N.Z. MOUNTAINEERING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 17

N.Z. MOUNTAINEERING.

VISITING CLIMBER'S SUGGESTIONS. ALLEGED SHABBY TREATMENT. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 19. Mr Lawrence M. Earle, a member of the English Alpine Club, who has spent the last two seasons mountaineering in New Zealand, is at present in Christchurch. Mr Earle has devoted a good deal of time to the exploration and glaeiology of the Southern Alps, which offer an extremely interesting field of work to alpinists. During the season before last Mr Earle spent some weeks with Dr Bell, Government geologist, who was engaged in scientific work in the Southern Alps, and during the season just closed he has been associated with various New Zealand and visiting climbers. Speaking to a Press representative to-day Mr Earle remarked that the aim and object of mountaineering was not merely to get to the summit of the peaks. The discovery of the country's topography and the study of glaciation " were branches of the sport which possess some fascination, and in each there was an excellent field for investigation. The heads of many big rivers, like the Rakaia, Ashburton, and Rangitata, have not been thoroughly done, and anyone doing the heads of the West Coast rivers would probably spend an interesting, if arduous, season of mountain work. The work of the glaciers is splendidly marked in New Zealand, and anyone interested in the study of glaciation may trace the system back to the time when glaciers were much larger than they are now. Mr Earle added that the work had proved of exceptional interest to him, and he hoped to .return to New Zealand at some future time to continue this investigations. The suggestion that a New Zealand Alpine Club should be formed found hearty support from Mr Earle. The mem bers would come into touch with visiting alpinists, and it would be a very great boon to the visitors to be able to communicate with an official club. At present it was exceedingly difficult for them to get reliable information about anything out of the beat?n tuack unless they were personally acquainted with people who could give that information. Alpinists, when about to undertake a climb, would not rely on the haphazard style of information given by musterers and shepherds, wiho were generally incredulous to a degree as to the work done by climbing parties with whom they came into contact. Some of the back country folk near Mount Cook absolutely refuse to believe to this day that the peak has been conquered. An alpine club would have on record much information which would be invaluable to expeditionary parties. The Tourist Department did not at present meet the case. Quite a number of visitors had complained to him that the information given by the department as to fishing, deer-shooting, and sport generally ■was very deficient, and that they had finally to apply to private sources. A visiting alpinist, Mr Earle continues, was never certain that efficient guides would be available. There were excellent men at the Hermitage last season, but the custom of the Government in the past had been to keep the head guide on the whole year round, and allow the others to go hoping to secure them again the next season. Mr Earle did not know

whether this system had been abandoned, but he was convinced that if there was to be an efficient guiding staff the Government should realise when they had good men and keep them on permanently. There would be plenty of work of various kinds for them to do during the off months. Then the head guide should be free to-take his assistants with him during the less crowded part of the season, and show them the routes. The Hermitage also required a larger staff of guides. A large part of the time of two or three; men was given up to parties going over the easy routes. It would be a good thing to have a few extra men to take tourists to the lower glaciers on the easy expeditions, and leave the experienced guides to look after the real climbers. An effort to introduce the sport of ski-ing at Mount Cook was made last October and November by Mr Earle and Captain Head. Mr Earle thinks that the place is admirably adapted foi the sport, which is one of the best in the world'V On the occasion of a. previous visit Mr Earle and Captain Head undertook to bring some skis from Australia in order to give the pastime a start, suggesting that the Government might take over the extra skis later on. The guides were given some coaching, and eventually word was sent from Wellington that the skis would be taken over by the department. On the strength of this message the skis were left in the Malte Brun hut, so that the guides and visitors might have the use of them. When Captain Head went to Wellington and applied for payment, the bargain was repudiated, apparent)]y. on the ground that the skis were not being- sufficiently used to justify their acquisition. Mr Earle and Captain Head felt a little sore over the matter, feeling that they had been treated in a ratherf cavalier' ifashion after their gratuitous efforts to add an attraction to the Hermitage.