Climbers’ Death In Avalanche

Press, Volume C, Issue 29520, 23 May 1961, Page 16

Climbers’ Death In Avalanche

‘The Press" Special Service

TIMARU, May 22. Two young Christchurch climbers who died while climbing in the Mount Cook region last January were considered to have had reasonable experience, but apparently had made “an error of judgment.” Evidence tn this effect was given by Harry Herbert Ayres, chief ranger to the Mount Cook National Park Board, during the inquest at Fairlie today into the deaths of Siegmund Francis Huston, a theological student, and Peter John Brandford. a solicitor’s clerk. both

aged 22. of Christchurch

The district Coroner <Mr J A. Fraser) found that Huston and Brandford met their deaths in the Pioneer Pass area —between the Pioneer and Haast Huts—on January 2 when overwhelmed by an avalanche.

Ayres said that the two men appeared to have had reasonable experience, but he considered they had made an error of judgment. Apparently they had come straight down a couloir instead of going straight across it. They also appeared to have been moving together, instead of singly, and delaying each other.

Describing a search for the two men. Ayres said he came across their tracks crossing from the Pioneer Hut towards the Haast Hut on the normal route. "The tracks ended abruptly in the snow, and it could be seen that the snow had given way. exposing an area of ice on a very steep slope.” said Ayres. “There was no evidence of steps cut in the ice. and no tracks beyond. It was obvious the men had been swept away with the snow.

“In a direct line with the fall, about 300 ft lower, a deep crevasse was seen, into which the bodies could have fallen It was too deep for me to

see anything.” he said. A search at the bottom of the couloir showed two packs and part of a broken ice axe lying on debris so extensive that it was impossible to make a good search for the bodies. “Thousands of tons of ice were spread over a distance of about 1500 ft at the base of the fall.” said Ayres. “Because of the dangerous conditions. I decided to abandon the search.”

The finding of the packs did not mean that the bodies were nearby, as the packs would travel on top of the debris, and the bodies could be anywhere underneath, or in the first huge crevasse. Ayres said. "I considered that there was no possibility of the bodies ever being found, as avalanche conditions prevail daily in the area,” he said.