Tunnel tents

What would be expected wind speeds on the tops in terms of tenting??

anything is possible... 160k's top wind speed isnt the only issue, turbulent shifting and gusty winds are what can really bring a tent down

Thanks for the wind speed, i cant imagine many tents standing up in that. How important is snow loading in a 3 season alpine tent in nz and if so how much snow can be expected?

Got a mate who had a very strong alpine 4 season tent (macpac Olympus) whose tent collapsed from snow loading overnight on Mt Ruapehu. They had to build a snow cave and then a snow trench as it then rained and the snow cave collapsed. It was a long night...

wind, snow, or both (and treefall, flood, rockfall, avalanche) can destroy any tent. When you have decided on your compromise of weight/cost/space, and purchased a tent - concentrate on getting really smart about when, where and how you use it. There are people for whom a flat 2.5x2.5m fly is the best option - when it gets unexpectedly windy they wrap themselves in it and wedge in beside a rock. Bottom line? - whatever your shelter have a plan for what to do when it fails. Choosing gear? - borrow one and use it before you buy. Second best - find someone with lots of relevant experience, with no commercial interest, who you really trust, and take their advice. If you would like to borrow a macpac minaret, get in touch.

Looking at the Hilleburg site I see they are launching a new solo tent that's modeled on their classic Atko, but only 870g! http://us.hilleberg.com/products/yellow-label/enan/Enan.php

Hilleberg Enan: 870g is the "minimum" weight, which does not include pegs, spare pole section or other repair materials. (I presume it does include the attached guy lines, though they do not explicitly say so.) The full "packed" weight is given as 1.1Kg. Of course you may wish to take your own, better quality and possibly lighter pegs, or plan to camp where heavy stones, tree branches or fallen logs are plentiful as an alternative to using some or all of the supplied metal pegs. The fly is made from 10 denier Kerlon 600 silicon coated rip-stop nylon. 10 denier seems rather flimsy, but I presume that Hilleberg would not have chosen such a thin material without testing it thoroughly for its intended purpose. The Enan is the same design as the widely used and well-regarded Akto (Red Label) solo tent which is made from 30 denier Kerlon 1200, with packed weight 1.7Kg.