NEW ALPINE PASS FOUND

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1930, Page 7

NEW ALPINE PASS FOUND

WINTER MOUNTAINEERS,

UNEXPLORED COUNTRY OF CANTERBURY.

CHRISTCHURCH, Aug, 22. Discovery of a new pass over ti» Southern Alps between Canterbury and Westland is claimed by a party of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, who have just returned from five days spent in the mountains near Arthur’f Pass. Mount Franklin, about 10 mi lee north of Arthur’s Pass, some 7500 feet high, has never been climbed owing to the difficulty of access, but on its northern side, there is a pass very little higher, if at all, than Arthur’s Pass (3028 ft.) It is to this depression or the main divide than the party made their way.

Messrs C. E. Fenwick, B. Irwin, R. R. Odell and R. E. Clark set out on arrival shouldered their packs and started on their walk to the Mingha River, a tributary of the Bealey, about three miles below the township. Turning lip the Mingha for about a mile they came to where a little stream issued from a narrow and inaccessible gorge. This is known as Edwards Stream. Though the track did not look promising, nor the general direction correct, they followed the Edwards for another three miles while if took a most unexpected turn round towards the main divide. Shortly afterwards they made their camp. Two of the party then climbed Mount Williams nearby, having considerable difficulty in forcing their way through the hush and in getting through the deep snow on the tops. But they were able to- map out their trip for the next day.

Crossing the stream, the next day the party made a difficult progress through the bush until they got above it, and then they realised that there was a low pass on the northern flank of Mount Franklin.,. The snow was about three feet deep, and as rain had begun, to fall is was in a very soft and wet. condition. At about five miles up the stream they decided to pitch another camp, from which to climb to the pass six miles away.

THE NEW PASS, REACHED

TFio new pass was reached on the morning of the' next day, when they found themsedves under the peak of Mount Franklin, which was on their left /while they looked down the valley to the Otehake which runs into the Tore mil kail in West land. They estimated their height at less thali 4000 feet. On their right rose another peak, hitherto unci imbed and unnamed, down which there fell a continuous stream of boulders and small avalanches of rock. Wherever snow could be in among the jagged, rocky peaks it filled every crevice and made a most impressive sight. Underfoot the surface seemed to be composed of the debris of the mounnitn tons, and while no step was less than knee deep, they sometimes Great difficulty was found in determining which c-irest was the main divide. South of Mount Franklin rises a peak that has alreadv been named Mount Oates by the Mountaineering Club, and in the triangle formed by Oates. Franklin and the unnamed peak already mentioned there seemed to he a fairly deep depression that might be a lagoon in summer time, but was then a white expanse of snow. The approach up the Edwards Stream had been made in a westerly direction, but after skirting the depression that was about a mile across, on the side between Mount Oates and Mount Franklin,. they found that the crest between Franklin and the unnamed peak faced about north. After taking compass bearings to locate their position they returned o their rami), and as the weather threatened to become worse, and snow began to fall, thov made they way back to Arthur’s Pass the next day.

Except for an odd .door-shooter it is thought that no one has been in that portion of the country before. There is no record in the Lands Department of any such visit. It appears that the members of the Mountaineer! mt Club can take credit to themselves for once more assisting in defining the geography of a littleknown part of Canterbury. The discovery will be of great interest to the many people now interested in mountaineering and winter sports, to the people of the West Coast, and to the Lands Department.