Ben
Lomond
At 1748 metres above sea-level, one gets a magnificent views of the
landscape surrounding Queenstown from the cone shape summit of Ben Lomond.
The track up to Ben Lomond starts in town at 420m. It takes 6-7 hours to complete (or
less if one takes the gondola to reduce the climb by 400m). The first
stage of the track is through a mixed forest of mountain beech, Douglas
fir, poplar, and larch.
Leaving the forest, the track continues along a ridge covered with
low scrub leading to the Lomond Saddle. From the saddle, the
ascent to the summit becomes rather steep, but the 1-1.5 hour's climb is
well rewarded by the panoramic views at the top. On a clear day, the
snow-capped Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring can be seen in the far distance.
For those who are super-fit, there's an annual 18 km Ben Lomond Assault
mountain running competition waiting for your entry! It starts at
Arthur's Point and heads up Ben Lomond before descending to downtown
Queenstown. See if you can beat this year's "Peak Performer
(Male)" time at 1:38:05! |
1/4 way up - just out of the
bushline |
Ben Lomond in the background |
|
Before the Saddle - at 1209m
|
C'mon, great views
waiting at the summit!
|
Game for the Ben
Lomond Assault? - it
only took the guy 55 minutes to run down to the gondola from the summit! |
Ben Lomond Summit 1784m |
