Mt. Aspiring Ascent Filmed By Unit

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30924, 3 December 1965, Page 1

Mt. Aspiring Ascent Filmed By Unit

The first scenes of a colour film on alpine climbing in New Zealand have just been completed during an ascent of 9957 ft Mount Aspiring by two members of the National Film Unit aided by five members of the New Zealand Alpine Club.

The party went into the Matukituki valley, where they established their base camp in the Aspiring Hut. In 1949, the unit tried to make a film on the ascent of Mt. Aspiring, but the attempt was abandoned because of bad weather.

According to Mr G. Foster, a member of the unit, the men set out from the Matukituki valley on November 18 and climbed as far as the Bonar glacier, over which they hauled the cameras on corrugated iron sleds.

One hundred and fifty pounds of food and six gallons of fuel were air-dropped to the party at the Colin Todd Memorial Hut. 6000 ft up the mountain.

Two attempts were made to reach the top of the mountain. The first was made on November 21 when Messrs P. Willsman and J. Strang left the hut at 4 a.m. and spent the next seven hours cutting steps. Because of soft snow overlaying ice. they were forced to abandon the route. Two days later another route on the Therma glacier side of the north-west ridge was established. Unsuitable weather for photography forced the attempt to be abandoned until the next day

when the successful ascent took place.

Mr Foster said six of the party left the Colin Todd Hut at 12.30 a.m., all had to wear headlamps to see what they were doing. Apart from cloud in the west, conditions were perfect.

“When we reached the low peak, only a few minutes! from the summit, we set up' the camera to film the final| part of the ascent by three! mountaineers, Messrs J.: Strang, B. Jenkinson and N.; Hamilton,” said Mr Foster “From the summit we could] see Mount Cook to the north. ! the Otago and Fiordland! peaks to the south, and Lake Wanaka in the east," he said. After spending an hour and a half filming the view, the party descended. The ascent was important for Mr R. Rayward, a cameraman with the unit. In 1939 his father made the fourteenth ascent of the mountain. Mr Rayward used his father’s ice-axe and crampons. One member of the party. Mr H. Canard, was unable to make the final. climb to the summit because he developed chicken pox. “We radioed to the Forest Service radio operator in Queenstown (Mr R. Bell), who got in touch with a doctor to get instructions for treatment.” Mr Foster said. Two members of the party went down the mountain directly after the climb. The other seven, delayed by a north-westerly blizzard, left the Todd Hut four days later.