The Cool Climber
Are you ready for a technical and physically demanding adventure? Join us for an advanced ice climbing experience in New Zealand’s big alpine environment!
This trip is not for the faint-hearted—it requires a high level of fitness, beyond that of a heli hike, and involves up to 7 hours on the ice. A good understanding of English is essential to ensure safety and to fully benefit from the detailed instruction provided by our expert guides.
A thrilling scenic helicopter flight will take you deep into the Tasman Glacier, where you’ll access the best ice climbing locations. Soak in breathtaking views of New Zealand’s dramatic alpine landscapes, including the Haupapa/Tasman Glacier Lake and the striking Hochstetter Icefall.
Our highly skilled guides will teach you advanced crampon and ice axe techniques. You’ll use specialized ice climbing equipment to climb vertical and sometimes overhanging ice walls, pinnacles, or even descend into crevasses—all while securely anchored by a top rope attached to your harness.
This personalized experience is designed for people looking to challenge themselves and rapidly develop their skills in a thrilling environment. Our ice-climbing guides follow a carefully structured teaching method to ensure you progress efficiently and safely.
Step out of your comfort zone and onto the ice for an unforgettable adventure!
Just make any changes you think necessary or throw out and start again.
FITNESS LEVEL
EXPERIENCE LEVEL
8:00am
Check In 20 mins. before
Walking on a glacier involves risk. Please see our Risk Disclosure Statement:
$1250 per Person
A minimum of 3 people is required per group
Price valid to 30 September 2026
We recommend you book in advance so you don’t miss out on this amazing experience. You can easily book with us online, or contact us via phone or email.
We suggest booking for your first day in Mt. Cook, as our experiences are weather dependent.
Check-in time is 20 minutes before meeting guided trip.
Please note the check in time and flight time are not the same. This allows you enough time to prepare for your trip before flight time.
Absolutely no experience is needed for any of our trips. Our guides will provide specialist equipment and professional instruction to quickly have you exploring the glacier with confidence.
Can you walk up and down a flight of stairs without holding the handrail? Can you walk at a moderate pace, starting and stopping, for up to 2 hours? At times we might have to walk on steeper steps with a handrail for balance.
Good fitness for this trip is a level of fitness sufficient to ascend and descend 1000m+ over 8 hours or more carrying a pack 12kg (26lb) or more over multiple days.
Yes, we require 4 people for this trip to go ahead. If you have less than 4 people in your group, we will do our best to put you on a trip with other people. If minimum numbers are not met, we can accommodate private trips at an additional cost. For more details, contact us.
Aoraki/Mt Cook Village is located on the eastern side of the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri O te Moana in the McKenzie Country Region. It is home to most of New Zealand’s big mountains over 3,000m including the tallest, Aoraki/Mt Cook at 3724m.
Weather in this alpine environments is subject to rapid change and temperatures can vary accordingly.
Weather and cloud levels can change within a matter of minutes. This is why our weather checks are not made until 10 minutes before your departure time.
There is an individual weight restriction of 116 kg/256 pounds for our experiences as they utilise either helicopters or ski planes. Please contact us on info@mtcookguides.co.nz or 0800 68 2665 if you would like to join a trip and are over this weight limit.
No. Please leave your drone behind. It is illegal to fly a drone in Mt. Cook as it is within a National Park.
If you fly a drone, it will be confiscated and you will be fined $5,000. For rules on flying drones in New Zealand, please reference www.airshare.co.nz.
If for some reason you need to cancel your trip, then let us know as soon as possible. Most of our trips are fully refundable provided we receive your cancellation request twenty-four (24) hours prior to the reporting time. Please see the Terms and Conditions section on this website for more details.
Please find more questions and answers on our FAQ Page.
We recommend you book in advance so you don’t miss out on this amazing experience. You can easily book with us online, or contact us via phone or email.
We suggest booking for your first day in Mt. Cook, as our experiences are weather dependent.
Check-in time is 20 minutes before meeting guided trip.
Please note the check in time and flight time are not the same. This allows you enough time to prepare for your trip before flight time.
Absolutely no experience is needed for any of our trips. Our guides will provide specialist equipment and professional instruction to quickly have you exploring the glacier with confidence.
Can you walk up and down a flight of stairs without holding the handrail? Can you walk at a moderate pace, starting and stopping, for up to 2 hours? At times we might have to walk on steeper steps with a handrail for balance.
Good fitness for this trip is a level of fitness sufficient to ascend and descend 1000m+ over 8 hours or more carrying a pack 12kg (26lb) or more over multiple days.
Yes, we require 3 people for this trip to go ahead. If you have less than 3 people in your group, we will do our best to put you on a trip with other people. If minimum numbers are not met, we can accommodate private trips at an additional cost. For more details, contact us.
Aoraki/Mt Cook Village is located on the eastern side of the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri O te Moana in the McKenzie Country Region. It is home to most of New Zealand’s big mountains over 3,000m including the tallest, Aoraki/Mt Cook at 3724m.
Weather in this alpine environments is subject to rapid change and temperatures can vary accordingly.
Weather and cloud levels can change within a matter of minutes. This is why our weather checks are not made until 10 minutes before your departure time.
There is an individual weight restriction of 116 kg/256 pounds for our experiences as they utilise either helicopters or ski planes. Please contact us on info@mtcookguides.co.nz or 0800 68 2665 if you would like to join a trip and are over this weight limit.
No. Please leave your drone behind. It is illegal to fly a drone in Mt. Cook as it is within a National Park.
If you fly a drone, it will be confiscated and you will be fined $5,000. For rules on flying drones in New Zealand, please reference www.airshare.co.nz.
If for some reason you need to cancel your trip, then let us know as soon as possible. Most of our trips are fully refundable provided we receive your cancellation request twenty-four (24) hours prior to the reporting time. Please see the Terms and Conditions section on this website for more details.
Please find more questions and answers on our FAQ Page.
→ Any Essential Medication
→ 3 – 4 layers of warm upper body clothing
→ A warm hat and gloves
→ Warm trousers
→ A camera
→ Sunglasses and sun protection
→ Lunch, snacks and a drink
→ A good level of English
→ Jeans are not recommended
⊕ Specialised Climbing Boots
⊕ All technical & safety equipment
⊕ Waterproof Jacket
⊕ Overtrousers
⊕ Gloves and woolen socks
⊕ Alpine backpack
⊕ Climbing helmet
⊕ A great day on the ice!
Aoraki-Mt Cook Glacier Guiding Limited Partnership – RISK DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS
I accept that this activity inherently involves risks and hazards that could potentially result in harm or injury. The risks and hazards include, but are not limited to avalanche, rock fall, ice fall, crevasses, moulins, heavy rain, cold exposure, heights, flooding, uneven terrain, tripping, earthquake (including without limitation injury from man-made structures (like buildings, bridges and dams) or natural features (like cliffs and sloping ground) being destabilised or damaged), air travel (including without limitation aircraft crash or accident or injury from collision with spinning aircraft propellor or rotor blades) and sun exposure.
I am aware that participating in the guided activities offered by Aoraki-Mt Cook Glacier Guiding Limited Partnership (hereafter AMCGGLP) can be hazardous if they are not conducted with care, control and responsibility. I acknowledge that these risks could result in my injury (physical or mental) or even death.
Medication/health conditions
Conditions of participating in activity
Limited liability of Aoraki-Mt Cook Glacier Guiding Limited Partnership
Liability of landowner
Damage to property or equipment
Drugs/ Alcohol
Marketing
Insurance
Overnight Stay on Glacier
Participant Acceptance
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