Private Mountain and Ski Guiding

Private guiding allows us to customise trips for mountaineering, climbing or ski objectives and instruction throughout the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. With an extensive knowledge of the mountains, we can suggest a variety of objectives and work towards short or long-term mountain goals. You might have specific objectives in mind and want the flexibility to wait for optimal conditions or trust in your guide to find the best possible adventure during the time you have available. We can work with you individually or as a group to suggest a variety of objectives and adventures for the time you have available.

Private Guiding – Mountaineering

Private guiding trips can include any combination of objectives from the Classic Peaks of New Zealand:

Aoraki / Mount Cook (3424m)
Horokoau / Mount Tasman (3497m)
Tititea / Mount Aspiring (3033m)
Maukatua / Mount Sefton (3151m)
Malte Brun (3198m)
Mount Dixon (3019m)
Mount Brewster (2515m)
Lendenfeld Peak (3192m)
Pikirakatahi / Mount Earnslaw (2819m)
Mitre Peak (1692m)

Duration: 1 – 7 days

Maximum ratio 1:4

Private guiding is available all year.

Get in touch or register to discuss your goals and receive advice on the best options for you.

2025/26 Price:

$1250 / $690 per person per day for 1 / 2 people for Northern Aspiring Region (Aspiring and Brewster)
$1350 / $690 per person per day for 1 / 2 people for Aoraki / Mount Cook Region or Southern Aspiring Region (Earnslaw)
$1350 / $750 per person per day for 1 / 2 people for Westland Region
$1390 / $790 per person per day for 1 / 2 people for Darrans, Fiordland Region

Including GST, guide fees, compliance costs, technical equipment, mountain food, ground transport and accommodation.
Excluding: Helicopter costs, and mountain boot hire.

Minimum 4-day trip. Get in touch for a quote based on your exact requirements.

Flight costs depend on location. For smaller groups and at popular times of the year, it may be possible to share with other parties to share this cost or walk down to a lower pick-up or walk-out.

Common walk-in/out options: Bonar Glacier, Mount Earnslaw, Mount Brewster in the Mount Aspiring Region, Sealy Range, Darrans.

Indicative flight costs per group in each direction unless otherwise stated:
– Mount Aspiring: $1500 for up to 3 people and $500 for additional people
– Upper Tasman Glaciers: $1550
– Grand Plateau: $1200
– Westland Glaciers: $1000
– Turners Bivi (Mount Madeline and Tutoko): $1000
– Welcome Pass (Mount Sefton): $1000

Prices are subject to change by the aircraft operators.

Private Guiding – Ski and Splitboard Touring

Private ski and splitboad guiding options include single and multi-day ski touring journeys or destinations based from Wānaka or throughout the Southern Alps and the Aspiring, Aoraki / Mount Cook or Westland National Parks.

We can provide a customised itinerary based on experience, aspirations, and the available time to target the best conditions in the mountains at the time and sample the best ski and splitboard venues that New Zealand has available. This includes multi-day ski journeys, big mountain objectives, heli camps, and private huts.

Multi-day ski touring journeys or destinations:

Tasman, Murchison, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers
Whare Kea Chalet
Ski ascents including the Minarets, Mount Hamilton, Elle du Beaumont and Hochstetter Dome
Cass Valley Ski Touring at Glenmore Station including Lady Emily, Falcon’s Nest, O’Leary’s and The Bad Decision huts
Symphony on Skis

‘Great team at Wānaka Mountain Guides. A well organised, professional team of experienced guides who make each mountain adventure exciting and rewarding. Looking forward to the next adventure in the hills! Highly recommend.’

— Arthur, Private Guiding

‘First class guide with excellent skills with safety being the priority. However, even his cooking was good! :-)… overall had an amazing adventure! Tim managed all aspects of our safety efficiently and professionally. It was a truly great experience! Tim did a first-class job guiding us with his in-depth knowledge of the mountain. He was efficient, professional, and helpful with all aspects of the trip. Very safety conscious and very patient given I was a bit slow at times! It was a really fun and memorable adventure. I would thoroughly recommend having Tim as your mountain guide.’

— Murray, Aspiring Ascent

‘During this trip in particular, I was so impressed with Tim’s technical knowledge and skills that it reminded me of just how little I know and how poor my ability is in comparison. Very happy to continue this way and would recommend others to going guided. Felt totally safe and confident in his abilities at all times. He has a very relaxed and easy manner, and I felt we got on really well. I’m not normally the most sociable of people (maybe that’s why I normally climb on my own!), but I felt very comfortable and relaxed with him the whole time. A really nice guy, and would love to climb with him again.’

— Marcus, Private Guiding