ALPINE DANGERS

Grey River Argus, 5 February 1930, Page 7

ALPINE DANGERS

A Memory of Lurbriggen The first man to ascend Mt Cook w-ts Ihe Swiss Guide, Lurbriggen. regardin'* another ascent by whom a vivid narrative is given by Fitzgerald ” the alpin isl, in his “Climb of the Now Zealand Alps.’’This was the ascent of Mount Sefton, which the two accomplished, but only after an accident that nearly was fatal. Ho writes we had eventually to proceed between two precipices descending to the (Topland and to the Mueller Valleys-some 6 000 feet sheer drop on either hand. We had now to climb about. 300 ft of almost perpendicular cliff, apparently in the very worst condition possible. The rocks were peculiarly insecure, and we were obliged to move by turns where possible, throwing down some rock* as seemed most dangerous at times even this resource became im possible,so great was Ihe violence with which these falling masses would shake the whole ridge on which we stood. T carried both the ice-axes, o as Io leave Zurbriggen both hands fre • in test each rock as he slowly worked his way upwards, while 1 did my very utmost to avoid being in a position vertically under him.

Suddenly a« J was coming up a steep V-h bit, while Zurbriggen waited for me a *itt!e way above, a large boulder (hat 1 touched with my right haul gave way with a crash and fell, striking my chest. T had been just on th- -1 point of passing u the two ice-axes r o Zurbriggan, that he might lace them in a cleft of rock a little higher up, an I thus leave me both hands free for my limb. He was in the act of stooping and stretching out his arm to take them up from my uplifted left hand the slack rope between us lying coiled at his feet. The falling boulder hurled me down about 8 feet, turning a complete somersault iff the air. Suddenly I. felt the rope jerk and I struck against the side of the mountain with great force. I feared I should be stunned and drop the Iwo ice-axes, and ] knew that on these our lives depended. With out them we should succeed in getting down the glacier through all the intricate ice-fall.

After the rope had jerked me up ' felt it slip and give way, and I came down slowly *or a couple of yards. 1 took this to mean that Zurbriggen was being wrenched from his foothol 1. and I. was just contemplating how I should feel dashing down the 6,000 ft. below and wondering vagely how mary times 1 should strike the rucks on the way. I saw Ihe very block that I had dislodged going down in hugh bounds; it struck the side three or four times and then, taking an enormous plunge of about 2,000 ft., imbedded itself on the Tucket Glacier. 1 felt the rope stop and pull me up short. J railed out to Zurbriggen ami asked him if he was solidly placed, f was now swinging in the air like a pendulum, with my back to the mountain, scarcely touching <»th.e rock-face. It would have required • great effort to turn round and grasp the rock, and I was afraid that the strain would thus nec.essarliy be plac’d on the rope and would disloge Zurbriggen. His first fear was that I had i eon half killed, for ho saw the rock fall almost on the top of me; but ns n matter of fact, after s!r :

my chest it had glanced off to the right and passed under my right arm it had started from a point so very near ihat it had not time to gain sufficient impetus to strike me with great force. Zurbriggen’s first words wore: “Arc you very much hurt?” I asked him whether he was firmly placed. “No” he replied, “I am very badly situated here. Turn round as soon as you can; 1 can’t hold you much longer.” I gave a kick at the rocks with one foot, and with great exertion managed to swing myself round. Luckily there was a ledge near me, and so getting some handhold, I was soon able to ease the strain on the rope. A few moments late? I struggled a little way up. and at last handed to Zurbriggen the ice-axes, which I had managed to hold throughout my fall. Tn fact, my thoughts had been centred on them during the whole of the time. We were in too bad a place to stop to speak to one another; but Zurbriggen, (-limbing- up a bit further, got himself into a firm position, and I scrambled up after him, so that in about ten minutes we had passed this steep bit.

Here we sat for a moment to recover ourselves, for our nerves had been' badly shaken by what had so nearly proved a. fatal accident. At th* l time everything happened so rapidly that we had not thought much of it. mor'' especially as we knew t‘hat we needed 10 keep our nerve and lake immediate fiction; but when it was all over we felt the effects, and both sat for about half an hour before we could eve.i move again. [ learned that Zurbrigg n. rhe moment 1 toll, had snatched up the coil of reap which lay at his loot, had luckily succeeded in getting hold of the right end first, so that he wA.s soon ab'e to bring me nearly to' rest but the pull upon him was so' great, and ho was so badly placed, Ihat ho had to lei the rope slip through his fingers to ease the strain while ho braced himself in a better position, from which he was finally •ibh' to step me. He redd me that, had I been unable to turn and grasp the rocks, ho must inevitably have been dragged from his foothold, &s the ledge upon which he stood was liter•ally crumbling away beneath his feet. We discovered that two strands of the rope had been cut through by the fail ing rock, so that I had been suspended in mid-air by one single strand. The rope, however was an excellent one, inade. by Buckingham, and held through this severe test. I was considerably hurt bv the stone, for it had made a cut in my side, which bled a great deal and did not heal for a couple of weeks. We. determined, nevertheless, io finish tho ascent. The last few yards before gaining the peak itsell proved comparatively flat, so that we could walk with out difficulty. We 'wore now able to- look down again

towards ihe Tasman Valley, and I wondered if our friends at ihe Hermitage would see ns as we planted our iceaxes on ihe summit, flying for them a bit of red cloth which we had brought, tor the purpose that they might know we had won the day. I learned afterwaids that we were seen almost immediately, and that Adamson rode off at once to the near <st telegraph office at Burk’s Pass; some ninety miles away over rough country and across many fords, so that the news reached Christmureh next morning at 11 o’clock. CONQUEST OF GLACIER PEAK THE FIRST ASCENT. Au interesting account of the first ascent of Glacier Peak (9,865 ft Lorn the east side as he made it during December, has been given by Mr 11. E. L. Porter, A.C., of England. For 1 vv.<> days Mr. Porter and Guide Williams waited in De La Baehe Bivouac, under the shelter of a great rock for the weather to clear. The second night gave no promise, but the next morn-1 ing was clear, starry and calm. Thei glass was surprisingly low, but thi J ngs turned out, the snow was frozen I fairly hard, and it was probably lhe| only possible weather for the climb. At 3 a. in. a start was made up Ihe Rudolf Glacier. This, was the fourth time M? Por ter had attempted Glacier Peak, twice with Guide Frank Milne, when h« had hoped to d<> it by way of Doug las Peak, and once a week previously when he and Guide Williams were iturned bark ar an altitude of over B,oooft. by a howling wind. The peak was climbed in 1907 by the Rev. H. I'.. Newton, Dr Teichelmann. A.C., and Guide Alex Graham from ihe West Coast side.

From the foot of the mountain the route to where they had previously .limbed led up a rock ridge with a patch of snow. At that point the climbers reached a snow dome from which they looked straight up at their goal. The safest way now seemed to be t<» make towards the north to Fren-i shay Col and thence to strike along tho Conway Ridge. However, this was a long way round, and the ice-fall l.e tween Glacier Peak and Conway. Though dangerous, was the more direct route. “There was an enormous •mount of avalanche snow and ice at the bottom,” said Mr Porter, but we look the risk. A lot of new snow was sliding down as well, bur it did not seem to be coming in our direction. Through the glittering seracs and .•mong the crevasses rhe party thread ed its way. Near the top a huge schrnnd threatened to bar the way but i beautiful snow ridge did away with ihe obstacle. A very steep snow and ice ridge was negotiated and finally the ridge was readied just north of 1 the desired peak. Tho climbers rested a while and had a meal. They then pushed on. and by 10 o’clock stood at the summit of Glacier Peak.

Before starting down. Mr Porter and Guide Williams looked longingly at Douglas Peak. This mountain, La Perouse and Dampier are the only ones over ]<i.OOOft in rhe Mount Cook region of which Mr Porter has not made the ascent. An easy, though narrow snow ridge joined it to the point on which he now stood, but the 300 ft of rock, covered with a mass of glittering icicles made it quite impregnable. Until later in ihe year this peak is always protected front tho assaults of mountaineers by this means and by the time the ice is forced U retreat reinforcements have appeared in the form of a huge bergschrund which shuts off all routes from the east. Douglas has only once been climbed, and then it was from the west side, by the party already mentioned in 1907.

No sooner had the climbers regained the ridge than a huge tangle of icicles dashed from off the summit and swept the route up which they had. come. It was decided then to return by a different path. “For three hours,” said Mr Porter, we followed along a very delightful ridge to th P north and arrived at Frenchy Col. It was a snow ridge—narrow and with rocks occasionally! creeping through. From there it was) necessary to move back to ihe same! nevee which had been crossed below | the ice-fall during the ascent. From’ Frenshay Col only two hours were taken and at 5.45 pan. the bivouac! was safely reached. After a short rest, there and a meal, the climbers set oi fl for the Ball Hut, where they spent’ the night. , Elie de Beaumont is the other great peak which has fallen to Mr Porter and Guide Williams this year. and

again it was a ease of succeeding where earlier attempts had failed. With Mr Marcel Kurz, the well-known Swiss (limber, Mr Porter had on the' first occasion att*ained a height of 9,200 feet- bv six o’clock in the morning. Suddenly a terrific sou-wester blew up and they were forced to turn back their crampon tracks already being obliterated. A second time the attempt was made a little too late in the year. “As is usual in December.” Mr Porter cxpl-iined. the aseent was a planiwork tbrovgh the centre of the iee-fall. There was not a moment’s danger. Wo could almost step across the big schrund below the summit. Just a few steps had to be cut. The time of the ascent from the Maltci Brun Hut was 4 hours 40 minutes — within five minutes of the easy record established by Mr Allan James and Guide Alack.

Mr Porter, together with Messrs Hugh Chambers, of Hawke’s Bay, and Mr Niormau Morrell, now intend making an attempt on Mount Aspiring near the head of Lake "Wanaka, and in March he will return to the Hermitage to capture, he hopes the giants, Douglas, La Perouse and Dumpier. ,