PIONEER CLIMB OF MOUNT COOK

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22305, 20 January 1938, Page 12

PIONEER CLIMB OF MOUNT COOK

FIRST CONQUEST OF EASTERN ARETE

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT

The previously unclimbed eastern arete from the Anzacs to just below the second peak of Mount Cook has been conquered. Messrs L. V. Bryant, of the staff of the Waitaki Boys’ High School, and C. L. Mahan, of the staff of the Timaru Boys’ High School, acknowledged as two of the finest mountaineers in New Zealand, have added this to their already formidable list of conquests. Mr Bryant, who was a member of the 1935 Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, and who is a member of the Alpine Club, London, the Himalayan Club, and the New Zealand Alpine Club, attempted the eastern arete of Mount Cook five years ago with Mr Mahan, who is a member of the Alpine Club, London, and the New Zealand Alpine Club. They reached 10,000 feet, when bad weather forced them back.

On the recent occasion, in spite of an eight hours’ wait on the Linda glacier, they pioneered the new route in 23 hours. The pair left the Hermitage on January 12, and on January 14 a bivouac was made at a height of 8000 ft at the foot of the virgin eastern arete. They left next morning at 3.50 and reached the crest at 3 p.m., and continuing towards the high peak they attained their objective at 5.20 p.m. Eight Hours’ Wait

After descending to the Silverhorn by the Linda glacier route, the climbers found that the badly orevassed glacier and poor light made it impossible to continue. They waited from 9.30 p.m. until 5.30 a.m. and reached the Haast Hut at 8.30 a.m.

The climbers said that the condition of the first half of the eastern arete was excellent for crampons, but the rock work was hard. The hot sun, thereafter, made the snow tr_acherous and they were thigh deep in it at times. TLe last 800 ft, over which steps had to be cut in blue ice beneath avalanching snow, gave a great deal of trouble: but no effort was required to surmount the summit ridge and ice cap, although double roping was necessary on the descent.

Night in Open Expected Messrs Bryant and Mahan said that such a contingency as spending a night in the open was expected. They dug themselves in in the snow, changed their footwear, and donned wind-breakers. Had there been belter light they would have arrived at the Haast Hut at midnight. Mr Bryant said that they weie fairly confident of success. It wa the longest continuous arete that cither of the mountaineers had encountered, at times fairly narrow, a i half way up the ridge a delicate undulating arete was traversed.