Was up the route yesterday and a nasty North wind
kept things quite cool all day.
The route is dry except for the snow cone at
the base and the right hand variation on the last pitch. Snow starts in
patches just past the hut and we used/needed ice axes to cross hard snow slopes
to get to the base of the route.
The descent is a bit "rugged" right now with
the snow starting pretty much at the top of the route and ending just above
where you branch off to the hut on the approach trail. It was boot top to
waist deep for the summit ridge and the descent gulley had an unforgiving
breakable crust from the top until the first rappel station.
Cheers
Mike Stuart Alpine
Guide
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