Mount Jumbo route (Mt Aspiring Park)

Hi Yarmoss, I think there are several features in the immediate area that could be termed guts so not the clearest description on my part. More or less climbed straight up towards the pole you can see at the top of the climb, but not in or on anything I would consider a gut or a ledge. Never have figured out what that bit about a ledge in Moirs is referring to. Hi Bishop, for the top 50m on the Wilkin side it has been travelled enough that there are clear (worn down to the dirt) secure well spaced places for your feet. It would not be fun if it was wet but as long as you take care and don’t rush (for me I find it best not to look down too) it is not too bad. Remember that plenty of people have been over this route in both directions and from recollection the people who have come to grief on this section have gotten off route first. In difficult places we often find it good to use a line/rope to lower/raise packs as it is often much easier to climb without one on. I did read a log book entry from someone a little off route near the dragons teeth who decided to throw his pack down and climb down after it. The pack not only went further than expected but also ripped open and a fair bit of gear was never recovered.

Bored at work so worth a natter. A classic route, one which I vaguely recall was named by Mr Explorer himself, Charlie Douglas back around the mid 1890's or so for thinking this was where rabbits crossed. ON this trip or thereabouts, he came in from the West Coast, up the Waiatoto River, Te Naihi River, before dropping into Lake Castalia, the upper lake to the Top Forks area. On this alpine trip one gets to look down into the Jumbo, beats bush bashing! BUt als you'll still need to do the rabbit but by comparisons it'll be a doddle. These days you can jet boat up the Waiatoto saving what would have taken ol Charlie a few weeks in relays! Like MadPom he tramped with dog , Betsy Jane, though I think she was 'replaced' a few times. Amkes me think if you're with same model MadPom after the Landsborough .. I'll have to check the photos more closely :) ? An alternative trip to avoid the Rabbit might be up the Albert Burn which started below the mouth of the Wilkin on the opposite bank of the lake. Less travelled if you're into that sort of thing but you miss Lake Crucible and all the other delights the Wilkin us to offer. An easy ascent of Mt Dragonfly can be made before dropping into the lower reaches of the East Matukituki. Both alternatives are a grade above the Rabbit Pass trip itself but come recommended. I once hitched a ride backed to Wanaka with a guide who traverses the rabbit. I mentioned how he coped with clients of unknown ability and he whispered with the aid of the odd discreet bolt placement. Haven't been back to check on this but it must be discreet god forbid reigniting the debate courtesy Marty Beare's(?) bolting of the ridge route of Aspiring. But I can attest to how ones perceptions of challenges diminsh with increased exposure to greater challenges. I remember all the hype about the rabbit wilkin side, how 2/3's people look at it and turn back blah blah. But fear from a distance can be said about many a NZ route, my advice is reserve judgement until you are standing directly at it. Admittedly back then I was petrified but elated when I'd done it and recall thinking it wasn't so bad. Until descending the other side that is. So focussed on the Wilkin side that I didn't bother to prepare for the East Matukituki descent. My map version had the track dropping straight off the saddle (since fixed) and as an orientist who prided themself on reading a map, I foolishly obeyed, well at least tried. Thus lesson learnt, in NZ nothing beats an eyeball assessment (another lesson learnt since is interpreting animal sign - the locals! another story). Once the correct route was found it was quickly despatched but I can recall not without raised heart beat with knowledge of a friends slip the year prior. Years later, on my 3rd traverse and the same descent I felt cheated ... I thought DOC had mechanically levelled the descent to make it safe! I'd learnt from hut books always to blame DOC. But after rage subsided, I put it down to the fact I'd experienced more challenging terrain earlier in that trip. Needless to say my advice is to attempt it - an awesome trip, agreed a level or 2 above graded walks but one that opens doors to more remote tramps, call it earning your stripes. Only you can make the decision standing at the foot on the wilkin side like I did back then, but it was easier than the hype suggested. Enough traffic to for good stepholes, little route finding, but not excessive for erosion to cause issue. Just don't turn back until you've at least looked at it up close.

Oh and on the subject originally asked about access to the Jumboland, never done it but some years ago I did bump into a couple of ol biddies aged about 70 or so going on death who had just safely crossed back to my side of the wilkin who tried it. They said rough going, involved climbing over big boulders etc to support the response here as not frequently travelled. But their physical ability may have played some part in this. Worth a look as an add on to the pass if you have the time.

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.284752,168.988481&z=15&pin=1 Thanks all for the advice. After months of research I only found 2 people that have ascended Mt Jumbo. Both people without issue. One guy paraglided down to Albert Burn hut, and the other descended back to the Wilkin. With only Moir's Guide Book directions we set off after camping at Jumboland. We took the more southern of the 2 streams (the one that is fed by two streams near the top). It was a pretty easy but semi steep ascent, with some big boulders to climb or go around. We stayed in the stream the entire way as the bush on either side looked ugly. The final climb to the saddle (-44.287204, 168.980966) is a little steep and we were on all fours, but was only a test of lungs. There is a lovely large table top rock to sit on and have lunch with great views up wonderland stream, down the Mt Jumbo ridgeline, and up and down the Wilken (with Top Forks hut almost visable). It took about 4 hours from setting out to reach the saddle, with a few breaks. After lunch and a quick (packless) ascent to the top of Mt Jumbo, we went down Mt Jumbo's southern ridge, sticking to the western side of it - close as possible to the top of the ridge. The initial part, about an hour, is all mostly loose scree. We went over 3-4 scree chutes that funneled down westward, and were sure death if you slipped. Without a pack they would have been much easier, but I'm just over 64kg and had a 25kg pack, so I moved quickly over these. There was one short ugly climb to get out of the final scree onto grass, which put us right on the top of the ridge line (just SW of pt 1686). Less confident trampers might want to rope this, or have someone take their pack. We continued down Mt Jumbo's southern ridge, mostly sticking to within 5 to 15m of the top of the ridge. The drops down to the eastern side were incredible, and were pretty much cliffs for the entire descent. So I made sure I leaned to the right :) pt 1575 is a easy walk up & down (on the western side of it). pt 1533 was a bit ugly. You can't get to the top of it by staying on the ridge, and have to drop down ~50m to get under the SW side of it. One person took the closest route to the pt, which meant ~5m of climbing up, which no one else was brave enough to do. One person went a little further down to about 100m SW and had to do some up and down spur climbing, and over 2 more scree funnels of death. Those 2 people met up again at about 100m S of pt 1533, right on the ridge. Don't ask about the rest of the party which decided to take a SW spur down to the valley floor, where they camped and we didn't see again until the tramp was over 3 days later... From there it is an easy hour past pt 1389 and to the bush line. We missed Moir's instructions of taking the scree down (just to the east of the small river that goes down the Mt Jumbo ridgeline). Instead we managed to bush bash down to Meat Safe flat sticking between that stream and the scree. The top half of the bush is dense bushes and then a lot of unstable fallen trees., in dense trees. The bottom half of the bush opens up nicely. By going directly down we met and lost a few times an old marked track (white reflective rectangle markers). I believe it is mentioned in Moir's as coming up from Meat Safe flat, and to/alongside the scree. The entire day was about 10hours with probably 2 hours of stops and breaks. From Meet Safe flat, looking back up, the top of the scree looks to be cliffs and we may have got into trouble trying to enter it. I don't know if it was any less dangerous that Rabbit Pass, as there was at least 6 times where I thought "If I slipped here I will die". There wasn't any sheer drops, but many scree shoots of death. There were times the path was easiest right on the top of the ridge, next to drops on the eastern side. The whole point of Jumbo was to minimize risk, which I don't think we achieved. I can't wait to go back and check out Rabbit Pass one day.