In New Zealand for 3 weeks for a try on Mount Cook (Aoraki). At 3752m, its the highest mountain in the country and, depending on how Austral-asia is defined, highest on the continent. Its located in the Southern Alps of the South Island, a stunning range with giant glaciers and steep cliffs. Given the fact that i'd be solo, I hired a guide - Marty Schmidt - a very accomplished climber whose guided all over the world, including Everest and K2. They allow for 6 days since the weather is so variable. Cold winds come up over the ocean from Antarctica and usually bring snow. Mt. Cook is only 40 kms from the ocean, so by the time the winds hit they regularly gust up to 150kph. Weather on the mountain was very poor the first couple of days, so we played golf and went rock climbing to some crags on the eastern side of the island.
Finally the winds calmed and we flew into the Alpine Club hut at 2200m. The hut is perched on a ridge in the center of the range, and, although we were the only ones there, is the hub for trekking and climbing in the area. We organized our gear and set out Saturday afternoon up the heavily crevassed Linda Glacier on snowshoes. After 4 hours we set up camp at about 2800m and slept for a few hours before leaving the tent at around 1 am. Winds were light, and the sky was filled with stars.
After roping up and crossing the rest of the Linda Glacier, we ascended/traversed steep snow slopes to a location called the Shelf. The first section of technical climbing was up a couloir of maybe 60 degree snow/ice. 3 or 4 pitches of our 60m rope led to the start of a section called the Summit Rocks. At that point the sun started to rise over the peaks, and i realized just how steep and exposed the route was. The rocky section was 3 or 4 rope lengths of steep mixed rock and ice - again 2 ice axes were necessary. We rested at the top of the rocks, then head out up the Ice Dome, at first a steep ridge that dropped off 2000m to the east, then finally snow slopes to the main summit at 8 am. In respecting local Maori beliefs, we did as all climbers and did not stand on the very highest spot. Weather was great and winds were low - we could easily see out to the Tasman Sea to the west.
A very long descent followed - slow going down the steeps with 10 or 11 rappels. Picking up the tent on the way, we made it back to the hut at 5 pm, all told a 16 hour day. We were able to catch a helicopter out just ahead of a fresh storm, and and hour later were settled in the Mountaineers Pub in Mt. Cook Village for steak dinner and celebratory beers. Excellent climb, one of the toughest i've done.
Second pitch was firm ice, in the sun...gorgeous day.
We reach a plateau and traverse along the top of a ridge to the summit. Views are stunning in all directions - the Columbia Icefields, Mt. Columbia, and countelss Rockies Peaks. Not a single soul around us for miles. We work back down in a circuit, climbing to the Athabasca-Andromeda Col. A few rapels take us down stee snow slopes, and back down the the glacier below. We are back at the car by 2 pm - 14 hr day.
Very good day in the Rockies. 
After we were comfortable, JD led up to the top, one vertical pitch followed by one lower angled section.
14,000 ft is the next stop, and is as much a basecamp as any other. There are doctors tents, latrines, and weather reports. The next section is a very steep snow slope followed by a section of ice. These are are fixed ropes. One clips in to the rop ewith an ascenter (or in our case a sliding know) and crawls up the steep slope for about 5 or 6 rope lengths. The top of the fixed ropes brings us to the 16K Ridge, which is above the clouds and climbs up through mixed rock and snow. 
Camp at 17,600 is a cold and windy spot, so the idea is to hit a weather window, spend one night there, get up to the summit, then come back down as qucikly as possible. Our first attempt results in failure - we come back down after a very cold and windy night, and no sign in let-up of weather. On our second try the weather is much better, though Rob decides to stay behind. We get off to a scrambly start for the summit, and after an hour i am cooked. So Jr. and Shane continue up, Sean and I back to the tents 17k Camp.
Waiting anxiously all day, Jr and Shane finally come back around nightfall. They made it! Sean and I will try again tomorow, weather permitting. With instructions from Jr as to the route, Sean and I set off at 9 am, first to leaver high camp. And the weather is perfect. Cold, but not a breath of wind. Up and up we go, past landmarks - a big rock here, a weather station there, before coming out in the sunshine. Around mid-day, we are on the summit! Highest point in North America. And what a view - not a cloud in the sky and a view for miles and miles. 
We get back to 17k camp before sunset and crash, eager to stumple back down lower the next morning. 2 days later we are all back at the airstrip, ready for our ride back home. 
The first day takes us along steadily - always at 20km/h - up or down, straight or twisty, wind or none. We spend 5 hours in the saddle and cover over 100km. We find a great campsite at a lake past Nordegg. The second day takes us into the wind and the start of the Rockies. We have a huge lunch at Saskatchewan River Crossing, then press on to a campsite past Chephren Lake. Another 100km + day, but the weather is perfect. The thrid day its up and over what will be the highest point in the trip - the Bow Summit. We are up and pedalling early, its best at this time of day to avoid the traffic. Gorgeous morning in the Rockies!
We gain the President-Vice Presidednt col, then I follow JD up towards the main summit. Whiteout conditions make it difficult to assess where we are, but we manage to find the highest point. Third times a charm!
Our first camp is Confluencia (3350m), named for the meeting point of two large glacial valleys. The next day, Christmas Day, we do a side hike up to to the base of the West Face of Aconcagua. Only the most elite mountaineers in the world have climbed the mountain via this route.
The next day, we pack everything up and head for Plaza de Mulas...basecamp. Its a long day up desolate Horcones Valley, but we finally arrive at 4200m, exhausted. There are hundreds of climbers here from all around the world. A few days rest here get us used to the increased altitude. This is the highest mountain outside the Himalayas, so there are doctors here that check your blood pressure and O2 saturation levels. Here the water is ample, it can be collected from glaciar runoff. Up higher we will need to melt snow for drinking and cooking.
The next camp is Nido De Condores, the condors nest, at 5400m. Its an extremely windy plateau with not much in the way of cover. We've been on the same schedule as a solo Swedish climber named Rob. We discuss strategy, read and melt snow. Jr. is drinking the water faster than i can melt it! A number of other teams try for the summit straight from this camp. We decide to give it a shot - load up with water and powerbars and head off from the tents at midnight. An hour later we are back in the tents, back to the drawing board. We decide to move up to one camp higher, Camp Berlin at 5900m. This is where most party's try for the summit. If means a tough carry and sleeping quite high, higher than the summit of Kilimanjaro, but the summit day is alot shorter. We get out of Camp Berlin in good time, the first team to leave camp. Its a crystal clear night, no clouds. Its cold (probably minus 10C) but no wind. We slowly work our way up, each moving at our own pace. JD is off ahead, Rob behind me. Up we get to a vantage point where you can see a long diagonal traverse up across a scree slope. JD's already crossed the traverse - he's moving fast. Following the traverse is a last steep section of scrambly rocks called the Canaleta. Half way up, I finally see JD, he's on the way down already! Almost there. Another hour and I reach the top, the view is tremendous, and not a cloud in the sky. Very little wind. For a few minutes, I'm alone as the highest man in South America.
Yet at the top you're only half way there, still the matter of the long decent back to camp. Slowly down, now without the motivation of the summit. Back at Berlin, Jr. has dismantled the tent and continued on down. We pick up whats left and head down further. Back at Nido, JD has not set up the tent - still down he continues, so on we go. Same story at Canada, so all the way back down to basecamp we go, finally arriving just as the sun sets. All in all, a 16 hour day on the mountain. We are too tired to set up the tent, so we lay out our sleeping bags on the ground in one of the storage tents, and fall asleep. The next day, all the way back out the 40 long kms to Puente Del Inca. We've missed the mule train for the day, and we are not about to stay an extra night, so we hump everying out on our backs. We limp back to the trailhead pretty weathered, sunburned badly, a few pounds ligher, and exhausted. But thats it, the job is done!