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Carita Johnsson
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
Alpine Recreation
4.5/5
My husband and I completed the Balls Pass Crossing late February with Alpine Recreation.
We were originally booked for a few days earlier but due to extreme weather conditions we managed to organise alternative dates which was great. We had a window of 2 good days so we agreed to do the trek in 2 days and do local activities on the third day weather permitting. There were 3 of us in the group with our guide Jono leading the way. The walk was tough with lots of fresh soft snow but truly enjoyable. Jono was a fantastic guide and ensured a safe and enjoyable crossing. He was also a super chef cooking up a storm in quite basic conditions. Caroline Hut was perfect for the night.
I would recommend the trek highly to anyone interested in mountain trekking but caution that the weather is really unpredictable. Had we not been able to reschedule and ended up doing alternative activities would have been very disappointing.
Thank you, Carita, for your helpful feedback. Yes, in this mountain environment we do have to respect the weather and be flexible with alternative dates, activities or venues if necessary. It is surprisingly seldom, however, that we cannot stick to original plans. You book the guide, not the weather, and the guides are well trained to make good use of the time with useful instruction on things such as map reading, navigation, local history...if the middle day has to be spent indoors.
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Alpine Recreation