All photos by Chris Dunn
Avid skier and professional mountain biker Charlie Murray has been an ambassador since 2019. When he’s not racing two wheels off-road he’s usually clipped to two planks on snow, and after two weeks in isolation, he put some gear through its paces on New Zealand’s highest peak.
It’s an undertaking that’s impressive in its own right, but Charlie hadn’t skied in around 18 months prior to setting foot in Mount Cook National Park either. His ability to switch between sports is one of the reasons his feedback is so valuable. It gives our designers insight that helps them craft gear that works across multiple disciplines, and we’ve found that these people represent a huge portion of you — the people who use our gear.
It’s also helpful that Charlie is such a big fan of the original Huka that it’s become his daily driver in terms of backpacks.
With that in mind, it made sense for him to take a prototype of the new Huka 30L and a Prophet Jacket before his mission got underway. The plan was for him, his brother — an elite freeskier who competes on the Freeride World Tour — and two of their adventure friends, Nick Pascoe and Chris Dunn, to climb Aoraki/Mount Cook and then ski down its east face.
“My brother packed for me as I was in isolation and flying straight to meet the boys. Luckily he grabbed all my ski gear and even managed to pick up one of our old Macpac packs for all the sharps (ice tools) to travel in."
Summit day began on a crisp November morning at Plateau Hut, already 1800m above sea level. Breakfasts were consumed at 1am, and the 1924m ascent to the top began not long after.
The Huka backpack he took was based on the original 34L shape, but the latest version has been redesigned with features that make it easier to access avalanche tools, and let you switch between touring, climbing, and ski mountaineering with ease.
Seven hours later they made it to the top and it was smiles all round. Having skis for the ride down made the journey all the more enjoyable, but the steepness and exposure on the face made this arguably the most dangerous part of the day.
“Dropping from a respectful spot just metres below the summit, the first pitch mostly consisted of icy rime which was almost unskiable. It was certainly a wake up for the ski legs. The next pitch was the East Face which started as a firm chattery wind buff but gave way to about 15cm of fresh powder as the crew got into the main section of the face”.
Managing sluff, falling snow and crevasses, they found time for a few slashes and a couple of drops on the way down. Everyone made it back to base safely, and it wasn’t long before they were sharing stories and swapping high-fives on the Grand Plateau 2000m below.
“The pack came into its own as the back access zip made water and food possible on the steep climb where rummaging around in a backpack can be sketchy. With the constant swapping between ice tools and skis the quick attachment of ice axes was a game changer.”
“It’s always been a dream of Craig’s and mine to climb and ski Aoraki. To do it in perfect conditions with two good friends was a dream come true. Spending my first week out of isolation in the mountains with my brother and mates was the best way to kick off NZ summer”.
Macpac Huka 40L Ski Backpack
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