Weather stops body being recovered

Press, 22 December 1978, Page 4

Weather stops body being recovered

Timaru reporter Bad weather has prevented search teams from recovering the body of one of two overseas climbers from the foot of the west face of Mount Aspiring. It will be two or three days before a recovery will be tried and the weather will also decide the search for the second climber. Two men set out from French Ridge hut on December 10, presumably to ascend Pope’s Nose at the end of Coxcomb Ridge at the head of the Bonar Glacier. They were an American, Marc Weinstein, aged 25, and Terry Jordan, aged about 30, who also had been living in Australia.

One unidentified body was found on Sunday evening after an avalanche. The only trace of the other man was his pack. He may have been coverd by avalanche debris or have fallen into a crevasse.

Constable O. G. Pierson, of the Wanaka police, said that two members of the ground party flown into the region last Sunday, a day after the search started were flown out Of the Colin

Todd hut area yesterday. With them were two climbers who had also been sheltering in the hut because of north-westerly storms. The Makarofa-based helicopter, piloted by Mr A. Duncan, which evacuated the four climbers, had entered the area on Wednesday evening but to no avail. Yesterday, at 10.45 a.m., the helicopter made an unsuccessful high.-altitude approach to the hut, homing in On the West Coast side.