SAVED BY NARROW LEDGE

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1935, Page 4

SAVED BY NARROW LEDGE

FALL DOWN SNOW SLOPE REMARKABLE MOUNTAIN ESCAPE. STOP ON EDGE OF HIGH CLIFF. LACERATED HANDS ONLY INJURY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Sliding some hundreds of feet down a frozen sndw slope after making an ascent of the low western summi of Mount Oates in Arthur’s Pass National Park on Monday, James Estall, Christchurch, a member of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, suffered painful lacerations of both hands and had. a lucky escape from more serious injury when his fall was arrested above some bluffs by a narrow ledge of rock. With his companion, Hector McDowell, also of Christchurch, he was' expected to return to the city by the excursion train on Monday evening. When news of the party’s safe arrival at Arthurs Pass township was received at Christchurch this afternoon preparations had been made for parties from tito ' bury Mountaineering Club to make a search for the overdue climbers. _ On Monday the climbers succeeded m gaining the summit of the most westerly of the three peaks of Mount Oates. The climb was not continued owing to laclc of time and it was while the party was returning that Mr. Estall suffered his mishap. „ He was cutting steps down the snow slope when he slipped and soon had gained such momentum that his efforts to “brake” by means of his ice axe were quite unavailing. He slid down the slope with increasing speed until almost feet below his fall he was checked by an outcrop of rocks. Below this narrow platform of rocks bluffs fell almost sheer. Mr. Estall’s hands were badly skinned in his efforts to arrest his fall, but apart from these injuries and a severe shaking he was unhurt. , Mr. McDowell cut steps down to tne ledge and after Mr. Estall’s hands nad been roughly bound up the climbers were able' to continue their descent of the snow slope. They reached their camp after a slow journey.