N.Z. climbers conquer Himalayan ridge

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 6

N.Z. climbers conquer Himalayan ridge

Two Christchurch mountaineers are members of a small New Zealand expedition that has succeeded in climbing the formidable south-west ridge of Bhagirathi I (6856 m in northern India’s Garhwal Himalaya. They reached the summit of the peak on September 16. Geoff Gabites and Bill King, of Christchurch, are both experienced climbers in the high mountains of Asia, having been on several expeditions to Nepal, Tibet, Pak-

istan and Russia between them. This was their first climb in the Indian part of the Himalayan chain. They were accompanied by Mark Gabites, of Wanaka, and Don Stevenson, an American climber living in Hobart. The expedition left New Zealand in mid-August for the week-long trek into the Gangotri Glacier region of central Uttar Pradesh. The snout of the Gangotri is perhaps the most sacred source of the Ganges River and each year thousands of Hindus

from throughout India wend their way into the mountains on a pilgrimage. The peaks of the Gangotri region have had a lot of attention by world mountaineers since these were reopened in 1980. The New Zealand ascent of the route on Bagirathi I is only the second on record, and is a significant achievement. Three of the team will now attempt their second objective, Thalay Sagar (6860 m before returning to New Zealand in midOctober.