CLIMBING IN THE ANDES III 'A GOOD DAY’S CLIMB’ ON 20,000ft PEAK

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30529, 26 August 1964, Page 7

CLIMBING IN THE ANDES III 'A GOOD DAY’S CLIMB’ ON 20,000ft PEAK

. Mile Nelson and I left Harod Jacobs and his broken leg to the care of Jen Cotter and the Yungay Hospital. We returned in a day to base camp, 15 miles along, and 60<0 feet up. bur time was short so we worked hard for two days to reestablish camp one at 15.500 feet and camp two on tie ice, in a new position, at 7.500 feet. We would renew he attack on the mountain, Quitoraju, from a different direction. We left camp two at sunrise on July 10, and in the chill of a clear morning, scrunched up steep, firmfrozen snow to a saddle above the camp. We dropped down the other side to a huge, flat snow shelf. In the early 1950’s a strong French expedition' climbed what it claimed to be “the most beautiful mountain in the world,” named

Alpamayo. We knew that we were near it, but it was not marked on our maps. There were many graceful peaks around us and we had already tentatively identified one as Alpamayo. Now we were drastically revising our geographic thinking.

Our most recent view of what was marked on the map at Quitpraju (one of our objectives) indicated that this peak was Alpamayo. This was the peak from which Harold had fallen. Even if our efforts before the accident had been misdirected, we felt that Harold would be less Incensed when he knew that he fell from as famous a peak as Alpamayo. Virgin Peak

Rising from the broad snow shelf to 20,000 feet was the ■true Quitoraju.We looked for routes and saw several that appeared feasible. Our second stated objective was a virgin peak of about 19,000 feet near Quitoraju. We thought we identified this at the far end of the snow shelf, but again

we were- wrong. Later, in a discussion with spme American climbers, we learned this was Luyachirea, 18,700 feet, already twic.e climbed. Ed Cotter, Mike and I climbed it up a short, steep snow ridge and had a wonderful time photographing our taller neighbours. We traversed the peak by returning to the snow shelf down the powder snow of the south face. John Ireland had come as far as the snow shelf on the way up and then retired, unwell, to base camp. The three of us returned in good time to camp two to rest for the next day’s climb. For three hours early on July 11 we had no cause for complaint. The ground we travelled was frozen, and the climate clement. Then we were at the foot of our mountain, and after another hour, roped up under overhanging ice cliffs. We skirted these and continued to climb, first crossing a bridged crevasse which was the key to our route, and then sidling back across a smooth, sloping shelf towards the long summit ridge. We

gauged our height gain by Luyachirea, and then by the graceful flutings which channel down from the summit of Alpamayo. When we could see over Alpamayo we travelled slowly across the long face of our mountain. We travelled slowly because below us the hard snow sloped uniformly for at least 1000 feet at about 50 degrees. This does not sound very steep, nor does it look too bad from the bottom. But looking on it from above, while not hair-raising, gives a certain sense of insecurity. We also travelled slowly because that is essential for safe climbing with three men on one rope. At last we could leave the face and climb on to the ridge. This involved cutting steps in a steep, gully for about half an hour until we were on the broad crest of the last few hundred yards of ridge. The summit was a spectacular pyramid, but not difficult to climb. Lost Identity We photographed each other, as the neighbouring peaks which had been so impressive yesterday from below had lost their'identity as we rose above them. And it seemed that the spell of perfect, weather was ended, for cloud had rolled in from the jungle to the east and the big peaks to the south were partially obscured. This had been a good climb and our sense of satisfaction was enormous. We stayed for half an hour oh the summit, and it was after 2 p.m. when we started down. Here again it was our lucky day. Normally the long traverse would have been on snow sloppy from the afternoon sun, but under the cloud the snow remained frozen. The descent was nevertheless long and it was good to take off the rope and relax as we neared the big snow shelf.

Just before it set, the sun broke from under the cloud and we stood on the saddle above camp two watching the soft shadows on the flutings of Alpamayo turn red then dark. We climbed slowly down to camp two, for we were tiTed and prone to silly mistakes. For a long time we brewed hot drinks and then slept happily to end a day and an expedition that we will long remember.

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This is the third of a series of five articles written by members of the New Zealand Andes Expedition. They are Messrs D. Mackay, of Christchurch, H. Jacobs, of Te Anau, and E Cotter, of Gore, and Dr. Michael Nelson, a New Zealander working in the Argentine.