MOUNT TUTOKO.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17109, 2 April 1921, Page 7

MOUNT TUTOKO.

ASCENT BY MR S. TURNER.

A DIFFICULT CLIMB.

U'ER TRESS ASSOCIATION".)

Mr Samuel Turner, F.R.G.S., returned on Sunday to Wellington from the Mount Tutoko district, whe.ro he carried out considerable • exploration work covering a period of several weeks. He states) that he and his party found that three sides of Mt. Tutoko contain ice falls and precipices. In order to get a. chaUbo to climb this mountain a unique method had to be adopted. From a base camp, in the - Tutoko Valley they ascended to a high, camp, and from there they ascended to a bivouac 52001 feet, where cooking had to'be done with a methylated spirits cooking stove. From this biveuao the' party lad to climb with all camping equipment (which limited them to three days' nrovißions) for twelve hours over ico fiefds over the shoulder of ..a mountain at a height of 8000 feet, across steep rocks and snow slopes, then descend a couloir <a deep gully of snow and smooth ice-worn neks) 2000 feet, down, to a newly-discovered glacier,, which nobody had ever visited or seen before on the'north' and north-east ijido of Mt. Tutoko. Their next bivouac was on the side of at a height of about 4700 feet. The following morning it was raining and making a late start about 8 o'clock, they reached within 350 feet of •the summit of Mt. Tutoko (which was found to be about 600 feet higher than expected) by 5 p.m. One of the. party was « very slow climber,, and this was a serious handicap, making the lost piece of steep rock a longer matter than usual in the very Cold,, threatening weather. If the party had not turned when they did they would have risked being benighted on the mountain, with the prospect-of being frozen. As it was they unanimously agreed to return, and got- to the bivouac at 11 p.m., travelling in the* night mis*. Snow commenced at midnight, and early nest 'morning there was about six inches of snow around the camp afld on the steep couloir up which they should return. A wind storm duringthe'night nearly blew the tent and was very, fierce and cold. . The only chance of safety lay m reaching Martin's Bay for food; 'so with only one day's supply lelt they made what is considered! by men wlio know some part of the country an impossible trip, to-Margin's Bay, j ha,vin£; to negotiate unexplored ice and.snowfields, precipices, and new passes. Martin's Bay -was reached after threedays of strenuous-effort, and by the aid, or providential' luck in., crossing i treacherous Hollyford i-iver and oth*r obstructions; Continued I drove the party round about 250 to #W miles of country, and Mr Turner himself had Similes to travel. to getlmck to the high bivouac again via the Glenorchy post office, where ho dispatched telegrams and just stopped the very | thoughtful and generous relief expedition which was about to be sent out by the New Zealand Government.. On Mr Turner and two of his party "returning to the high bivouac,.the weather was too bad to make another attempt at'Mt. Tutoko, but- he and Mr Frank Milne climbed five hitherto unclinibed peaks, 7500't0 8000 feet, and ho took 400 to 500 feet of cinema films. Mr Turner says he has spent some hundreds of pounds (during the last three .seasons on exploration of, the Tutoko district, and the discoveries and climbs he has made have amply repaid . him. This.year's party comprised one cinema i man, two Lands two climbers, "and. three porters. I ' This is l tne most important expedition ever .carried out in New Zealand.. . A little of the district just explored includes the Tutoko 'Valley,, which is unmapped, and prior to this wad only been paid "two short visits of four days by iv two separate parties. Most of the/district Mr Turner's expedition has explored was never visited by anyone pre-; vious tp Mr Turner taking the exploration up seriously. His tquipment wits ' perfect and elaborate, 'and the details;'" swagging, etc;, were carried out alt right, except that : some 6tores wero stolen. The nature of mountain geology, however, makes climbing very difficult, in that part of the country, and a party in unexplored country !aas to take many risks that climbers in other not called on to take.'. Mr Turner says thaft Mt.Tutoko is abous €OO feet higher than stated on the Now Zealand survey map, and there are iwo big peaks 9042 and 9691 feet, whilo the New Zealand Survey Department only shows one, 5042 feet, on its map. Mt. Tutoko affords the most'trying exploration work in .New Zealand, the principal i difficulties being in the first 5000 to 6000. feet of precipices. The Tutoko district has the Best largest ice-iaeld to L Mt. Cook district.

Mr Turner has spent about two months m each of the last cleren seasons iu climbing and exploration of the most difficult mountaineering propositions in New Zoaland. Mo is the only man who has ever attempted to climb Mt. Cook alone, and ho succeeded in March, 1919, in reaching the summit and planting the ■ British flag there. This feat was witnessed by a guide*and climber who saw him plant his flag. Tho flag was. seen on the following day by several climbers and guides. The New Zealand High Commissioner's office. London, and the Australian Geographical Society has placed' Mr Turner's qualifications before the Alpine Club and the Royal Geogiaphical Society, but Mr Turner understands that the president of the Alpine Club want 9 members of the Alpine Club to be the first to climb Mt. Everest. Therefore, if the club takes on the responsibility for the first attempt, and the attempt fails. Mr Turner is willing to organtso an ail-British expedition to Mt. Everest, when the best climbers in the British Empire will be selected. He says Britain .-should take .warning. The Arctic and Antarctic honours were lost to tho British Empire and won by Peary and Amundsen through their taking a broader field for selection than one particular exclusive club. It is hardly likely that Beveral unique climbers will be found in the Alpine Club capable of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. Although, the club has the right of selecting: the climbers, Mr Turner thinks the* Empire's best climbers should be selected. No Stfiss guides or foreignera should be used in an£ capacity, \