Malte '67 (Malte Brun)

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MALTE '67 The silence of the night was inter- we quickly ascended the chute. We rupted by the impatient buzz of the paused to put on crampons, then away alarm. again across the glacier up towards the masif. Soon there was sufficient light "Hey, Murray." Pause. "Hey, Mur- to distinguish a group of people ray," I shouted, "what's the weather in the distance, snaking further away the like?" glacier towards the bottom of the up rock. Slowly he stirred himself and mut- An hour later the tered under his breath something like glacier rose steeper, "Just because I'm nearest the flap." He breaking here and there in series of proped himself on one elbow and poked small crevasses which offered no probhis head out of the tent. "It's fine," he lems. Further up we could see two figures said after a while, "although there's a descending towards us. Later they said bit of high cloud." that one of their crampons had broken and that they were returning to Malte "Is it good enough to climb?" Brun Hut. Six more climbers were about an hour and a half ahead. Realiz- "Yeah, I guess so," then flopped back ing the time, we moved quickly on. The and fell asleep again. glacier by now was very steep as it I shook my head to clear the sleep rose sharply towards the face of the away, then peeled the sleeping bag off mountain. Our route was to follow up and climbed into my clothes. Groping under the face of the west ridge and in the dark, I scrambled over legs and then into a very steep coloir that lead bodies of the others to get to the en- to a rock rib on the west ridge. The steps made the trance. Once outside I gazed up towards the going easier. by leading parties from made the sky, then the dark shape behind the snow at the of Scrambling the tent that was Malte Brun. top the coloir, we could see the others climbing on the ridge "Come on, you jokers, the weather's about 1000 feet above us. fantastic." No response. "Damm, where's "R-0-0-c-k," was the cry from above. my torch, Murray. Where did you put A small splinter of rock to wizz my torch?" down the slope, bouncing began on the hard A murmur about it being in his pack. slabs as it streaked towards us. We Cursing, I scrambled about in the dark both lept aside and hid under the shelter to find it. Soon the roar of the primus of a overhang as the projectile viscosed filled my ears. Still half asleep, I pre- down the face. pared breakfast. The others didn't stir that was until a hot brew was pushed in front it." "Wow, close - - hey, watch of them. "How's your face, Norm?" Hurriedly we moved up to get out of the line of fire from above. The sun "Oh, it's still sore, I don't know if I was up now and its golden light was full ought to go." on the main range. Being on the west face, the sun would reach us later as "Hell, man, it's a fantastic day. Can't it moved round over the north rib. The let an opportunity like this go to waste." rock was cold and our fingers were soon numb. We scrambled up the lose rocks leading to Malte Brun Hut in silence. On Moving one at à time, we climbed up reaching the hut, Norman and Murray the rib on to the bottom of the face of bowed out, saying that it wasn't worth the west ridge. A halt was called to burning their faces any more than they warm up and to consume a little food were already, leaving Ralph and I to go as it was by now 7a.m. The sun soon on alone. moved over the north rib, bathing the face with warm sunshine. By the time we were away it was 4a.m. Dawn was breaking as we moved It was about 200 feet from the rib to off up the snow behind the hut leading the ridge; it looked pretty easy but to to the Malte Brun Glacier. The snow make sure we climbed one at a time, was steep and crisp, footsteps made by belaying in beautiful purpose-made aj party in front made the going easier as ledges.

Time was racing by and I felt that if Moving to one side, I asked if I could we wanted to reach the top we had lead this section. Ralph put in a good better move together, as it took over belay and I began to descend slowly to- 2 hours to climb about 400 feet. The wards the obstacle which was a steep others, by this time, were well out of smooth rock coated in veriglass ice. sight. Suddenly there was a cry of ava- Hurriedly we climbed up the ridge lanche as a small section of snow above moving quickly now, eliminating time- Ralph began to slide. Having no time wasting belaying on pitches that were to do anything else, I leapt out of the quite safe. A further 300 feet took us chute and grabbed on to a projecting over the brow of the ridge, giving a rock on the side of the coloir. perfect view of the summit some 400 or 500 feet above. I glimpsed over my shoulder to see a rush of snow roar past with Ralph Ahead lay the Cheval section of the rocketing down with it. Thinking this ridge. A knife edge of rock negotiated was my last few seconds alive, I held best by straddling the ridge and bounc- on for grim death, waiting for the rope ing along on ones britches, taking care around my waist to tighten. The shock as it is extremely sharp. that would probably pull me off my carious perch, but it didn't happen. Tise As we were negotiating this section, rope had run its full length but somefour climbers clad in brightly coloured how Ralph had managed to stop his full. crash helmets descended towards us. They told us that the summit was about As the came loose again, I called an hour away and that there were two out to see rophe he was all right. He replied more ahead of us. after a pause and said that he had lost his ice axe, his snow goggles and his Moving on, we soon passed the other balaclava and that his gloves were worn two descending off the summit. By through, being ripped at obnoon grabbing we were standing on the sum- jects as he raced past. from a mit, where we sat and admired the view. few bruises he was all Apart one right. To side lay the Tasman, to the other the Murchison and thousands of His ice axe had come to rest beside mountains in all directions. A quick one of the other two. After a rest to lunch and away back down the moun- calm our nerves, we debated whether tain. to wait till the sun had left the snow so that it could harden or to wait out till Descending rapidly, we soon caught up dawn. I suggesed we move on as this with the other two. Following behind was the last of the sections and them, we slowed our descent to stay that none of us were tricky equipped to with them. By this time it was getting a night out. spend late in the day, the sun facing directly on to the snow had turned it quickly Fixing a rope around a rock, we into porridge snow. double roped down the rest of the coloir and climbed out on to the All We sat perched on the ledge of rock that was left now was a glacier. descent and tested the snow by dropping a stone then back to the hut. We quick descended on to the snow. To our horror it quickly rapidly, using a controlled belayed started an avalanche of wet sluggy snow glisade, back at the hut at which quickly gathered momentum and 9.p.m. The arriving others who had been rushed down the slope like a waterfall. ing for us, guessed our plight with wait- the Realizing the dangerous nature of the avalanche danger, and were snow, we bombarded the slope with our moves. After a drink of water anticipating and a rocks in the hope of clearing the face tale or two, we descended to the of all loose snow. floor and our tent, tired but a lot valley wiser The other two descended slowly, mov- for our experience. ing one at a time, clearing the snow as Those who climbed: Ralph they went. On reaching the top of the Kelly Yip. Those who Jorgenssen, behind: coloir we scraped the top of it to form Norm Whiteside and stayed Brown. a clear shute on which to descend. Murray Half-way down they ran into difficulties. Kelly Yip