Client Comments

Everything went like clockwork. Adam was non-judgemental & happy to share his knowledge so that my skills improved.

We were privileged to have Frankie as our guide, she enabled us to achieve something which tested our limits, and her cooking was awesome. Frankie inspired all of us with her storytelling, fitness and achievements, and we all feel motivated to continue our trekking interest that has now been started.

Adam was clear and concise with his instructions. He never hesitated and assured me of all his decisions. Very friendly confidant and made the whole experience very relaxing. His preparation and quality of food are also of a very high standard. His ability to engage and communicate was excellent.

Rabbit Pass was a goal of mine ever since reading a blog/article about it a few years ago. Aspiring Guides made it simple for me to achieve that goal. We were trekking through the most awe-inspiring landscape I have ever set foot in, drinking fresh glacial water without a filter. I could test my limits in high exposure situations while being safely guided. Adam was filled with backcountry knowledge, and it was a joy talking with him along the way.

Words can't really say how good Roy was. He gave good and clear instructions and was enjoyable to spend downtime with. Without Roy, I never would have come close to achieving my goal, and I loved every minute of it, even the sore feet.

Great people, great guides, great venues, resourceful people, great organisation and so on! I enjoyed the time on the mountain. We would have liked to spend more time up there but weather conditions dictated otherwise. That did not prevent Tai from instructing us tons of things. I really liked how he listened to our personal objectives (he asked that at the start of the course and half way through the course) and managed to fit it all in! He managed to cover what we wanted and what we didn’t know we wanted!

Andrea was the best guide we could have asked for. Was extremely knowledgeable and tirelessly and happily answered a constant barrage of questions from us at all hours of the day and night. I liked the methodology of learning a technique the night or day before and then practicing it out in the field the following day. I really liked that he also referred to certain techniques or standards from Europe and America as well as NZ and I felt that I got a really broad knowledge and learnt a hybrid of the best international techniques.

This trip was a huge deal for us... a trip of a lifetime for Warwick and I - to take our daughters out to do something so different and challenging! Then with Andrea’s excellent support, we were able together to: summit Single Cone, experience a night in a snow cave, gain a real insight into mountaineering and have three wonderful dinners / evenings together. All up, just a fantastic trip. Thank You Andrea.

I was very impressed with both the Aspiring Guides set up, systems and support and Joel as a guide. I felt that he was always attempting to add as much value as possible to our experience. The night skiing was a real bonus. He constantly pushed us to get the most out of the trip. Regardless of the weather or conditions. Everything from the interactions with Carla and Jess to briefly meeting Tim and then Joel’s professionalism all excelled.

I thought the course was excellent, and exceeded my expectations. Course content was very thorough and well delivered. Bronwen was amazing, and put a lot of effort into the course. Very enthusiastic, and a great teacher, thanks Bron!

It was super well organised, really professional, covered off everything we wanted to learn.

I would 100% recommend Aspiring Guides. It was a once in a lifetime trip for me. Our guide Dan made sure we got the most out of the conditions that were available to us and actually it meant we got to experience three different back country areas instead of just one, so it worked out better than I even hoped for. Despite being the least experienced ski tourer in the group I felt comfortable and safe at all times.

Did not previously appreciate the risks, and feel significantly more competent and aware in the back country now. Great course! Would recommend to anyone looking at doing more back country. Thanks for a great 4 days!

Really delighted to get to spend the day exploring new places with some enthusiastic outdoor guys.

MAD AS! I would absolutely recommend this course to any aspiring mountaineer and ice climber needing to improve their technical proficiency and experience on steep ice. This course teaches you to climb smarter not harder. A lot of focus is put in to being able to identify safe climbing routes on the ice fall, good axe and foot placement and body positioning. This course has helped me develop more efficient techniques and safer climbing habits necessary to pursue the larger mountaineering objectives.

The course exceeded my expectations. It was a great experience. My favourite parts were the ridge climbing on day 2 and the Single Cone ascent. Dan did a great job through his extensive knowledge and experience and with his approach to guiding and interacting with course participants. Dan and Aspiring Guides would be my first call for any future guided activities in the area. High standard of guiding as above, but also very good administration and office support. Carla and Ross were great to deal with and very welcoming. Service was personalized. Clients were clearly valued and appreciated.

It was perfect. Couldn’t speak highly enough about the guides and the trip. Top drawer.

The guide I can not speak highly enough! I was pushed within my comfort zone, every bit of knowledge and skill was explained from the book you provided to how it is used when in the mountain.

(Brent was) very professional, gave time to each of us, as and when needed. Very patient, always joined in for a laugh, knew when to be serious and looked after us really well. Always positive and friendly. All staff were fantastic. I enjoyed all of it. Brent really catered to us in every situation. When the weather sucked, we did theory and practiced what we could. When the weather cleared, we went for it. Helpful, friendly staff. Well run courses and well run trips.

Exactly what I needed.

I had an awesome time on Aspiring, and the walk out on the Bonar glacier over the Quaterdeck pass on to French Ridge Hut and down to Aspiring Hut through the west Matukituki Valley was the icing on the cake. I highly recommend the walk out as I got see see a part of the NZ alpine environment that I have never seen before. I would do the walk out again in an heart beat, after another climb of course.

Everything has been super organised and the whole Aspiring team has been super helpful. Definitely one of the most well designed and professional mountaineering training experiences I have had. Beauty of this course is it can be tailor made for all levels, and the flexibility it offers.

Yes, I would absolutely recommend this trip. Great way to experience the beauty of New Zealand. This was the highlight of our 3 week trip to New Zealand.

Favorite part: Camaraderie with clients and guide, initial crag climbs/intro, helicopter trips, hut stay, glacier walks, hard snow/ice climbs, climbs at the Remarks. Hard to choose, so many.

I wanted to learn the skills of alpine travel and not just have someone do all the work for me and just get me up a mountain. It pushed me just enough and taught me the skills to know that I need to learn a lot more.

That feeling inside when you’ve summitted and you’re nearly back down, and you see the Colin Todd hut and can relax feeling you’ve done it... Met my very high expectations, and exceeded them really. An amazing experience. Andrea was again a dream guide – patient, calm, calming, very chatty without being in your face. I feel supported and guided and I know he has my back both in terms of safety, but also in terms of expecting me to do things I can do even if I don’t particularly believe I can myself.

The Rabbit Pass / Waterfall section required expertise that was beyond anything I would try on my own or with contemporaries. Rabbit Pass fills a niche for those who are experienced trampers looking for something special. It was a chance to do something interesting safely. Otherwise I could easily manage other tracks & huts without a guide. Brilliant experience. Great trip which was magnified by the weather and conditions. I continue to rave to anyone who does or does not wish to hear it.

Fantastic trip with a great guide. One of the best I’ve ever done.

I have been with Aspiring Guides twice before. On both occasions I had a rad as time and had no questions whether or not I was coming back with Aspiring Guides. As always the information that I received prior to and leading up to the course was more than adequate. The staff made a real effort in answering any questions I had about the guide available and equipment necessary for the course. Was totally stoked I got to do some lead ice climbing and practice multi pitch climbing. Definitely improved my ability to identify and assess avalanche terrain and the best path to avoid maximum exposure. It gives you some good exposure to the alpine environment that you are likely to encounter on the more aggressive alpine routes. Improved my multi pitching ability, mixed rock and ice climbing ability including the ability to make solid anchors. The least favourite part of the trip was the ending. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

Thanks for your great work to make my first trip into the NZ Alps so memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. You are blessed with an awesome landscape - thank you for sharing it with me. A special thanks to Bron for her leadership, friendliness and professionalism out in the hills. I believe we all learnt heaps through Bron’s teaching and guiding. I was the weaker skier of the group and Bron ensured there were always options within my capability and also encouraged me with useful tips. Risks were always well explained and we had some great safety training. The trip was modified according to weather conditions appropriately. I realised how ignorant of avalanche risk myself and those I normally ski with are. A professionally guided trip is a great option. Great trip and great people - clients and staff and Bron as a guide.

The experience is highly unique and away from the crowds which appealed to me. Great set of information to prepare fitness and equipment wise. Tom kept a great eye on all of us to help if needed and tailored runs to each of us if need be. Powder runs, helicopter rides and pristine environment. Experience I’ll never forget.

I thought Aritza and his team were amazing. They all worked hard for us and each other to make the trip a success. I have been on a lot of trips to mountains where camp food is prepared for me. I found on this trip the food was exceptional. Really good food was served up in sometimes quite difficult circumstances and conditions. It was a credit to the cook Achilles. I thought the logistics of the trip were really good. Transport was there when we arrived at various locations from the mountains. Aritza had a very good support team of porters who worked well together and were happy in their work. This came across to me strongly. They were very helpful to both Simon and me and were keen for the trip to be a success. If I get the opportunity to go to Peru again in the future and climb with Aritza in the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca I will definitely go.

Magnificent scenery of the Southern Alps. Spectacular views. Special thanks to Phil for a memorable 3 days - an excellent, experienced, competent guide. A trip you couldn't really succeed on your own unless very experienced. All staff very friendly and willing to answer any queries. Well organised.

We were very confident that Aspiring Guides would give us the small group experience we were looking for. I loved the Valley walking and the experience of the other people on the trip. I also loved how beautiful the scenery was, just so unlike what we get in Australia. It was stunning. I was so impressed by Michael as our guide. He actually made the trip for me. While relatively young in years, his experience really shone and the way he dealt with people of differing ages and experiences was just so impressive. I learned a lot from him over the few days. My overall impression of Aspiring Guides from this particular trip was that it's a very professionally run organisation and you guys know what you're doing. It must get exhausting trying to make everyone's experience special and unique when you've done a trip so many times - but you guys do an excellent job of this and I felt very grateful. I survived and am looking forward to my next hike :)

I like a bit of a challenge and like pushing myself just a little more than I am comfortable. This was definitely achieved especially with the river walks. We saw beautiful scenery, got some very good exercise and spent some quality time with friends, both old and new. The walk up to the foot of Rabbit Pass was my favourite - there was a variety of terrain, a beautiful day, a nice long walk and a great lunch spot!

Tai was fantastic. He was thorough, patient and extremely knowledgeable. He was always safety conscious and provided excellent feedback both during and after the climbs. He also got us to practise some skills such as ice anchors and ice screw placement. This really demonstrated how much more there was to learn and how to better our ice climbing skills.

Would recommend you guys to all my friends and family as the premier guide company of New Zealand. The ice climbing was definitely a highlight, especially seeing how quickly you progressed. But the heli ride in and out was also fantastic. Even walking up and down that hill every day was a highlight. The whole trip was fantastic. Vastly exceeded my expectations. Thanks guys for a wonderful experience I will never forget!

A well structured, well-paced course.

We had the freedom to be on our own rope teams but with the right level of supervision and guidance particularly when doing our practice scenarios eg crevasse rescue - go at our own pace and steps, but Andrea was there and watching and stepped in when we needed it. I feel like I have a sound understanding, and appreciation to practice everything before heading back out, on what I need to do for basic mountaineering adventures to build my skill set. Were still able to get great learning on bad weather days. Andrea was really personable and worked with us. A very professional, entertaining and fun course to give us the basics and confidence to mountaineer.

We all had fun together and spent some valuable bonding time in the midst of the most beautiful landscape. We would recommend this trip absolutely. It was great for our family because it is a good, safe and a less stressful way of having this wonderful experience (having a guide, cook, motivator, organiser with you).

The course met my expectations and pushed me quite a bit beyond my existing experience & knowledge levels. I felt completely confident & at ease at all times with our guide Andrea. I really enjoyed the safety tutorials/classes (avalanche safety, snow anchor theory, skinning technique, steep ski descents), the practical tips & hints on a range of techniques & activities (eg ski crampon usage, belaying without a belay device), the awesome terrain & landscape, and Andrea's cooking. I was impressed by the calmly positive & friendly attitude of all the Aspiring Guides team I interacted with - no big egos or haughty manners! Thanks for a great time, Andrea & everyone. You have a very slick, smooth service that really provides great value for $.

I was looking for a challenging back country snowboarding opportunity for myself and my 12 year old son. It was a father and son trip so I wanted it to be memorable, fun, but also a big learning opportunity. Splitboarding was something neither of us had done. The opportunity to stay at Robrosa Hut was ideal also. Day 2 was an absolutely beautiful day with great snow, total isolation, and the whole mountain to ourselves. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without our guide Jimmy's good nature, knowledge and professionalism. Ben and I now have a well embedded mantra of “what would Jimmy do” whenever decisions need to be made. The backcountry is a perfect metaphor for lifelong learning given the varying conditions on a daily basis. Jimmy was able to make that very clear to Ben in a very teachable way.

How can I say enough about this experience? The location: OMG simply stunning backdrop. The private Rob Rosa huts are well organised and, well, very private. The 15 minute heli ride in was pure joy and anticipation. The course: they delivered big time on avalanche knowledge including theory & practical; a relevant and succinct manual was provided (to keep), as well as a laminated map for each course participant; I learned much more than expected. The skiing: we were fortunate with 3 great weather days plus one snow/rain day in the middle that was firmly seized to deliver theory & practical; meaning that the fair-weather days were used for ski touring & on-mountain snowpack analysis from sun-up to sun-down, most of it on virgin powder. This course is not for the unfit, or for the beginning skier. However if you love nature, skiing, earning your thrills and taking responsibility for your own safety then I cannot recommend this course highly enough.

I feel more knowledgeable, yet realistic that there's so much more to learn and get time in the mountains. There's so much to know and it's super interesting. Four days is just the tip of the iceberg, but it really supports everything else I know about the outdoors. It's great doing the back country skiing (of course) but learning all the time about the NZ mountain weather and snow just adds to the bigger picture.

I took part in the one and half day avalanche awareness course with Aspiring Guides and learnt so much!! All the staff and guides are super lovely people, very knowledgeable and experienced, and I came away from the course with some awesome photos, very achy legs and most importantly a new respect for the mountains! The course taught me a lot about avalanches, and in the field we practised things like safe travel techniques, recognising avalanche terrain, and the proper use of shovel, probe and transceiver in a rescue effort. I would highly recommend this course and the whole company for anyone wanting to experience the wild outdoors!

The trip was everything I'd dreamt of ski touring the Southern Alps, and much more! I enjoyed this trip soooo much! I can't wait to return in a couple years.

Grey's Peak was identified as a suitable goal. Tai kept a tight rein on us initially, and as he saw our level of skill, he released his grip. I never felt too restricted or completely out of my depth. I really appreciated his experience in this regard. His level of knowledge was amazing, he quickly assessed where we were at, and was flexible in setting goals for each day. I felt in very safe hands, and appreciated his efficiency in getting us out of the hut each morning. We traversed glaciated terrain, climbed a peak, did some skills work and the weather was mostly kind to us. Loved the helicopter in and out, and enjoyed the drive to the west coast. The whole package came together very nicely. Just being up in the mountains on the glacier was incredible. The landscape blew me away.

A relaxing getaway with an old mate combined with a cool lodge and back country skiing. Awesome slopes. Staying at Whare Kea Chalet was an amazing place with awesome facilities and luxury beds with a view of the Milky Way! Back country ski touring with a guide in remote locations takes all the stress out of making decisions.

Positive ski mountaineering experience and beautiful glacier environment! Great experienced guide in Dan, super professional, extremely hard working. Food was great and plentiful.

It was a wonderful learning experience. It was great to learn safe travel practices for glaciers, ski the glaciers and experience the mountains of NZ. Trip of a lifetime! It opened up a whole new world to me.

Thanks so much for such an awesome few days in the Pisa Range - remote location, amazing conditions, Dan, our guide, was super informative re snow conditions, safety and general mountain tips. Loved skiing a line and looking back up at it and then the relief of making it back to the top again - that satisfaction of getting some great lines after you have done all the hard work to get there! And thanks for the big, hearty, warm meals. Smooth and professional operation, amazing experience.

You guys are JUST THE BEST! Skiing untracked powder snow where you earn the turns. A truly wilderness experience yet so close to Wanaka. High class authentic NZ experience.

I had an awesome day. Andrea was fantastic and did an amazing job of meeting the group's needs. He found us great snow along with some great touring info.

My mates and I went on a single day backcountry tour in the Wye Saddle/Wye creek out the back of the Remarkables. It was 3 days after a storm that delivered 30cm of fresh snow. While the resort was tracked out days before, our guide took us to some stashes where we found some fantastic fresh turns. Some of my mates had not been in the backcountry before and the guide was very helpful in showing them how to use the Alpine Touring gear and skins. He also conducted a quick training session on avalanche safety gear. We had a truly fantasitc day with Andrea.

Really enjoyed our trip to the backcountry of Treble Cone. The guide made us feel safe and confident, and showed us some incredible places to ski. Would highly recommend.

I was in Wanaka and had a free day, weather was perfect so a day of rock climbing sounded like a good idea. Individual lesson, so it was tailored to my needs and wishes. I wish I had more time and spent a few more days climbing ... I enjoyed all of it.

This was a life-changing experience! Having been with Aspiring Guides for 3 other adventures, I was very confident you would be the best company to lead us on our most challenging project to date. Apart from climbing Aspiring, I knew we would be well looked after in terms of food and every possible comfort, based on most recent experience on the Gillespie. Carla and the rest of the Team at Aspiring Guides were great in terms of providing the information / reassurance of our ability / and clear understanding of the challenge ahead. Also very helpful advising us on training before arriving in Wanaka, which proved to be invaluable on the climb, and meant we got up to speed with our guides on the 2 training days we had. The climb was a stretch even though I was very fit, I gave it my all and had an amazing climb. I learnt a new meaning of ‘exposure’. I thought it related to wind and rain, but now see it is more about ‘drop’…. The pre-training ensured we were safe, but equally importantly so were the guides. The tranquillity of the mountains, so peaceful and surreal when you’re up there. Still hard to believe I achieved my goal! Now I believe I can do anything if I put my mind to it!Check out this video of Gary and Graham reaching the top : click here