Injured Climbers Lie Exposed On Mountain

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 1

Injured Climbers Lie Exposed On Mountain

(From Our Own Reporter) TIMARU, January 11. Two parties are making their way tonight to Mount Jellicoe ( 10,000 ft in the Mount Cook region, to rescue two injured climbers, lying roped to rocks on a sheer icy ridge whipped by snow, rain and high winds.

They are Miss Beverley Price, of 184 Mount Albert road, Auckland, and Mr Gus Powell, also of Auckland, who were seriously injured in a fall this morning.

Their safety depends on three other climbers’ efforts to protect them in snow caves.

Chief-Inspector E. J. Trappitt, of the Timaru police, said tonight that Miss Price had concussion and other injuries, including a suspected fracture of a thigh, and her companion was believed to have a suspected fractured skull. Miss Price is head of the languages department at Westlake Girls’ High School. Mr Powell is first assistant master at Kaipara College. Both are experienced mountaineers and members of the New Zealand Alpine Club. A six-man team, led by a ranger, Mr B. L. Jenkinson, left the Mount Cook National Park Board headquarters at midday, and was expected to reach the Gardiner Hut late tonight. It will continue tomorrow

lon a three-hour trip to the Empress Hut, and will take another three hours to reach the injured climbers. Inspector C. McKenzie, of the Christchurch police, arranged the dispatch of new high-level-face rescue gear with Mr B. Hairfield and Mr J. Wilson, which was flown from Christchurch this afternoon. The aircraft was unable to land at the Hermitage airstrip because of turbulent conditions and touched down at Glencairn, about 60 miles from the Hermitage and alongside the Ohau river towards the head of Lake Benmore.

The party arrived at the Hermitage by bus, left the park board headquarters, and was joined by three members of the new Search and Rescue group at Otematata for the trip to the Hooker Hut. Helicopter at Hermitage A helicopter, owned by Helicopters New Zealand, Ltd., and piloted by Mr R. Wilson, left Mount Studholme

at 7 p.m. and arrived at the Hermitage tonight. Weather permitting, it will be used to rescue the climbers tomorrow.

The police representative of the South Canterbury Search and Rescue Organisation (Sergeant R. H. McMurray) left Timaru for the Hermitage at 9 p.m. tonight. He was accompanied by Dr. J. R. McKinnon, an experienced alpine climber, who was recently appointed to the staff at Timaru Hospital. Mr P. Cuff, the first contact man attached to the Timaru Search and Rescue Organisation and a party of 17, including members of the Timaru Radio Emergency Corps, will leave Timaru at 5 a.m. tomorrow. The National Park Board’s chief ranger (Mr M. L. Burke) said the injured climbers were among a party of three who climbed Mount Jellicoe.

“The three were roped together. Two were caught by a

gust of wind and knocked off their feet. They slipped and were knocked around on rocks. The first man, Mr D. Drake, just held them. He secured them and tied Powell to a rock and made Miss Price as comfortable as he could,” said Mr Burke. Mr Drake returned to the Empress Hut (8300 ft on the western buttresses of Mount Cook between the Empress and Sheila glaciers, and sent a radio message to the park board headquarters about 11.15 a.m. The remaining members of the party, who were in the hut, are Messrs G. Burton, H. Gifford and D. Collins, of Northcote, Auckland. Mr Burke said that Mr Drake took two of the three back to the injured persons with sleeping bags and supplies. Empress Hut, which is replacing Gardiner Hut as a base for climbs of St. David’s Dome, La Perouse and the high and low peaks of Mount Cook, is two and a half to three hours from Gardiner Hut (5600 ft on Noeline (or Pudding) rock, above the Hooker glacier.