HOLIDAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
MANY PARTIES
PLANNED JOURNEY ALONG MAIN DIVIDE During the Christmas and New Year holidays many young men and women will be among the rocks and sftow of the Southern Alps. According to a report received in Christchurch from the chief guide at the Hermitage, Mr M. Bowie, the mountains are in good order for climbing. Only favourable weather is needed to ensure good climbing. A number of interesting climbs have been planned for the holiday period. On Saturday a party of five members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club will set out from Arthur’s Pass for the Hermitage, following a route close to the Main Divide. This journey, it is understood, has been completed only once before. That was at Christmas time in 1934 whe» the mountaineers were Graham Burns and the late Max Townsend. Mr Townsend, a very well-known figure in the mountains, lost his life in the Rakaia river about a year later. The section of the trip from the Rakaia to the Hermitage has been covered several times. It has been done on skis by Mr George Lockwood and two years ago a party from Canterbury College did the journey. On this expedition the climbers will keep nearer to the Main Divide Than the 1934 party. They expect that the journey will take about 12 days, actual travelling time, and that the distance they will cover will be about 130 miles. In 1934 a similar time was taken but a distance of 158 miles was travelled. The party hopes during the journey to climb Mount D’Archfac (9279 feet), if the weather permits. About 70 pounds of supplies have already been packed up to the bivouac at the mouth of Eric stream on the Havelock river, so that the party will not have to carry so heavy a load from Arthur’s Pass. When they reach the Hermitage they plan to cross to the West Coast by the Copland Pass, if conditions are favourable.
Unexplored Region Another party from the Canterbury Mountaineering Club plans to go up the Wataioa river on the West Coast to climb some virgin peaks in the South Butler Range. It is only over the last two years through the exploration of these climbers that this region has been accurately mapped. They found a range of heavily-iced peaks from 8000 to 9000 feet, and this year’s expedition is in effect a continuation of their exploration. Last year Jhey climbed three virgin peaks in the region. Another interesting expedition by a party of five will be to the Kea Pass, by way of the west branch of the Mathias river. The pass was last crossed in April. 1935, by Messrs W. B. Cullens and A. R. Cant. Most of the peaks in the neighbourhood have been climbed only once or twice. Four members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club hope to climb Mount Aspiring (9975 feet). They will live in a show cave on the Bonar glacier. Several parties will be in the Mount Cook region, and one operating from a snow cave at the head of the Fox glacier is understood to have some original climbs in mind. Two parties will be at the head of the Rakaia, and cne of these will be travelling over a part of the route to the Hermitage, but it is not known whether it will go the full distance. The mountaineering club expects that about 80 of its climbers will be out during the holidays.
A party from the New Zealand Alpine Club will endeavour to climb Mount Cook by Earle’s route, one of the least used approaches, which is largely a rock climb. The success of this attempt will depend largelv on the weather. Four Canterbury climbers will also make an attempt on an unnamed virgin peak in the Hookins Valley. Lying immediately south of Mount Hopkins on the Main Divide, it is extremely difficult to approach.
Canterbury. North Otago and Auckland climbers will be in a party of five, including a cameraman of the National Film Unit, who will make an attempt on -Mount Asniring. It is proposed to nlm the climb as it progresses. Supplies are to be dronped to the party on snow plateaux at the base of Mount Aspiring and the climbers will live in snow caves Another party, which is already at the Franz Josef, intends to attack Mount Elie de Beaumont (10,200 feet) after travelling to the head of the Callery. An attempt on Tutoko, in the Milford region, one of the three peaks in Otago over 9000 feet, is to be made by a party of three from the Alpini Club. This is a climb over granite rock, and the locality is one of the few places in New Zealand with good climbing rock. North Island Parties A large party from the Wellington section of the New Zealand Alpine Club will pass through Christchurch at the week-end on the way to the Mount Cook region. They had originally intended to erect a hut at the head of the Murchison glacier, but negotiations with the Air Force and other aerial interests to have materials dropped at the site have fallen through. Some of the party, however, will lay foundations over the holidays. The hut, which is prefabricated, is at present in Timaru. This is one of several North Island parties coming to the South Island. Another from the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club is reported to be going up the Waimakariri Gorge to cross the alps by the three-pass route. The need for all climbers tn exercise care .when crossing streams was emphasised yesterday by an officer of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club. He said that streams were at nresent in fairly good condition, but they could rise rapidly after rain. It has also been mentioned that the Whitburn bridge in the Dart Valley is definitely unsafe.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25994, 23 December 1949, Page 8
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977HOLIDAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25994, 23 December 1949, Page 8
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