Three Passes Route
1–10 of 15
Page: 12
Original post
Hi guys
First of all let me say that at moment I don't have any intentions to do this route(especially by my self).
But I would like to know if any of you has ever done this pass...how hard is it...how rewarding and general impressions regards the three pass.
Three passes that starts in Canterbury and ends in Westland?
Unfortunately I cant add much - have tried to set off to do this twice but got rained out.
The first section goes up a creek towards Harman (from around Carrington Hut). You will know if theres too much rain as you cant even get up there.
Its not meant to be too bad otherwise, the only dodgy section is some of the steep parts on Browning pass.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/canterbury/places/arthurs-pass-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/three-passes-route/
This is the one.
I would describe it as "moderate" for a multi-day adventure. Definitely rewarding. Some people have come un-stuck on it, so possibly better not done solo. Definitely need a PLB.
Any particular questions ?.
We did it a couple of years ago - trip report here:
http://www.terraincognita.co.nz/notes/the-three-passes-canterbury#
Thanks Pro-active and Cabbage.
No was only curiosity regards the track...thank you.
I've done it both ways, once as a weekend trip (long days). Coming over from Browning Pass down into the Wilberforce I lost my footing in the very soft and steep snow (too used to plastic boots and I was wearing leather boots). I self-arrested but nothing happened as the snow was too soft so then I clicked; dig in the boots which I'd be trained to regard as a no-no, to avoid doing this wearing crampons which can result in a broken ankle or worse. So I dug in the boots and came to an immediate halt short of the awaiting rocks where the snow ended.
Some deer culler has done it in a single day. I think he made a habit of it but I can't recall his name. Google is becoming useless!
If descending Browning Pass (into Wilberforce) without snow, would anyone take the scree chute right at the top? Saw some "goat tracks" that made me wonder.
Honora it was Bert Cropp an Internal Affairs Dpt deer culler that first did the Three Pass Trip in a day. (A long time ago four of us did the Three Pass Trip in a shade under 12 hours whilst seeking to emulate Bert)
1–10 of 15
Page: 12
Search the forums
| Forum | Tracks, routes, and huts |
|---|---|
| Started by | giuseppe23 |
| On | 9 October 2018 |
| Replies | 14 |
| Permanent link | |
Participation in the forums signifies acceptance of forum rules.
In order to manage spam, new members are limited to 1 post every 10 minutes.
Formatting your posts
The forums support MarkDown syntax. Following is a quick reference.
| Type this... | To get this... | |
|---|---|---|
| Italic | *Italic text* | *Italic text* |
| Bold | **Bold text** | **Bold text** |
| Quoted text | > Quoted text | > Quoted text |
| Emojis | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: |
| Lists |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
| Links | https://tramper.nz | https://tramper.nz |
| Images |  URL/of/image |
 |
| Mentions | @username | @username |