New Mountain Huts Big Aid To Climbers

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 14

New Mountain Huts Big Aid To Climbers

The object of the new hut being built at 7500 ft on the Grand Plateau, an ice-filled hanging valley under Mount Cook, is to provide a highaltitude climbing base for mountaineers attempting ascents of New Zealand’s major group of peaks, including the three highest—Cook, Dampier and Tasman.

“Up to now, climbers approaching these peaks and their slightly lower associates, of which Mounts Lendenfeld, Teichelmann, and Haast are three have used the Haast hut on the Haast ridge as a starting point,” said Mr A. McL. Cookson, a member of the Mount Cook National Park Board, who recently spent some days as a member of the building party. “The new hut will be higher and closer to the peaks mentioned, with a resultant reduction of the climbing time by more than two hours. .It will be larger, more strongly constructed, will contain better facilities, and will be well insulated against the cold,” he said. “There is also the immense advantage of its accessibility by ski-plane for most of the year. Stocking and maintenance, and access in flying weather, will thus be relatively simple. The Haast hut will also be maintained as it is an overnight stop-ping-place on the trans-alpine crossing via the Pioneer pass.” Mr Cookson said the Grand Plateau hut was 34ft by 18ft. It would contain a combined living room and kitchen and two bunkrooms, with 24 bunks each equipped with a down sleeping-bag and mattress.

“The site is a solid rocky outcrop about 250 ft below Glacier Dome, overlooking the icefall. The rock was blasted to provide a flat surface for the foundations. The framework is of Oregon pine.

and the external covering of corrugated iron. The insulation will be of foam-plastic sheeting.” Describing the snow-cave in which the working party had been living. Mr Cookson said it was dug into a snowslope and consisted of two sleeping rooms and a kitchen joined by a system of tunnels. There was a common entrance to the outside. Mattresses and sleeping-bags made the cold sleeping rooms relatively pleasant; the snow floor of the kitchen was insulated by wooden planks. The primuses used for cooking could heat the upper air layer in the cave to 65deg Fahrenheit, but the air near the floor had not risen above 38deg Fahrenheit. Tasman Hut A second high-level hut. the Tasman hut on the Tasman saddle, would be of similar materials to the Grand Plateau hut. but smaller, accommodating 10 persons. Materials were on the site ' and preliminary work was being carried out by the board’s rangers. The building team would transfer to the Tasman hut after the Grand Plateau hut was completed. The Tasman hut would be used at times throughout the year by the Geological Survey of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research which, with the Hydrological Survey of the Ministry of Works, was assisting with the cost. The hut would also be used by skiers, and would form a useful addition to the chain of huts between the Waimakariri and Mount Cook. It was expected that climbers using this route would use the hut as a base for the ascent of neighbouring peaks. Both huts, would be equipped with radios linked to the park board’s new communications system.