We were preparing to move to Centennial hut. Some people nearby were digging in for the snow cave experience. Tracks from the previous day could be seen below stepping out across the neve toward West Hoe Pass. Two rope teams of two was to provide us with a relatively safe means of travel.

Choppers were buzzing the lower glacier taking advantage of the glorious weather to give the tourists the glacier experience. Even in summer good weather windows can be short and every opportunity is seized to generate some income.

We'd saved two days on foot by getting a chopper straight into Pioneer hut. There was no guarantee as to how long the high pressure system would last, although we had several days supply of food and access to hut radios for up to date information on weather and air traffic. 

On a previous visit by ski plane from Mt.Cook village with two friends to spend a few days practising alpine skills there had been the frustration of not knowing the route out by foot and being somewhat dependant on air transport. We had flown out by chopper on that occasion to avoid being hut bound for a few days with the arrival of bad weather. Since then, i had travelled up the glacier to a heavily crevassed area above the trough beside Chancellor dome and there remained only a short section to cover to Pioneer hut.

Months of preparation had led to this moment and i felt a substantial burden knowing Alistair and Craig had never done any glacier travel and Kathryn had only visited the once during that trip to the point near to  Chancellor dome.