With a light pack and a paraglider for speedy descents, an American climber has done in four months what others have taken decades to achieve.

One young American’s audacious summer adventure has stunned the New Zealand climbing and paragliding communities.

With his passion for the mountains and attention to trip planning, 25-year-old Nathan Longhurst has set an example that will resonate with everyone who loves a backcountry adventure.

Over summer, Longhurst took on the New Zealand Alpine Club’s (NZAC) ‘100 Peaks Challenge’, with peaks selected for their geographical diversity and difficulty. Only Kiwi Don French had climbed them all, and he took more than 30 years to do so. Longhurst solo-climbed the summits in just four months, but not in the traditional climbing sense. He accelerated his quest by paragliding off many of the summits, sometimes flying across valleys, over glaciers and rivers or between peaks to ‘re-position’. He also walked, ran a bit, kayaked, and mountain biked. 

In March at an evening hosted by NZAC Tūpiki Trust, Longhurst spoke about his adventure. Paragliders in attendance were astonished by his flying achievements. Some of the summit launches were incredibly technical and complex, and his weather analysis had to be detailed, specific and timed to perfection.

Longhurst confirmed that accuracy was critical, and that careful planning, especially around weather, was a huge part of managing risk. 

“I spent a lot of time forecasting, checking hourly, and looking at which forecast models were accurate and right for me. On any less-than-perfect day I tried to be more conservative and careful, and I avoided bad weather on the technical peaks.” 

Something for all backcountry adventurers to consider. And there’s more.

Longhurst considered what he would carry with care. Despite his nationwide mission, he used a helicopter only to send ahead three food caches. At its heaviest, his pack was around 10kg. His paraglider was a lightweight 1kg, and he grimaced as he recalled how he sacrificed comfort for weight with his 100g harness.

Talk of bush-bashing brought another grimace: “I spent hours battling through dense, almost impenetrable bush, most memorably in Fiordland with a sprained ankle. Glacial recession also made for some nasty and dangerous travel through steep post-glacial moraine walls.”

He quickly learned how fatigue can affect risk management. “I became more self-aware and managed risks more responsibly for the rest of the project.”

On the bright side, the backcountry huts were fantastic. “This project wouldn’t have been possible without them,” he says. “They saved carrying weight.” 

He mostly wore trail-running shoes (which he was still wearing for his talk), even for some summit climbs.

But surely, someone asked, in his haste he would have missed the little things like flowers? “No, I have to correct you on that. I very often did notice some delicate flower, or a moss, and even if for just one second I appreciated its beauty. I love the natural aesthetics, and I think that with walking in, climbing, then flying, the sense of scale changes throughout the day. As you approach you see the flowers, the trees, the river; on your technical climb you focus on every little rock hold; and when you’re flying you see the entire mountain range. It’s like changing the lens on your camera dramatically throughout the day.” 

Longhurst has completed major endurance expeditions in the US, so why New Zealand, and why this challenge? He recalled visiting a friend in Wānaka last year. “We climbed Tititea Mt Aspiring, did some flying and explored a couple of valleys. I fell in love with the feeling of remoteness you get in the alpine terrain here, despite its relatively easy access. I realised this would be a great place to fly and climb, and the 100 Peaks Challenge provided the framework for that experience.” 

Climbers and paragliders say Longhurst’s ‘para-alpinism’ could be the latest new thing in the evolution of mountain exploration. But the modest adventurer had a message for everyone who likes the great outdoors. 

“Invest time and energy and structure your life around your passions – and that can take a lot of work – rather than just coasting along and going out for random recreation when it suits. My passion is being in the mountains, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to experience these New Zealand mountains in such an immersive way. For me, it was beautiful and scary, humbling and empowering. Remember, the mountains are there for everyone to have their own experience, in their own way.”