Ben Lomond

Two silhouetted figures descend from the saddle. One wearing an ill-fitting overcoat, jeans and trainers. The other was wearing more suitable attire for being knee-deep in snow on a mountain saddle. In a thick French accent, the more competent looking of the two announced: "You should turn back. There is avalanche danger."

The track to Ben Lomond begins among Douglas Fir on the Skyline Access Road which winds its way up through the Queenstown Bike Park. At an altitude of roughly 800m, I leave the shelter of the forest and wind my way up a shallow, snow-covered ridge. Under the thin layer of snow, the alpine tussocks and shrubs give the ridge a bubbly, bobbly appearance. The well-trodden track is full of compressed snow which makes the steady climb tricky underfoot. I reach the crest of the ridge and pop out from under the blanket of clouds that cover Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. I pause for a moment to catch my frozen breathe and enjoy the truly awe-inspiring view.

The snow continues to get deeper as I ascend further above the clouds towards the sapphire blue sky. A few hundred metres before the 1326m Ben Lomond Saddle, I meet two French speaking gentlemen. Max from France and Gabriel from the French speaking part of Canada. I look up at the steep, rough ridge to the 1748m summit and struggled to see where the avalanche dangers are. After a brief discussion, they stop for lunch and I continue to the bottom of the ridge to take a closer look.

The saddle reveals two surprises. First, stunning views of marshmallowy clouds with only the highest of peaks of the Mt. Aspiring National Park poking above them. Secondly, a group of school kids. Two guides and two teachers had led the twenty bleary-eyed youngsters who stood before me here to experience a winter camp as part of their schooling. Another brief conversation with the guides, my mind is made up and I trot back down to where Max and Gabriel are having their lunch to share my plans...

Max is reluctant, but Gabriel is keen. Given that Gabriel looked more competent, we team up and Max happily descends to Queenstown.

The ridge line alternates between wind packed, crusty snow and more knee-deep, soft snow, which slows our progress towards the summit. As we ascend, the blanket of cloud lifts to reveal a breath-taking palette of colours that create the landscape surrounding Ben Lomond. On one side, the lilacs, whites and earthy tones of Mt. Aspiring National Park. The other is every shade of green sandwiched between white peaks and the deep blue of Lake Wakatipu. At the end of the lake a few flecks of random colours represent the buildings of Queenstown.

Seventy meters below the summit, we need to leave the ridge and traverse a steep, snow-covered face to gain the summit. Gabriel went first. The snow gave way more readily than on the ridge and he sank to above his waist. Gabriel looks back with saucer-like eyes and, without a word, I knew what he was thinking.