MAJOR CLIMBS IN ALPS OVER NEW ROUTES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 12

MAJOR CLIMBS IN ALPS OVER NEW ROUTES

One of the best climbs undertaken by mountaineering parties in the Mount Cook region over the holiday period was the successful ascent of Mount Tasman, ■New Zealand’s second highest peak and the most demanding ice climb. The new route was by way of the snow and ice cliffs above the head of the Balfour neve to the summit ridge, a difficult climb which took 12 hours _ to accomplish, and one regarded as a first-class achievement in mountaineering circles. The party, which made the ascent of the 11,475 ft peak last week, comprised J. Harrison, J. G. Wilson. B. Hearfield, and W Romanes. All have had considerable climbing experience in New Zealand- Harrison has climbed in the Himalayas and all four have done field work in the Antarctic in the last three years. The men’s base for the ascent was a snow cave in the snowfields at the head of the Balfour river and glacier.

On the morning of their climb they left the snow cave at 3 a.m. and set out for the summit over the new route above the head of Balfour neve. They reached the summit ridge a short distance to the west of the peak, and followed it to the top, on which they arrived at 3 p.m.—l2 hours after leaving their cave. The descent to the snow cave was made by clirflbing down the Tasman-Sil-berhorn ridge to the high col between these two peaks, and descending from there directly into the Balfour. i Returned Parties

Although many climbing parties which have been active in the main alpine area around Mount Cook in the holidays are still deep in the Southern Alps, a good number have returned, and the success of most parties indicates that this season is one of the best for some years. Good weather has prevailed in the alps for much of the time, enabling more climbs to be completed. At least four ascents of Mount Cook had been made by last week.

Among the most active parties was a group of New Zealand Alpine Club members, two of whom—G. E. Hasel! and R. SDickie—accomplished a new climb from the Silberhorn to Tasman and the Torres peak, all three above 10,300 ft. The two men left the Haast hut at 1 a.m. on December 31 and climbed the Silberhorn ridge to the summit of the Silberhorn and then on the summit of Mount Tasman, which was reached at 6.30 a.m Steps cut in the ice by other members of the party during an ascent two days before helped them to make good time. After a spell on top they set out westwards for the summit of Torres peak which they reached two hours later, and then descended to Katie Col and on to Pioneer hut at 3.30 p.m. The traverse from Tasman to Torres had been done once before, in January 1951, but on that occasion the successful party—J N Hamilton, J Lange, and L. Cleveland—first climbed Tasiqan from Pioneer hut. This time, the combination of Silberhorn-Tasman-Torres from the Tasman valley side was a new one. Mount Cook Ascent Hasell, Dickie, A. L. Brown. H P. Barcham, and L. Lucas, made an ascent of Mount Cook by the Zurbriggen ridge on December 28, and descended the peak by way of the Linda glacier Hasell Dickie, Seddon, and R. Tornquist climbed Glacier peak and Douglas peak (10,100 ft early this year, and Hasell and Dickie made a traverse of the four peaks of Mount Haast—three of which are more than 10,000 ft—from the Pioneer hut in Westland to the Marcel co] and back to Pioneer hut by way of the Marcel glacier. Climbs of Mount Tasman and the Silberhorn were also made by four of the party, each by different routes—the S’berhorn ridge and Syme ridge. Each pair descended to the Haast hut bv the route of ascent of the other party.