ASCENT OF MOUNT COOK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15706, 7 March 1913, Page 3

ASCENT OF MOUNT COOK.

RECORD BY LIEUTENANT GRAN. THE CALL OF THE ICE, (Pee United Peess Association.) CHRIST CHURCH, March 6. ■ Lieutenant Gran, of the British Antarctic Expedition, accompanied by Guides Graham and Milne, has secured the honour of having made the journey to the 6nmmit of Mount Cook and back in the record time of 14 hours 30 minutes.

Lieutenant Gran gave an interviewer an interesting account of his climb. When the journey was first commenced the party' encountered unfavourable conditions, and as it was snowing veij haid they decided to return. Next day they proceeded as far as Ball Hut in bad weather, reaching the spot in the evening. They went ahead to prepare the routo for the following day's march, and finding the snow 4 very soft they weje able to make steps in*tho surface quite easily. Then they spent the night at the bivouac, and at 3 o'clock on the following morning they commenced the ascent by aid of flickering candlelight. The journey across the plateau was described as "absolutely glorious," but they found the Linda glacier very much broken, and while crossing the glacier the climbers had to exercise caution and dodge many crevasses. As an indication of the state of the glacier, one j)f the guides told Lieutenant Gran that, he had passed over the glacier very many times but had never known it to be so broken and dotted with so many crevasses. However, tho snow conditions were very good and the climbing at this stage was not very hard work, but passing further up the eastern face of Mount Cook the party met with very rocky country, which was in a state that made it very difficult to' obtain a foothold. At this stage the climbers decided to make a " dash for the summit" by a new route, and they selected the western face of the mountain, a way which had not previously been taken by climbers. The last stretch proved a difficult climb, but eventually the party gained the summit. Here they remained for three-quarters of an hour, and obtained ■& glorious view, the sea on either j side of the South Island being within , range of their observation. On the return journey the principal difficulty met with was on Linda glacier, where the hot sun prevailing had 1 considerably softened I

the snow and the men made a slow journey, with the snow over their knees.

"Compared with Switzerland, Mount Cook provides a far' more interesting climb," said Lieutenant Gran. There was a nraoh longer icefield on Mount Cook, and the final stage of the journey was much longer than was the case on the principal mountains in Switzerland. He found the weather conditions at Mount Cook much better than in Switzerland. Lieutenant Gran paid a tribute to the skill and abilities of Guides Graham and Milne.

The reporter mentioned that it had been rumoured that Lieutenant Gran intended to lead an expedition to the Antarctic in about three, years' time, the object of the expedition being to gain further scientific knowledge. Lieutenant Gran smiled, and remarked that he thought', it was as yet too early to say anything about the matter. He did not deny that the thought was in his mind, but he ended the Subject bv remarking that " nothing definite has been fixed' yet. It is a-long time off." Proceeding, Lieutenant Gran said: "I like Polar exploration very much. When once one starts these things one always wants to go back to them. You get the fever, and the Polar regions wi]l always be calling.'' Lieutenant Gran mentioned that at Fairlie he had inspected a new motor sledge that .had been invented by a New Zealand gentleman. He said he wished to make it dear that he did not know a great deal about motors, but he had come to the conclusion that, compared with the motor sledges used by Captain Soott's expedition, the new invention was a machine of much greater speed. It was far lighter and far less expensive. "I should think this sledge .would be well worth trying in Polar expeditions," concluded Lieutenant Gran.