Aoraki/Mt Cook, New Zealand – On October 27, 2017, ski mountaineers Enrico Mosetti, Ben Briggs, and Tom Grant made the first ski descent of the Caroline Face on 3724-meter Aoraki on the South Island of New Zealand. Congrats!
Here’s the route skied on Aoraki’s Caroline Face according to Ben Brigg’s Facebook Post:
And the line from Tom Grant’s Instagram:
According to Tom Grant’s Instagram, “The icing on the cake was skiing it in powder most of the way. 3 raps and despite all the seracs in the photo, it was good, clean skiing. ”
Aoraki/Mt Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. The first ski descent of Aoraki/Mt Cook was made in 1982 by Wanaka guide Geoff Wayatt. Today, ski descents are not uncommon, but the Caroline Face is a different beast. The Caroline Face is an extreme 2000-meter face that begins between Middle Peak and Low Peak on the Aoraki summit ridge. Swedes Magnus Kastengren and Andreas Fransson tried to make the 1st ski descent in November 2013, but unfortunately Kastengren fell 600-meters to his death on the mountain. Learn a bit more about the Caroline Face.
Now Italian Enrico Mosetti and Britons Ben Briggs and Tom Grant skied it. Super cool.
