Mountaineering - General Conditions
Mountain Condition Report
Sunday 25th October 2026, 09:13hrs: All remaining snowpack is isothermic at all altitudes and aspects. Morning freezes have been maintaining a firm surface crust, providing good crampon-able snow, until solar radiation almost instantly creates slush. Loose, wet avalanches could be expected to develop out of steep terrain features (irrespective of aspect) after sunrise. Lower altitude snow can be unsupportive (post-holing).
A large storm carrying considerable moisture is due to strike the mountains later on Monday (26/10). This will super-saturate and warm the snowpack to high altitude; stability is expected to remain poor until the snowpack drains, and several freeze/thaw cycles can act on the snowpack. The weather forecast for the remainder of the week does not appear conducive to improvement with further rainfall and snowfall from Wednesday (28/10).
Features (bergschrunds, crevasses, stress cracks) are starting to open on icefields and glaciers; as usual this is the season NOT to glissade or butt-slide into the unknown, it invariably ends badly!
A large storm carrying considerable moisture is due to strike the mountains later on Monday (26/10). This will super-saturate and warm the snowpack to high altitude; stability is expected to remain poor until the snowpack drains, and several freeze/thaw cycles can act on the snowpack. The weather forecast for the remainder of the week does not appear conducive to improvement with further rainfall and snowfall from Wednesday (28/10).
Features (bergschrunds, crevasses, stress cracks) are starting to open on icefields and glaciers; as usual this is the season NOT to glissade or butt-slide into the unknown, it invariably ends badly!
Latest Condition Images (x30)
Click Here to search the entire condition image gallery
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23/10/2026
Avalanche Peak (1833m) - East aspect -
23/10/2026
Blimit (1921m) - Southeast Face -
23/10/2026
Lyell Peak (1828m) - East aspect -
23/10/2026
Mt Aicken (1858m) - Blimit (1921m) Traverse -
23/10/2026
Mt Bealey (1836m) - North aspect -
23/10/2026
Mt Cassidy (1850m) - Southeast aspect -
23/10/2026
Mt Lancelot (2112m) - East aspect -
23/10/2026
Mt Philistine (1967m) - Southeast aspect -
23/10/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Crow Face -
23/10/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Rome Ridge (east aspect) -
18/10/2026
Mt Williams (1718m) - Gunbarrel Scree route -
18/10/2026
Mt Williams (1718m) - Southwest ridge -
18/10/2026
The Spike (1440m) - Summit -
14/09/2026
Kahutea Glacier -
14/09/2026
Mt Davie (2280m) - South aspect -
14/09/2026
Mt Harper (2222m) - West aspect -
14/09/2026
Mt Speight (2116m) - West aspect -
13/09/2026
Marmaduke Dixon Glacier -
20/08/2026
Mt Philistine - Philistine Ramp (1967m) -
20/08/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Otira Face -
20/08/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Otira Slide -
18/08/2026
Phipps Peak (1965m) - West Ridge -
20/07/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Goldney Ridge -
20/07/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - High Peak Access -
20/07/2026
Mt Rolleston (2275m) - Rome Ridge (upper arete) -
16/07/2026
Avalanche Peak (1833m) - North Aspect -
16/07/2026
Black Range (1800m) - Head of Jordan Stream -
16/07/2026
Blimit (1921m) - West aspect -
16/07/2026
Brown Hill (1716m) - West aspect -
16/07/2026
Mid Hill (1831m) - North aspect
Storm & Snow Models
SNOW MODELLast Update: 31/10/2026 21:04 NZST
Location: Mt Rolleston (Goldney Ridge) 1800m
Alt. Temp: -0.5ºC
Freezing Level: 1708m
Lapse Rate: -0.577ºC/+100m
Alt. Humidity: 76%
Alt. Windspeed: 44.6kmph
Alt. Av. Windspeed: 29.4kmph
Alt. Min. Windspeed: 0.6kmph
Alt. Max. Windspeed: 44.6kmph
Alt. Wind Chill: -8.5ºC
Alt. Air Pressure: 816hPa
Alt. 3 Day Rainfall: 16.5mm (Today: 0.0mm)
Last Snowfall: 1 days ago
7 Day Snowfall: 13.9cm
Snowpack Depth: 24.0cm
Windslab E: 9.7cm
Surface Stability (@ 35º): Very Poor (Warning: Slab present!)
Avalanche Chance: 50%
Avalanche Risk
Avalanche Size Chart(MSC Assessment)
Snow Model Graphs
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