IN THE ALPS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1930, Page 3

IN THE ALPS

CONQUEST OK GLACIER. PEAK THE FIRST ASCEN'h An interesting account of the firsl ascent of Glacier Peak (9865 ft). from the east side as lie made it during December, has been given by My H. E.

L. Porter, A.C., of England. For two days Mr Porter ,and Guide Williams waited in Do La Bache Bivouac, under the shelter of a great rock for the weather to clear. The second night gave no promise, but the next morning was clear, starry and calm. The glass was surprisingly low, but as things turned out, the snow was frozen. fairly hard, and it was probably the only possible weather for the climb. At 3 a.m. a start was made up.the Rudolf Glacier. This was the fourth time Mr Porter had attempted Glacier Peak, twice with Guide Frank Milne, when he had hoped to do it by way of Douglas Peak, and nice a week a previously when he and Guide Williams were turned back at an altitude of over 8000 ft. by a howling wind. The peak was climbed in 1907 j by the Rev. H. E. Newton, Dr Teiehelmaiin, A. C., and Guide Alex Graham Tom the West Coast side. Emm the foot of the mountain the. route to where they .had previously ■limbed led up a rock - ridge with i.atches of snow.. _ At that point the j limbers reached a snow dome from i which they looked straight up at their soal. The safest way now-seemed To ic to make towards the north to Fren•hav Col and thence to strike along be Comvay Ridge. However, this was t long way round, and the ice-fall between Glacier Peak and Conway, hough dangerous, was the more direct ■oute. “There was an enormous amount: if avalati'Tie snow and ice at the hot-j 'mi,” said Mr Porter, “but we took lie risk. A lot of new snow was slid- j ng down as well, but it did not seem 1 to be coming in our direction.” I Through the glittering scracs and •mong the crevasses the party threadd its way. Near the top a huge j •idirund threatened to bar the way but

■ beautiful snow ridge did away with the obstacle. A very steep snow and ce ridge was negotiated and finally he ridge was reached just north of lie desired peak. The climbers rested i while and had a meal. They then nished on, and by 10 o’clock stood at lie summit of Glacier Peak. Before starting down, Mr Porter and 'Glide 'Williams looked longingly at )ouglas Peak. This mountain, La °eronse and Dumpier, are the only mes over 10,000 ft in the Mount Cook egion of which Mr Porter has not nade the ascent. An easy, though narW snoiv ridge oined it'to the point in which lie stood, but the 300 ft of ock,. covered with a mass of glitterng icicles, made it quite impregnable, 'ntil later in the year this peak .is Iw.ays protected fiom the assaults .of nountaineers by this means, and by .Tie time the ice is forced to retreat •enforcements have appeared in the orm of a huge bergsehrund which shuts off all routes from the east. Douglas has only once been climbed, md then it was from the west side, by .he party already mentioned in 1907.

No sooner had the climbers regaind the ridge than a huge tangle of deles dashed from off the Summit and wept the route up which they had come. It was decided then to return by a different path. “For three hours,” said Mr Porter, ‘we followed along a very delightful idge to the north and arriyed r at Frenchny Col. It was a snow ridge—tarrow and with rocks occasionally •reeping through. From there it was necessary to move back to the same nevee which had been crossed below file ice-fall during the ascent. From Frenchay Col only two hours were taken and at 5.45 p.m. the bivouac was safely reached. After a short, rest ■ere and a meal, the climbers set off rir the Ball Hut, where they spent r.he night. Flie de Beaumont is the other great peak which lias fallen to Mr Porter md Guide Williams this year, and again it was a case of succeeding where earlier attempts had failed. With Mr Marcel Rurz, the well-known Swiss climber, Mr Porter had on the first occassion attained a height of 9200 feet by 0 o'clock in the morning. Suddenly a terrific sou’-wester blew up md they were forced to turn back their crampon tracks already being obliterated; A second time the attempt .vas made a little too late in the year. “As is usual in December,” Mr Porter explained, “the ascent was a plain work through the centre of the ice-fall. There was not a moment’s danger. We could almost step across the big schrund below the summit, lust a few steps had to be cut.” The time of the ascent from the Malte Brun Hut was 4 hours 40 minutes—within five minutes of the easy record established by Mr Allan James and Guide Alack.

Mr Porter, together with Messrs Hugh Chambers, of the Hawke’s Bay, and Mr Norman Morrell, now intends making an attempt on Mount Aspiring near tiie head pf Lake Wanaka, and in March he will return to the Hermitage to capture, he hopes, the giant Douglas, La Perouse and Dumpier.