CLIMBING IN THE NORTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3662, 20 May 1924, Page 56

CLIMBING IN THE NORTH.

ROCK TRAVERSE ON RUAPEHU. (Float Oub Own CoßßEsroNDßirr.) WELLINGTON, May 13. Except in winter, from the climber's point of view, the North Island mountains present very few difficulties that cannon be easily overcome. The highest mountains are volcanic, and therefore not steep. In winter ice and snow' present problems that require special knowledge. Even in summer, however, there are places where keen climbers may get good practice for the real thing in variations of routes where axe and rope can be brought into use. There is, for instance, quite an interesting piece of climbing obtainable on the south-west face of Egmonf, and on Ruapliu there is the Pinnacle climb, a traverse of the Pinnacle ridge south of the crater lake. The latter climb was first made by Mr Holl, of Auckland, and recently Messrs J. Rawnslev, T. H. S. F.vfe, and J. Ross, of Wellington made the second traverse. They met wdth a good deal of loose volcanic rock on some of the faces and in some of the “chimneys.” Thi9 made careful climbing a necessity. The climb proved to lie quite an interesting one The party found on the Pinnacle rocks & record of Mr Holl’s first ascent.