CLIMBING AORANGI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 3

CLIMBING AORANGI.

ASCENT OF MOUNT COOK VIA GREEN’S ROUTE. ,

ALPINE PERILS AND GLORIES.

AN EXPEDITION WITH GUIDE THOMSON.

The following interesting account of an ascent of Mount Cook during the 1912-13 season is written by Mr S. Turner, F.R.G.S. (Riissinn Imperial Geographical Society Medallist), who is a well-known alpinist and the author of books on mountaineering; it describes a climb with Guide Thompson over some of the ground on which the Hermitage party came to grief a few years ago: Wo left the Ball Hut early, in order to have a good rest at the Bivouac Rock on the Haast ridge. On our way across the Tasman Glacier we met Guidos Clarke and Murphy, with Messrs Wright and Chambers. They informed us that they had climbed •Mount Cook via Green’s route, and as we had made up our minds to climb Mount Cook wo decided to climb it while I waited for Mr Peter Graham to join us in an attack on Mount Tasman. We thought it would give us an easy day and get us in form for Tasman. After about four hours’ climbing we reached the Bivouac, and after taking photographs, pitching the tent and a good meal wo retired to rest with the hope of leaving at 11 p.m. Turning into the sleeping bags 1 was unable to sleep, and when our little alarm clock went off denoting that all chance of sleep was at an end, wo scrambled out of the tent and had breakfast. I was not feeling too willing ,to move, therefore, rather glad to find an excuse in discovering that it was raining, and as it does not require much persuasion to doze off at such an unearthly hour, we tried to sleep for another hour. Finally we started at 1.30 a.m., up over the snow and round the left of Glacier Dome.’ We . turned towards the Plateau near a huge boulder; whore Bannister vanished into a hole. I clutched the rope, but it was unnecessary, as he scrambled out all right. Wo each had turns tumbling into concealed crevasses and holes covered by snow. Although we hnd two lanterns, the shade of the crevasses could not bo seen, but wo pushed along at a anick pace toward* the slopes of the- Silberhorn. Here we took quite-twenty minutes to cross a huge avalanche of ice, , which bad enormous blocks of ice in it. The precipitous slopes of the Silberhorn, perhaps 200 to 300 feet thick with ice and 2000 to 3000 feet long, had by the spring thaw broken away and crashed down, on to the basing of snow. on" THE ICE IN THE DARK.

Our route now lay across slopes of snow on the spur of the Silberhorn, and on to the Linda Glacier, over which we carefully picked our way in the dark, and came to the square blocks of ice which'had been formed by this, glacier of the most pecular formation 'possible; instead of being crevasses, which most glaciers form by the ice crawling over a rough rocky bed, the glacier was formed into blocks, which indicates that the glacier bod is smooth, and the ice had broken by its own weight, forming a most unusual sight. Square block's of ice 200 to 300 ft thick, and from 200 to 300 square yards, were lying at an angle of between 20. arid 30dec of a slope, sloping in different directions, causing wide V-shaned holes 200 to 300 ft deep. In some places where. the . two sharp points met it caused a r natural. bridge, very narrow. This was the only way from one to the other, which in the dark and .the shade of the lantern made this narrow, stride a careful business. In some, places we had frail snow bridges, and had to risk their breaking. We thought that,we should be able to use the previous parties’ steps, but found it too difficult to follow them in the dark. Wo found it difficult to get off one square block, but the lucky snow bridge which conriected one block with another was found at last, and we carefully picked our way across. . , From the middle of the Linda Glacier and up to the head the ice is more crevassed than in the first half, and we had- numerous snow bridges. Some of these bridges were perfect in shape, and spanned great depths. We put out the lanterns and rested near one of these perfect snow bridges, and prepared to breakfast, but this early breakfast, before sunrise, sitting on the remains of a huge avalanche about 9500 ft above flealevel, was a mistake. We 6tood and froze in order to have some hot tea, but it did not take long to make us cold again, and I was glad to start after breakfast at about 5 30 a.m. UP THE GLACIER.

Mount Cook, looking from either the Tasman or- the Hooker side, appears to be quite a solid block of mountain, but if tne reader could have seen the view from the route we took, it would astonish him, as there is a natural highway up the glacier right into the very heart of Mount Cook, which is quite a huge hollow fed by the ice and ice-snow avalanohes that pile . themselves on the glacier in fantastic confusion. The narrowest part is about 10,000 ft high up the glacier behind the long black ridge on the right of the Tasman side of YTount Ccok at the top of the ridge, and we actually walked up the glacier quite 1000 ft higher than the top -of .that ridge under steep rocks. As we mounted the steep slopes under these precipices in the heart of Mount Cook the sun made us very warm and formed a heat mist, which lay around the ridge and these steep ice slopes. We soon gained the rocky ridge of Mount Cook, about 1200 feet below tho summit, and it afforded good climbing. We carefully climbed on to the long sharp ridge which connects Mount Cook’s summit with these summit rocks, and although the previous party had cut steps they were almost useless to us, and . they, had to be nearly’ all cut over again, with the disadvantage of making the steps weak. It took about two and a half hours’ careful walking over this, precipitous ice face, and once or twice I stood and looked down 7000 feet on to the face of the mountain, which was as steep as it is possible to be. It was up that same face we did the first half of the traverse of Mount Cook six years before, and I quite realised the significant remarks of Guide Graham, who told me that the ascent of Mount Cook by that route was abandoned, owing to being too lon*. . while, the descent down Green’s Gouloir,. the way we descended, had aleo been abandoned, owing to its being too dangerous. Easy routes up Mount Cook have been discovered since. I am sure that but for this sharp long exposed ridge of Mount Cook, connecting the summit with tho summit rocks, which could not be crossed m bad weather, many more climbs of Mount Cook would have bron recorded. There is, however, the Hooker Ridge, up which a lndv climbed last year, which has no ridge of this kind. The rocks lead to the summit- direct, and that route is the easiest, up which any good athlete might get to the summit of Mount Cook. Not so the route which we were now taking. ON THE SUMMIT.

It was with a feeling of freedom hat we at last reached the final steep dopes forming the cap on the summit >f Mount Cook. The snow was very soft and in bad condition and we had o go carefully half-way up the cap. There was a big hole, like a < cavern, ime distance undor the summit. This cave in t.h© snow was not there six

years ago, and the summit cap seemed quite changed. From this hole a craqk extended right across the mountain, over which it was necessary to climb with care, as the snow was particularly soft. Making a zig-zag course we reached the summit at 10.20, in exactly Bhr 50min, nearly three hours quicker than the previous party. The summit of Mount Cook this time I was quite-250ft higher than rix years previously and the shape "was entirely different. Six years before the summit of Mount Cook was a round cap about 20ft across before it dipped suddenly. This year the wind from the south had piled up the south side with pnow quite three feet higher than the north side. The hollowea-out part was about six feet wide and quite twenty feet long, sloping towards the summit rocks. In this hollow I had about forty minutes’ sleep out of the one and a half hours we remained on the summit. There is nothing a nap in the middle of the day following .a sleepless night, and Mount Ccok summit was nice soft snow, sheltered from the wind and warmed by a very hot sun. I evidently set a good example, because Thomson lay down to sleep not far away from me. We took each other’s photographs, ate a good lunch, and attempted to realise the view. I called Thomson and. Bannister's attention to the fact that we could actually see the farm houses on the plains, and Thomson picked out Mr Somebody’s farm dow r n in Westland. We saw the sea on the West Coast at times and also the bight at Timaru; while the panorama of mountains was unique for New Zealand. Mount Sefton was bathed in clouds, as it was when I was on Mount Cook’s summit before; Mount Tasman was magnificent, with its sharp ridge sparkling in the sun; Mount Dampier and Mount Elie de Beaumont—the Mont-Blanc of the "Mount Cook range—also looked very bold, while the knife-like ridge of Mount Green could be seen outlined in the distance against the slopes of Elio de Beaumont. It was a- glorious day, and a more glorious view.’ It pleased Bannister so much that he could not attempt a description. It was the first time a Maori had reached the summit of Aor an gi. Although most of New Zealand is now owned by white men—some of whom do not know the respect due to the Native race—the mountains were, never bought or stolen from the Maoris, and must be’ong to that race still. 1 am therefore pleased that I was the first man to take this ! young Maori, only eighteen years old, to the summit of New Zealand’s highest mountain. DANGERS OF THE DESCENT.

There was a bitter cold ’ wind blowing from the south, and we did not! stand on the actual summit more than about twenty minutes before we commenced the descent. Tho sun had gained its greatest warmth, and we found that a very severe thaw had set in, and our steps were nearly all obliterated, thus requiring tho greatest care. Going across the crack which extended from the Ice Cave the snow gave way and I sank up to the arms in the hole, my legs dangling in space. I called to Bannister to haul me out, os .it would have been dangerous to have tried to struggle out, but he being inexperienced and not knowing my reason for asking to be pulled out stood still, while Thomson quickly jumping over the crack hauled me out, without the necessity for any struggle with the snow on my part. We carefully climbed across the precipitous fact already described, and 'gained the summit rocks.

I think the best way over that steep ridge is to walk on the top of it. unless it is corniced (that is overhanging). Walking on the sharp ridge summit would be very much quicker. Tho long ridge on Mt Softon is about three times as long and seeing we crossed it in a gale. 1 cannot understand .why the- two Swiss guides and Mr Green failed to gel to tho summit of Mount Cook twenty odd years ago. We paused on the summit rocks for a few minutes to get a drink, and then proceeded to climb down the ro maindcr of the rocky ridge to -tin. place where wo joined the steep snov, slope. We were now very dry, and would have liked a drink, but although we could hear si reams of water bubbling down underneath the rocks, we could not get any to drink, so we climbed on to tbe slope, which to our surprise was quite sloppy and very bad going if not dangerous. We had noticed coming np that the elope we were now climbing over was. dangerous, on account of Etones falling from the steep rocks of Mount- Cook, b.ut it was Thomson who remembered this coming down, and as soon as ho sounded tho Earning I insisted on merely running across the slope. Some people believe in instinct; well I am one of those people, because it has saved my life many a time. My baste was the same instinctive feeling that something was going to happen ; and sure eno-ugh a big black treacherous looking stone shot down the slope about ten to fifteen yards behind ns. and several others quickly followed; so we felt pleased with ourselves. This incident called our attention to the dangers from mow and rock avalanches in climbing Mount Cook by Green’s route. We had crossed about a dozen huge avalanches and became so indifferent to them as to actually breakfast sitting on one. HOME OF THE AVALANCHES.

■ We were in the home of the ice and snow avalanches, all pouring on to the head of. the glacier, which is like a huge cup collecting all the icc and snow to nil the plateau below, which in its turn feeds the Hochstetter Icefall. It is a most thrilling sight, and of all the glaoiers I have

ever been on in the four continents where I have climbed, the Linda Glacier takes the first place as a gorgeous spectacle of ice-covered mountains alive with avalanches which the mighty sun strips off their slopes. We paused for a drink of tea, but decided not to wait until the billy boiled. Before leaving the spot we witnessed a big avalanche—’which echoed in the mountains with the roar of its crash, off the steep slopes of Mount Cook, not far behind us. We had to keep a sharp look-out for ice coming off Mount Dampier’s steep slopes, as we heard reports like the crack of the rifle—the climbers’ first warning of the on-coming of one of these unavoidable dangers. Our progress was slow from the top to the bottom of the Linda Glacier, because the snow was very deep and soft, and the snow bridges are frail. We had to resort to all the skill we could put forth to get across one or two of them. We plodded along stoutly in snow deeper than our knees, and into all kinds of concealed holes caused by the exceptionally hot sun, and instead of taking four or five hours to reach our camp wo took about seven and a half going as hard as we could. We reached camp just about dark. Bannister took himself off the rope without giving us warning, and the loose end of the rope brought a big stone down after me, which jnjt missed my head. It is surprising how many lucky escapes a climber is able to record, even in one season’s climbing. We slept well that night, but as Peter Graham did not come up in order to climb Mount Tasman, I decided to go down to the Hermitage for a day or two’s rest. The weather was Tery changeable, hence the reason of my rushing the peaks, climbing over 29,000 feet in one week, from the Hermitage and back again; this includes the accent of Mount Elio de Beaumont, Mount Green, Mount Walter and Mount Cook, and back to the Hermitage. We quickly descended to the glacier and tho Ball Hut, and on to tho Hermitage, finishing the latter part of our journey in three hours and a half. -■ The glacier excursion is very popular, but the climbing exneditions are still very few, though climbing . has taken a good leap forward since my expedition made the traverse of Mount. Cook six years ago. That traverse practically started a new epoch in mountain climbing. May it continue. GUIDE THOMSON. A GREAT ROUTE-FINDER. I am glad to have been the mean” of giving Guido A .m:nson the chance of proving himself second 'tu none in New Zealand by his climbing witji me, while Bannister, eighteen years, of age, 1 although requiring more experience of high ascents, was certainly a geed third man on the Hermitage staff. iliey should be given a bonus for all their high climbs. I can assure tho Government that if they pay their mountain guide:; well, and keep three or lour permanent high-climb guides, many more tourists will go to the glaciers. 1 had been up the Ta man face of Mount Cook and Thomson had been up tho Hooker, side of .Mount Cook, but: •neither of us had been up tho Green’s route of Mount Cook, and even that climb was unknown to us. Than:con, however, hnd a marvellous knowledge of the way of the mountain, and. although l made many suggestions and consulted with him or many points, in the main lie led ms and Bannister to success, and ho has a marvellous routefinding head. Here is -a tairplo of the! •man: Coming from tbs Mov t Sefton climb down the rocks i-'ir the Hooker side, Thcmrpn scraped away two feet of snow with his ice axe, and stooping dowft picked up something.. 1 asked hii.i what he bad found, and was very much .astonished and amused when, rubbing something on his pants, he,- said, “I dropped a sixpence on my way up five.days ago, and I marked the. spot by;;that boulder." • yiiat was, knpck-pnt>i’’- ’.Thnhsaon,. evidently; an •’ Abbrdpninn,'- •thought ~sixpence so important that lie bad the spot of that serious’.mishap- graphically marked in.his mind, and actually found it under tv.-o feet of enow. Well, no wonder Thomson is a great routefinder. S. TURNER.