Earnslaw Burn in Winter

It's probably OK up to the rock biv or thereabouts. http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.680997,168.413587&z=15 Beyond that, hard to tell. In some conditions (during/post significant storm) it could be very high risk of big avalanches coming off the slopes well above and blasting right down to the upper valley. Risk could dissipate or remain high for a long time after a storm. Keep an eye on https://www.avalanche.net.nz Whatever the conditions or forecast said, I'd be pretty nervous in the upper valley at any time through the winter after significant snowfall. Might be OK at the moment, we haven't had much snow below 2000m, though it would be wet and unpleasant, views of the inside of a cloud and the bottom fraction of waterfalls emerging from same.

I agree with Ian, very steep country towering above the valley floor... not somewhere I'd go in winter!

Thanks @Ian_H and @Yarmoss Looks like I'll think about doing this later in the year getting closer to summer.