ANOTHER ASCENT OF MOUNT COOK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13545, 19 March 1906, Page 3 (Supplement)

ANOTHER ASCENT OF MOUNT COOK.

THE FIFTH ON RECORD. (Fkok Otm Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, March 14. Mount Cook is evidently becoming an asset of some importance and value to the colony, for it is attracting the attention of climbers from various parts of the world. For tho first time on record the monarch of tho Southern Alps has been ascended twice in one year. News was received by the Tourist Department this afternoon that Mr Sillem, the Dutch climber, following up his success on Mounts Sealey, Elio do Beaumont, Malte Bnm, and Kinsey, with Guide Graham, climbed Mount Cook from tho Tasinan side on Saturday last. Ho was accompanied on the ascent by Guides Jack Clark and Peter Graham. The partyleft the bivouac at midnight in glorious moonlight, and arrived at tho summit at 12 noon, after 12 hours' steady climbing. On the summit the party encountered a strong nor'-wester. They descended in safety to the bivouac by the same route in nine hours, altogether an excellent performance. This makes the fifth ascent of Mount Cook, and it will be interesting to mention them in chronological order: —

The first ascent, in 1894, was made by Messrs T. C. Fyfe, Jack Clark, and George Graham from the Hooker side. The second ascent, in 1895, was made by Znrbriggen from the Tasman side, accompanied part of the way by Mr Jack Adamson. The third ascent, in 1905, was made by Dr Teichelmann, the Rev. Mr Newton, and Mr R. S. Low, with Guides Clark and Peter Graham, from tho Tasman side. Tho fourth ascent (on which the first and only crossing of the peak was accomplished!, in 1906, was made by Messrs T. C. Fyfe, Malcolm Ross, and S. Turner, with Peter Graham, from the Tasman side, the descent being on the Hooker side. The fifth ascent, in 1906, was by Mr Sillem, with Guides Jack Clark and Peter Graham.

It will thus bo seen that Guides Clark and Graham have each been three times on the summit of the mountain, and that Graham has climbed it twice in one year. It is quite apparent that the mountain, which presented so many difficulties to the early climbers, will in the future bo frequently ascended. It, is safe to say, however, that it will not be so frequently traversed from the Tasman to the Hooker sid«, especially under aieh very adverse conditions as the first crossing was accomplished in January last.

It is a strange commentary on first ideas as to alpi-ne routes that all the failures to ascend Mount Cook have been by the route chosen by tho Rev. Mr Green and his Swiss guides on his historic climb to within a few hundred feet of tho summit. Yet, writing in the preface to his book in 1883, Mr Green says:—"l believe that we discovered what is probably the only practicable line of ascont from the great TaslniMi Glacier, and acconnled for all its difficulties." It is 23 years since that was written, and the mountain has been ascended five times, but never once by Mr Green's route. Mr Sillem, I understand, expresses himself in terms of the greatest admiration of the New Zealand Alps.