SLIPPED 500 FEET

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1932, Page 6

SLIPPED 500 FEET

CUMBER HURT ON -TARARUAS

RESCUE -IN FOG- AND GALE

MASTERTON, August 24

A party of three Masterton trampers had an unenviable experience on the high js lopes of Mount Hp Ids worth. Drie of‘ their number, Mr Cameron Cook, missed his footing while climbing the final, sharp, razor-back ridge near the summit, -and slid down the snow-covered, south-west s''ope, about 500 feet, iiito the rocky gorge. The party was without ice-axes, which are rarely required on IHioldsworth, but Mr W. L. Free .laboriously cut steps in the almost solid, ioe.teovered s’ope down to where the injured man, lay. He,was found to be badly, bruised -and -suffering from *hoo-. Fortunately the party had a rope, and with the aid of this Mr Cook was taken -up to the ridge. Mr Cook was; safelynegotiated and the injured man was hr mi adit into Masterton by car.

“Visibility was , very bad on,: Ho’dg-'i .worth yesterday,” said Mr Free this . mornina. “There was a thick fog, and j we could not see more than ten yards 11 ahead. The wind was of gale forcßj j and : ’in places’ We had to get down Ha ’ our hands and knees.” 'Mr Free added that the .snow on Mount Ho’-dsworth' was now very hard, and on some of the ; jn.zor-back bridges" almost solid ice. i Anyone climbing-the" peak now should*] P-a-ve an ice-axe. ’-j

There hq,ve been>a number of acqfc •dents in the Turai'uas,. but conipai a.tivid,y: ,faw isa -t, Mount HoldswOrth; * st favourite peak with Wairffrapa climbers. , ' 1 7