CLIMBERS TRAPPED ON STEEP FACE?

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31092, 22 June 1966, Page 1

CLIMBERS TRAPPED ON STEEP FACE?

Hazardous Task Before Eight Rescuers Today

Eight men will today try to rescue four mountaineers believed to be stranded on the precipitous, rocky Otira face of Mount Rolleston about 600 ft below the 7450 ft peak.

The overdue climbers were last seen at 430 p.m. on Sunday, about twothirds of the way up the 4000 ft Otira face.

About 1.50 p.m. yesterday, a search party on the Otira slide, which cuts diagonally across the foot of the face, heard calls from the face. Searchers tried to investigate, but were driven back down the face by deteriorating weather.

The missing men are Mr B. Ferguson, aged 19, son of Mr and Mrs K. F. Ferguson, of 105 Southampton street, Christchurch; Mr C. Robertson, aged about 20, a student of the University of Canterbury, of 12 Arthur street, Invercargill; and two Englishmen, both aged about 19, who arrived in New Zealand less than a month ago.

The Christchurch police have not released the names of the Englishmen because |hey have not yet been noti-

fied that relatives have been informed they are missing. Messrs Ferguson and Robertson are fairly experienced climbers who have previously been called out on search-and-rescue work. The Englishmen had climbed in Britain.

Today the eight rescuers wiK dimb on to the peak. They will then try to lower themselves 600 ft down the face to where the overdue climbers are thought to be stranded.

The face is practically vertical in places, but rock ledges cut across it It is believed the climbers are on one erf these shelves. The face is now covered by snow and ice. Cloud was down to 5000 ft yesterday, and visibility down to half a mile.

Snow is forecast down to 5000 ft today. The weather and ice will make the rescue attempt very hazardous, and may prevent the rescuers from reaching the peak. Calls Heard The field search controller, Mr P. Croft, who is chief ranger at Arthur’s Pass National Park said in a telephone interview last evening that it could not be said the missing climbers had been located. However, several searchers had heard calls from the Otira face. “It is apparent that those on the face saw the searchers coming up the Otira valley. The voices could be heard only from one place on the slide. When searchers moved away from this place, they could not hear the voices. At least two voices were heard.

“Because of this, we have been able to pin-point the approximate area the voices came from. We do not think the rescuers will have to lower themselves more than 600 ft down the peak,” Mr Croft said.

The men were reported overdue at 2 p.m. on Monday by Mr Ferguson. Rangers made a preliminary search that afternoon, and searchers

from Christchurch left for Arthur's Pass at 3 p.m. yesterday. Mr Croft said that 22 climbers left Arthur's Pass at 7 a.m. yesterday. Parties searched in the Rolleston, Waimakariri, and Otira river areas.

Three parties attempted to climb Mount Rolleston by the low peak, the Otira face, and the Philistine-ridge. The weather was poor, with visibility down to half a mile. Heavy rain was falling, and the search parties were unable to climb the mountain.

“A conference has just concluded,” Mr Croft said last evening. “A full-scale search of the Otira face is planned. Support parties from Greymouth will arrive at Arthur’s Pass tonight. “An Army field ambulance unit and signals unit have been supporting the search. A 30-man Army team is moving to Arthur’s Pass to pack supplies in to the search area and for field support.” Rescue Team Mr Croft said that the Otira-face rescue team would comprise Messrs L. Crawford, B. Hearfield, P. Farrell, A. Vemoom, P. Squires, R. Yates, L Gardiner, and J. Wilson.