MOUNT EGMONT.

Grey River Argus, 30 March 1906, Page 4

MOUNT EGMON T.

ASCENT BY NEW ROUTE.

Messrs Malcolm Ross, _T. C. Fyfc and George Smith, who returned the other day from a visit to Parihaka and Mount Egmont, explored some interesting country on the south-west side of the mountain, and made an ascent by a new route, on which the conditions for the last thousand feet or so were quite Alpine. Messrs Ross and Fyfe state that some of the ordinary routes up the mountain are positively dangerous. They point out that in all the climbing in the Southern Alps, when much greater difficulties have been surmounted, not a sin gle life has been lost in twenty years whereas on the easiest slopes of Mount Egmont, in a few years, five or six- men have been killed or frozen to death. They think it extremely probable that unless something- is done to provide guides or instruct a number of local residents in the elementary principles of mountaineering, several lives' will be lost on the mountain within the next few years. Already, in addition to the fatal accidents, there have been a number, of very narrow escapes. Mr Fyfe will report upon the mountain .from a tourist and sportsman point of view to the Tourist Department. Mr Ross secured a number' of interesting photographs in and around Parihaka, and also succeeded in obtaining an interview with Te Whiti. From the summit of Mount Egmont the party, which included Mr T. Smith, of Rahotu, saw the active volcano of Ngauruhoe sending forth a column of steam and smoke. Ruapehu was quiescent. The mountain was covered with snow for v more than a thousand feet, and looked veiy fine towering above a low-lying sea of cloud. Apparently the' recent activity of the crater lake was only a spasmodic outburst.