacious, and while often fill during climbing season (x34 beds) , we had it all to ourselves. Umm, what does that tell you?!
Was an awesome time with good friends, made even special by a wee proposal by two dear friends.
To be so high in nature, in such a harsh environment is indeed very special. You realise you are indeed merely an ant in the landscape, and Mother Nature is in charge.
While we held hopes of an aurora, we didnt have an real activity in the end. But did manage night shooting.
A very special place, that is forever changing (as the 2nd part of our group who stayed an extra night certainly found out!! They were nearly blown off the mountain!).
In the coming weeks, I will add some further imagery to the Fine Art section of my site. Look out for these here: