The Coldest Night Of The Year!

10 August 2026

Last week when conditions were so good, I couldn't help myself but have a crack at camping in the snow, something I'd never done before. As I later discovered, I'd picked what turned out to be the coldest night of the year! 

Hiking up the Lewis Pass Tops track, it took about 1.5 hrs to the bush line, but then the snow got pretty deep & it became much slower going. Frustrated that I couldn't get over the last ridge to a series of tarns (the snow was just too deep), I settled on this small plateau, about 1500m up. It was now late afternoon so I quickly set up camp before the sun started to set. And as the sun lowered, it highlighted these icy formations that rose above the surface of the snow, such beautiful light! I carefully captured several series of images across the horizon, which I stitched together into this stunning panorama. And as for camping in the snow? I think I'm hooked!

"The Coldest Night"

Such a stunning spot to camp!

Melting snow to make tea!

The next morning, I had survived the cold!

The track near the top of the bushline:

Start of the track, opposite St. James carpark:

My location on the topo map: