THE SOUTHERN ALPS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1934, Page 13

THE SOUTHERN ALPS

ADDRESS BY MR. A. P. HARPER

An entertaining and instructive address on pioneering in the Southern Alps was given last evening by Mr. A. P. Harper at a gathering arranged by the Aorangi Ski Club. Mr. Harper, who is well known in New Zealand and overseas climbing and exploring circles, commenced climbing in Switzerland 49 years ago this year, and hopes to Teach the half-century before he gives up the sport.

Last evening he spoke of tho work which Mr. Charlie Douglas and he had done in the Alps in tho early nineties, and illustrated' his remarks with some excellent'lantern slides. Ho showed the route which had been taken in forcing a way up to the head of the Karangarua River, a passage fraught-with many difficulties.' Mr.. Harper spent nineteen weeks on the trip and entered hitherto unknown, regions, placing and naming a great number of the now wellknown physical features. Ho spoke highly of Mr. Douglas, who was, he said, "the 'greatest explorer that the West Coast- has ever seen"; an extraordinarily fine man of great modesty.

Mr. Harper showed many slides of Mt. Fettes, which has not yet been climbed, and also of the Douglas Glacier, upon-which he alone has set foot. He explained that attempts to reach this glacier by others had been foiled only by Ijad weather and had not been duo to any fault of tho trampers concerned. On his trip of exploration in 1894 he had had plenty of time to devoto to his task, and had been able to wait for favourable weather conditions.

Among many interesting slides— quite a number of them coloured —Mr. Harper showed some of immense boulders. Tho biggest boulder he had ever measured; he said, was 158 ft high, and 840 ft in circumference. That had not been on his 1894 trip, however. Other fine slides were shown of tho ranges. Of Mt Tasman tho speaker said:"There, is np peak in the world outside of the Himalayas equal to Tasman. lam quite satisfied that this is true."

After covering the progress of his excursion hi 1894-with an illuminating and often amusing commentary, Mr. Harper showed several slides dealing with Mt. Everest.

Ho was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his addresk".