Looking at going up Rockburn and around Lake Nerine then down North Routeburn at labour weekend.
Has anyone been around the lake at Labour weekend time (give or take a week or so) in previous years and has any info on the expected conditions generally?
Feb 2012, sorry. Camped at Fohn Lakes. Had to use GPS to get over Fohn Saddle next morning because of the thick fog/cloud. Otherwise would had to have waited it out.
Group spent a little time puzzling the way down into Lake Nerine. It's obvious once down there, but if you miss the cairns, you can find yourself bluffed.
Feb 2013 for me.
Good track up the Rockburn. The crossing of the stream coming off the Park Pass glacier (just down from the upper Rock Burn bivvy) requires a lot of care with slippery rocks and a decent current. It might be quite intense with spring melt water!
Very steep sidle between Park Pass and Lake Nerine. It is north facing so might be snow free, but it could be very slippery underfoot.
The south side of the descent to Lake Nerine by Peak 1594 will certainly hold snow and require an ice axe. West of Lake Nerine take the low route past Point 1444, I've done the sidle trying to maintain height from North Col and it's not worth the effort.
The south side of North Col will absolutely require an ice axe. Follow the stream the whole way down to the north Routeburn. There's a lot of scrub around between 1300-1000m and not worth the scrub bash effort.
You need to cross the north Routeburn a couple of times, again watch for swollen streams due to snow melt. The bivvy beside the stream draining the east side of Peak 1807 (Hobbs biv) is pretty bomb proof. Great place to stay.
I hope to come this way again in early December as part of a modified 5 Passes. I'd be interested to hear how you get on :)
This post has been edited by the author on 31 August 2015 at 13:15.
"The crossing of the stream coming off the Park Pass glacier (just down from the upper Rock Burn bivvy) requires a lot of care with slippery rocks and a decent current."
Helpful notes, thanks Yarmoss. I hope to do that trip some day...
I have a painting of someone crossing that very place (from a calendar). He is crossing on a series of rocks. I had a notion that I could do this too but as you say, the rocks are slippery. He must have crossed it in a drought!
People ask if I am that person crossing. He has enormous quads and an equally enormous Macpac Torre. No way.
They were supper slick when I crossed, like rocks that are coated in algae. I remember the water being milky white with glacial deposits but I can't remember what colour the rocks were. Maybe I just crossed at a bad time... at least I didn't go for a swim :)
