20 climbers take on Mount Cook

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 13

20 climbers take on Mount Cook

Twenty mountaineers have climbed Mount Cook in the last week at an international climbing meet based at Mount Cook National Park.

Seventy climbers from 12 countries are taking part in the two-week meet which has been organised by the New Zealand Alpine Club. The chief ranger at Mount Cook, Mr Ray Slater, said the 20 ascents of Mount Cook was an unusually high number for one week.

A New Zealand Alpine Club spokesman, Mr Rob Hall, said Russians, Austrians, and a Spanish mountaineer were among those who had climbed

the peak. Several other climbers are staying in the higher huts in the park, such as the Plateau and Tasman Saddle huts, at present waiting for the weather to clear so that they can make attempts on Mount Cook, Mount Dixon, Mount Tasman, and Mount Silberhorn.

Mr Hall said the international climbers had been particularly impressed with the severity of the New Zealand terrain. Access to the peaks and steep increases in altitude between the alpine huts and the summits were difficult when compared with overseas conditions.

One highlight of the meet so far was a descent of The Footstool, at the end of last week. Wearing a parachute canopy, Mr Hall jumped from the summit. Ten minutes later he landed at the camping at the Mount Cook village. This was the second descent of this kind in New Zealand. On December 4 Mr Hall jumped i from Mount Cook. I He said the jump went j well, apart from a “dodgy” start when a ; rockfall hit his canopy as j he took off. * i !