First solo ascent in winter of the Balfour Face

Press, 6 August 1987, Page 28

First solo ascent in winter of the Balfour Face

By COLIN MONTEATH In late July, the mountaineer, Bill McLeod, from Te Anau, completed the first solo ascent in winter of the famous Balfour Face on Mount Tasman.

Mount Tasman is New Zealand’s second highest peak, 3500 metres, on the Main Divide between the Mount Cook and Westland National Parks.

The steep icy face has long been recognised as the premiere test piece for New Zealand mountaineers since its first ascent in 1971. To climb the route alone and under the more serious conditions that winter brings to the Southern Alps, borders on the unthinkable for most mountaineers.

Mr McLeod has built up to his recent ascent of Mount Tasman with a remarkable series of winter ascents that began in the Darran mountains of Fiordland in the late 19705.

In 1982, Mr McLeod did the first winter solo on Mount Cook, completing his ascent by the relatively easy Linda Glacier route. The following winter he climbed Mount Tasman by the elegant Syme Ridge. In 1984, Mr McLeod stepped up his commitment to serious hard solo routes in the Mount Cook region. That winter he completed first solos on the East Ridge of Mount Cook as well as climbing a separate Grand Traverse of Mount Cook’s three summits. Mount Dampier, a hard outlier of Mount Cook, was also ascended.

In the 1985 winter Mr McLeod was back again on Mount Cook, this time completing the first solo of Earle’s Route. He also made daring ascents of the Curtain route on Mount Hicks and La Perouse.

Last winter, Mr McLeod did no less than three

routes on Mount Cook, the Shiela Face, Caroline Face and South Ridge, all serious winter undertakings. Mount Tasman was also climbed, its first winter solo, by the traditional summer Sllverhorn route.

Prior to this year’s ascent of the Balfour Face, Mr McLeod climbed the North Rib on Mount Hicks and on the same mountain the notorious “Yankee — Kiwi’’ couloir, an 800-metre grade six plus ribbon of vertical ice and rock that is now rated harder than the Balfour Face itself. For Mr McLeod, mountaineering is a very personal experience, testing his own self-control and technical ability in a severe though very beautiful winter environment Mr McLeod shuns the use of the Mount Cook skiplanes, preferring to walk all the way to the base of his climbs from the Hermitage village.