MOUNT ASPIRING.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14621, 24 March 1913, Page 9

MOUNT ASPIRING.

-♦ AN ADVENTUROUS CLIMB. A party, consisting of Messrs H. E. Kodgktnson and G. Robertson (Wunaka), J. R. Murrell (Manapouri), and Mr S. Turner, F.R.G.S., of Lower Hutt, Wellington, who acted as leader and step-cutter, recently made a successful ascent to the highest .summit of Mount Aspiring, 9975 feet above sea level, by a new route, running from a N.N.W. direction. Mr Turner passed through CliriAchurch on Saturday, and in the cour.se of an interview with a "Press" reporter gave a graphic account of the climb, which, he said, gave the ■ party everything it was possible to get on a mountain climb. "The party," said Mr Turner "crossed the Bonner Glacier, and climbed across an enormous avalanelip of ice. intending to climb, by the west face, but about 1000 feet of ice and snow had fallen off the face across tho glacier, causing an avalanche of millions of tons of ice and snow, about 1{ miles long by a milo wide. This left icepolished rocks up the west face, so I Ted across steep snow slopes to a serrated, ridge, and the party had lunch about neon under an almost perpendicular thumb of rock; about 7500 feet above sea level, with the precipices of Aspiring underneath, with Stargnzer Peak and Glacier Dome to tho N.N.W. lower down, practically on the lower end of the ridge. Tho party then climbed along the around the thumb of rock (locally called tho Pope's Nose), j and along three or four serrated narrow ridircs, with tho precipices of Aspiring on the left, finnlly reaching a N.W. face of Aspiring, and evaded the snow slopes by walking over smooth slabs of rock on the edge of tho precipices of Aspiring, climbing the last snow slopes from a N.W. to -S.S.E. direction, reaching tho Inchest Mimmit from behind. ' Tho last 500 or 000 feet was loose, beady ice, in which good step cutting was impossible, and tho summit was slivhtly corniced with doubtful snow. The party on arriving at the summit were caught by a wind with driving sleet and fog, which prevented all but a few minutes stay on the summit. The party had no steps to come down in owing to the beady wot nature of the ice slope into which the party dug a gutter. Down this they had to shuffle with great care. The summit having been reached at 5.30 p.m-, tho party was prevented from descending more than about 1500 feet before the rain storm enveloped them in darkness. Some small holes under somo rocks just above the ridge near tho snow slope wns the only slight protection against the storm, and at this height, over 8000 feet, the party spent the night, making a fresh start in a fierce storm which threatened to blow them off tho top of tho narrow ridge (Turners' Ridge). After careful climbing over and along tho base of tho pinnacles on the we came to the luncheon place under the hugo Thumb, and turned towards the Bonner glacier. On climbing down the face of Turner's Ridgo to tho edge of tho glacier wo found a huge Berghscrund had taken the place of the steep snow slopes over which we had gained access to the mountain ridge, but after some careful'work found a way on to tho lip of the glacier, but it took us a lot of searching to try and find' our steps leading over the steep slopes, in the dense fog and rain storm. After giving up any idea of finding the steps the party proceeded carefully across the glacier, steered by the bump of locality* and finally found the steps, which were again obliterated by the avalanche, but the party emerged from the avalanche on to the steps about the middle ton side of the glacier near a rocky bluff coming from Aspiring. The glacier was soon crossed and the Quarter Deck Saddle was climbed over the snow bridges, much broken face was climbed down, and Tho Bivouac reached for lunch, and Aspiring Head camp at 3 p.r . We had been Goi hours without sleep, including starting from Cascade Camp, 9th- March 0.30, a stay of five hours at the Head Camp, starting and climbing the mountain, 10 p.m., March 9th, and bein<? benighted March 10th, descending March 11th. >»c took the only chance of climbing the mountain after a long spell of very stormy and rainy weather. This is tho first purely amateur party in New Zealand who have ever climbed a mountain of equal difficulty to Mt. Aspiring, and it starts a fresh epoch in the annnls of mountaineering in New 'Zealand."

.Mr Turner added that the only previous ascent was mado by Captain Head's party, aud that was in bad weather..