BROWsing

2025-03-09 16:09

Went up Brow Peak again today.

View of a tussock-riddled ridge looking North-East, Brow Peak at the highest point

I've now been up there 39 times over 33 runs. Pretty lucky to have this one so close to home, just up behind Arrowtown. The ridge is undulating with views into the back country. I picked a new line up today. Followed some goat tracks along a ridge that scrambled up through the bushes before hitting the open tussock. Here are all the routes I've taken to date that hit Brow Peak:

Topo map view overlayed with all routes taken to Brow Peak

I reckon there's a few more in there. The shortest is about a 10km round-trip with ~1000m of elevation gain. I like it here because you can just go as short or long as you want depending how you feel. Today's was 14.2km and 1,156m elevation gain. Felt just right.

It is fun to go off-piste on these local peaks. Navigation is easy here with the open tussock land and not-so-dense bush. It is still hilly though, exposed in places, and we get the alpine weather so can't be stupid about it. It is slower going, but always a little more interesting than tha main trails with fun little scrambles.