Skier, kayaker and jack-of-all-trades adventurer Nick Pascoe went from Mt Aspiring to the Tasman Sea with two friends via skiing, glacier travel and packraft. Here’s what he took.

Ski kit

I took lightweight gear that’s still bomber and reliable. On my feet I had the DPS Skis Pagoda Tour 105, paired with an ATK Freeraider 14 tech binding for easy uphills and good downhill stability. Total weight of skis, bindings, boots and skins was 9kg.

Sleep system

We wanted a sleep system that would ride out a storm,  and took a four-season The North Face VE25 tent. I had a Marmot Never Summer sleeping bag.

Packrafting kit

I took Kokopelli’s Nirvana packraft (4.5kg), which gave me confidence in the bigger rapids on the Waiatoto River. A split paddle (which breaks into four pieces) was a must to make the bush-bashing more manageable. For this trip our climbing helmets did triple duty and were worn on the river too. I also had a PFD and an Immersion Research drysuit, which was critical when we had to get into the water to cross the melt lake at the toe of the Volta Glacier. All up, the packrafting gear was just under 10kg.

Alpine gear

We had crampons and ice axes for the gnarlier alpine terrain. I’m a fan of Petzl’s no-frills performance gear: Lynx crampons and Gully or Nomic ice tools. A lightweight 60m rope and crevasse rescue kit were our insurance policy for crossing glaciated terrain and getting out of the mountains. We took a slim bail kit of nuts and pitons in case we needed to create an anchor and rappel on unknown sections.

Essentials

As emergency gear we had PLBs, an inReach, first aid kit, maps, headlamps and some extra food.  To fit all the gear I took  a custom-made Macpac NZ Alpine Team 85l pack.

Cooking 

We kept cooking simple with a Jetboil, which is great for its light weight and efficiency if you have to melt snow for water. There wasn’t space for much else!

Clothing

I wanted clothing that’s warm when wet and breathes well. The Patagonia R1 Air Hoody was a great mid-layer, and I had a DPS sun hoody for the hot afternoons on the glacier and Patagonia Powslayer shell outerwear for bad weather.