Alpine Squad

The most interesting part of climbing The Minarets wasn’t the summit.

It was the moment we realised how much we had changed.

A few years ago, hard blue ice, cold hands, and hundreds of metres of exposure would have completely overwhelmed us. This time, the fear was still there — but it didn’t make the decisions for us.

That’s what mountaineering has slowly taught us: confidence doesn’t come from being fearless. It comes from experience, mistakes, patience, and one careful step at a time.

Watch the full Minarets climb here: https://youtu.be/URSaW6tWKXA?si=h6wEU...

What’s one outdoor skill you feel more confident with now than you did a few years ago?

#Mountaineering #NewZealand #AlpineClimbing

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 13

Alpine Squad

NEW CLIMBING VIDEO 🚁🏔️

We flew into the Fox Neve hoping to climb The Minarets — one of New Zealand’s more approachable 3000m mountains.

From a distance, it looked like a simple snow climb.

But as we got higher, the mountain revealed something very different: hundreds of metres of hard blue ice, numb hands, cloud, wind, and a descent that demanded just as much focus as the climb.

This video is about The Minarets, but it’s also about the mountaineering journey — how fear changes when your skills grow.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/URSaW6tWKXA

Would you climb this route?

#AlpineClimbing #TheMinarets #NZMountaineering

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 16

Alpine Squad

🏔️ Just finished working through those endless gigabytes of footage for our latest Silent Climbing video: The Minarets.

https://youtu.be/SBSesAVL4ZQ

To be honest, this was probably one of the most satisfying climbs we’ve done in New Zealand so far. Perhaps this time we felt genuinely comfortable moving on glaciers and climbing long, sustained 40–45° snow and ice slopes. It felt like all those previous trips were finally starting to pay off ❄️

One thing we really like about this video is that we managed to include the entire helicopter flight up the Fox Glacier, giving a unique view of the approach to Pioneer Hut and the Neve 🥾

As always, a Silent Climbing video is only part of the story. A follow-up story will be coming soon, sharing the planning, preparation, challenges, mistakes, and lessons we encountered along the way.

We hope you enjoy it. It was a special one for us ❤️

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1 month ago | [YT] | 18

Alpine Squad

🇳🇿🏔️ Waitangi Day on Kehu Peak 🏔️🇳🇿

There’s something deeply fitting about climbing Kehu Peak on Waitangi Day.
This peak carries the name of Kehu, a Māori guide who helped early European explorers move through the rugged Nelson Lakes backcountry 🧭 Long before maps and marked routes, Māori knowledge of land, weather, and safe passage made exploration possible. Most of those guides were never recorded. This name remains.

Standing on a peak ⛰️ like this is a quiet reminder that Aotearoa was never explored alone. The country we move through today was shaped by cooperation, trust, and shared journeys — even when history didn’t always honour that partnership well 🤝

Waitangi Day isn’t just about the past 📜 It’s about remembering who walked first, who guided the way, and how we choose to walk together now ❤️

🌿🤝🏔️

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5 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 21

Alpine Squad

Over the Christmas & New Year break we stepped away from the noise and spent time where things feel simpler — in the mountains. 🎄🏔️

We based ourselves around the Aoraki / Mount Cook area and mixed shorter climbing missions with quiet days of rest and reflection. Climbs included Mount Edgar Thompson, Mount Wakefield, and the Nun’s Veil, with some rock climbing at the Red Wall and peaceful evenings staying at Unwin Lodge.

It was a balance of effort and stillness — going high, staying low, letting the weather decide, and taking time to reset away from the valley. These days reminded us why we keep coming back: not for numbers or glory, but for clarity, perspective, and that deep quiet only the mountains offer.

Feeling grateful. Footage and stories from these adventures coming soon. ❄️✨

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6 months ago | [YT] | 20

Alpine Squad

Twelve days on the Fox and Franz Josef neves — in November. ❄️🏔️
Six days out climbing, six days storm-bound in Centennial and Pioneer Hut.

In between those snowstorms, we managed to climb three New Zealand 3000m peaks: Minarets, Glacier Peak, and Lendenfeld Peak.

But honestly, some of the best memories came from those storm days — sharing food, stories, and laughter while the world outside disappeared into white.

No phone. No internet. Just mountains, weather, and clarity.

Feeling grateful, humbled, and refreshed. 🇳🇿🔥

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7 months ago | [YT] | 17

Alpine Squad

Hey team 👋 Just wrapped up a full Silent Climbing video of the Remarkables Grand Traverse in Queenstown 🏔✨ From Telecom Tower to Single Cone and back down, it’s every step of the route with no talking — just pure mountain sounds and scenery.

What makes this one special is that it’s filmed from two camera angles, with constant references between them. We’re still testing out our new Insta360 camera, experimenting with the best way to capture and share these alpine adventures.

If you’re curious what the traverse is really like, this is probably the most detailed take you’ll find. And even if you’re not climbing, it’s a great one to sit back, watch, and meditate with the sounds of the mountains 🌿🎥

Check it out! :)

https://youtu.be/3G-n6Fjb15A?si=O7Tge...

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10 months ago | [YT] | 12

Alpine Squad

🌄 Despite the busyness of life, we’re pouring our time and energy into creating our most detailed video yet—the Remarkables Grand Traverse ❄️⛰️.

One of New Zealand’s true classics 🇳🇿✨. If you haven’t done it, it’s definitely something worth considering…

This time, with our new Insta360 🎥, we’re learning to capture the traverse from two angles—switching perspectives, step by step. The idea is to give you the clearest sense of the terrain: for those dreaming of climbing it one day, and for those who just want to be there... watching in silence.

No words. No noise. Just snow, mountains, and the quiet beauty of Aotearoa 🌿🕊️.

✨ Coming soon… stay tuned!

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10 months ago | [YT] | 13

Alpine Squad

We’ve just wrapped up another epic Remarkables Ice & Mixed Festival 2025 ❄️🧗‍♂️
We’ve been coming every year since 2019—and honestly, everything we’ve learned yet as climbers comes down to the amazing instructors we’ve had along the way. Big thanks to Allan Uren, Richard Measures, and Jazz Morris for their patient guidance. And a special shoutout to Alastair McDowell for being a constant source of inspiration—an etalon of a climber we’ll never become (in the best way possible 😂).

This year we climbed two 200m mixed routes (M4) and once again tackled the Remarkables Grand Traverse (Grade 2+), now our third time. A weekend full of challenge, growth, and good vibes.

Huge thanks to all the awesome people we met, and to the dozen of you from this YouTube community who came up to say hi 🙌 Your kind words really mean a lot and keep us going.

🎥 More coming soon!
—Angelica & Vitalii

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11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 11

Alpine Squad

What do you think our next video is about? Take a guess—it might surprise you!

1 year ago | [YT] | 6