Queenstown Mountain Holidays ready, set, go for busy summer season

Image caption:  Queenstown Mountain Holidays' corporate helisking and ski touring trip.


Queenstown Mountain Holidays, the resort’s only professional mountain guiding company, is all set for a busy summer season with numerous private and corporate trips already booked.

The company, which launched just over six months ago, experienced a successful  first winter with a number of trips undertaken around the South Island, ranging from all-girl ski touring to corporate guided mountaineering.

“It’s been an incredibly busy first few months in business,” said Queenstown Mountain Holidays owner and experienced guide Mike Madden.

“I returned from guiding on a Mount Everest expedition in Nepal and went straight into the heli-skiing season, running Queenstown Mountain Holidays, and working as guide and avalanche forecaster for a local heli-skiing operation,” he said.

Queenstown Mountain Holidays is fully accredited under the government’s new adventure tourism safety guidelines and has a number of mountaineering ascents and instruction courses booked and scheduled to run.

“The summer is looking equally as busy with a mixture of private guided mountaineer ascents to Mt Cook, Mt Tasman and Mt Aspiring, one-on-one mountaineering instruction, some multi-day group and corporate trips as well as guiding visitors in the local Remarkables mountain range.”

Mr Madden is the youngest IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations) mountain and ski guide in New Zealand.- which takes between 7 – 10 years to complete - and is the highest mountain guiding qualification available internationally.

Queenstown Mountain Holidays ran a mountaineering, heli-skiing and ski touring combination trip for a group of four corporate clients from Australia earlier this year to rave reviews.

“The first day started with an ascent of Single Cone, the highest point in the Remarkables, and the next day we helicoptered to the Isabel Glacier in the heart of the Mt Aspiring National Park.”

“This venue has views of the highest peaks in the world heritage park and offers great ski touring in a spectacular location.”

“After two amazing days in the mountains we stepped-up the experience once again with a day of heli-skiing in the North Harris Mountains in perfect powder skiing conditions,” he said.

Another highlight was an all-girls ski touring trip in September, offering a group of like-minded ladies the chance to spend time skiing, exploring the glaciers, challenging themselves, and learning new skills in a supportive environment.

“Our timing was perfect and with good weather forecast we landed at the head of the Tasman Glacier in a ski plane on the first morning.”

The Tasman Glacier is home to some of New Zealand's best glacier ski touring with the terrain offering everything from gentle neve corn runs to steep powder skiing for the more experienced skier.

“The scenery is simply breath taking,” said Mr Madden.

“Over the four days we explored the Tasman, Mannering, and Murchison Glaciers, skiing everything from powder on the South Face of Almer and Hochsetter Dome to corn on the Murchison Glacier.“

“On the third day we spent the afternoon teaching the group crevasse rescue skills, i.e. how to rescue someone if they accidently ski into a crevasse.”

Late last month the company ran a private guiding and instruction course at the head of the Tasman Glacier.

The course was provided for four corporate clients interested in gaining the skills needed to climb the ‘7 summits’ (the seven highest mountains on each continent including Mount Everest).

“Over six days the group learnt mountaineering skills including ice axe and crampon use, ice climbing, expedition and snow camping skills, and crevasse rescue.

“The highlight of the course was climbing a mountain at the head of the Tasman Glacier based from a tent camp,” said Mr Madden.

While summer is all go, go, go, the company is already looking to winter, planning heli-skiing and accommodation packages as well as other guiding and accommodation packages for visitors seeking high end experiences that can only be provided by professional IFMGA Mountain and Ski guides.

“I’ll also be going back to guide on Mt Everest again this coming March, which will be a great experience,” said Mr Madden.



A Fox and Franz Joseph glacier traverse this winter.



Experienced mountaineer Mike Madden descending from Lobuche on Mt Everest 2014 expedition.  Credit: Renan Ozturk.


About Queenstown Mountain Holidays
Launched in March 2014, Queenstown Mountain Holidays is Queenstown’s only professional mountain guiding company.

The company is owned and operated by experienced mountain and ski guide Mike Madden and offers guided ascents of New Zealand’s highest mountains - Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, and Mt Tasman.

It also offers guided backcountry skiing and helicopter accessed hiking trips in the most spectacular and remote mountain areas of the Southern Alps.

Mike Madden is the youngest IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations) mountain and ski guide in New Zealand. Currently there are only 45 IFMGA professional mountain and ski guides in New Zealand. The IFMGA mountain and ski guide qualification takes between 7 – 10 years to complete and is the highest mountain guiding qualification available internationally.

Over the winter season Mike works as a guide and avalanche forecaster for local heli-skiing company Harris Mountains Heli-skiing.

He has been working as a professional mountain and ski guide for the past seven years in New Zealand and internationally guiding his clients to the summits of some of the world’s highest mountains.