Coxcomb Ridge

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COXCOMB RIDGE (Sunday, 15th January, 1967) SNOW ARETES mEm / OVERHANG POPES NOSE N.W. UPPER BUTTRESS m GENDARMES - A LOWER GENDARMES COLIN TODD HUT BONNER GLACIER We left Colin Todd Hut at 2.30a.m. a large overhang on the summit side. to find our way up through the Bonar There was no way down off its sloping Glacier. There was no moon and the roof except a ten-foot jump on to a twosky was inky black with only the odd star foot-wide ridge of snow. The last few twinkling at us. Daybreak saw us some- bumps were reasonable and soon brought where around the breakaway area of the us on to the final summit arete. Bonar. The saddle below Popes Nose This was so sharp that if we straddled was reached at 6.30 a.m. after zig-zag- it with our legs, our boots would only ging through some rather large slots be eighteen inches apart. The ridge had under the south face. a crust of ice on the Bonar side and After a bite to eat we started on the slushy snow on the other. We had to first of the lower gendarmes which took work our way along the top of it careus nine hours of up, down and arounds fully flattening the top with our boots. to finally reach the top of the overhang The summit was reached at 7.30 p.m. at 3.30 p.m. It probably took a bit longer As soon as a few photos were taken traversing and sidling these because the we ploughed off down the N.W. Ridge in ice on them was hard and rather danger- failing light. At 8.30 p.m. we bivvied in ous. If the snow had been good it might near darkness just off the top of the have seen easier to go over the top of N.W. Buttress because we were not sure them. Instead we were forced to sidle of the route down off it to the hut. around ledges on the extremely exposed We had taken a sleeping bag and Volta Glacier side of some of them. cover with us so we had a fairly com- The overhang was sidled on the Bonar fortable night and moved off at 6 a.m. side very close to the top. The hut was reached an hour and a half later at 7.30 a.m. via the Bonar route. Above the overhang it was sheer bliss The whole climb was a long and exactto travel uninterrupted for a whole half ing. one which took us 191 hours of hour up a snow arete to the first of the mainly scrambling up and down loose upper gendarmes. rock and ice, putting on crampons and The first one took some time to gain taking them off again on a ridge which after a steep ice climb on the Volta drops away on both sides some 300side. Just a few more bumps along the 400 feet below. ridge we reached a gendarme which had -Paul Green, Norm Whiteside.