Christmas 1969 - Fiordland and Mt Cook

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A dollar here, A dollar there Christmas Eve 1969 saw the usual weather packing in. So we returned via rabble of T.& M's in the Terminus the Madeline icefall, a few slots, and garden bar getting themselves evicted for jumped into the pits. emitting raucous vocal vibrations. The At 3 a.m. the next day the weather same crowd were later seen on board the looked promising so we made another Maori (bound for somewhere), making attempt. We retraced our steps to Turnsimilar sounds to please the captain and er's Pass and after some extremely crew. enjoyable travel, moving together along Christmas Day: small groups of the ridge. Neil and I reached the first unidentified hairy-legged objects headed of the difficulties, a 1001 ft. gap. in the for the hills in all directions. One such ridge. With some effort, deteriorating group piled into a Morris van and with weather and half-a-dozen pitons we "Speed Racer" at the wheel headed for reached the bottom with the first of the Darrans in Fiordland. After 12 hours three buttresses confronting us. A few of sore chuffs and a slight weight adjust- strong gusts of wind and we were headment tc give us some steering wheel con- ing back up and along the ridge with trol we arrived at Homer hut and met up our tails between our legs. with "Powerhouse" Gazley and Jim Jim and Paul's time was then up, so Kettlewell. with a few "cliff-hangers". the loss of Next day saw "Racer X" (Speed an iceaxe and some nightshift we ended Racer's elder brother, later known as up on the Milford rcad. J.C.) head the mob up the heavily- Two days later Neil, Allen, J.C. and bushed Tutoko valley. The afternoon I left the Hollyford and headed up brought some confusion about the defini- Moraine Creek. Afternoon saw us at the tion of dry creeks so it was decided to "dogbox" hut with venison and memspend the night with a horde of affection- ories of a pleasant trip in. ate flying objects. Buzz - . Z . zap! The following day, January 3, we Gotcha! climbed. Apirana, returned, packed un and Daylight saw us scrambling up Leader headed off around the eastern side of Creek towards Turner's rock bivvy. And Lake Adelaide. A couple of hours of after an argument with three chamois West Coast bush and moraine saw us on (who came off best) and much cursing a series of wide tussock ledges, providand stumbling we came upon. our home ing us with easy travel to the head of for the next few days. Looking round, the cirque. Sheer faces and impressive last night's campsite, some 5000 ft. below peaks encircled the sky above us and was visible; no wonder things were the unknown deep of Lake Adelaide hanging onto the ground coming up. below presented an enjoyable setting as On December 28 we started our climb- the primus roared and the light faded. ing by heading up beside an icefall and I awoke the next morning to the sound across the Madeline snow basin towards of Huey and a kea taking off down the the south ridge of Madeline. In three slope with our fly. He wore an iceaxe hours or SC, after some easy snow slopes, behind his ear as he flew away. a short pitch of rock, and 500 ft. of firm Well, the incessant rain continued for snow we reached the top. The surround- four days, time had run out, so we ing country was impressive i the giant trudged out leaving the mist-enshrouded Tutoko massif to the north, the Holly- peaks of the Darrans behind. The mugs ford river and the Olivines to the east. were: Tony Smith (J.C.), Allen Higgins, the fiord-indented coast to the west and Paul Gazley, Jim Kettlewell, Neil Gray a mass of peaks forming the southern and Garth Mumme. Darrans to the south. The green waters * * * of Lake Turner far below sparkled as they fed the 1,200 ft. of cascading water One Saturday morning in May, after at Turner's Falls. flying down to Christchurch the previous The next day we traversed Mt. Syme night I found myself with one foot after in the murk and the following day the another heading up the Rakaia with four weather improved, allowing an attempt other bods. A couple of hours from on Mount Tutoko (9,042ft.) by the Glenfalloch Station I was sitting down south-east ridge. An early start saw us admiring the peaks of the Arrowsmith cramponing over glistening snow towards range, puffing on a durry and waiting the rising sun. After 800 ft. of steep for the others. An hour passed and they snow we gained Turner's Pass to find didn't turn up so somewhat bewildered I the wind racing across the ridge and the carried on over boulders and shingle to

Washbourne hut, only to hear a harsh Bill Atkinson. And this time in style. a voice "Where the hell have you ski -plane bound for Pioneer hut at the been?" head of the Fox Glacier ($14 per per- Anyway, a few bculders later we son). arrived opposite Louper stream, and After a dicy landing we plugged in spent the night in the deerstalker's hut, knee-deep powder up the 500ft. to he with Louper peak piercing the sky across hut. The next morning, after a respectthe valley. able start we were plugging across the The next day a few more boulders, an Albert nevé and through the icefall icy river crossing, mountains of moraine towards Marcel dor After spending half and glacier ice brought us to the Ram- an hour fighting the wind and taking in say icefall. Here we found a small pile the breathtaking view of Mount Cook of moraine and pitched our tents. Day- and the Grand Pateau we returned with light brought fine weather, so we plodded the comforting thought of good steps for up towards Erewhon Col and the north tomorrow's attempt on Mount Tasman ridge of Louper peak. As we climbed, via the north shoulder. Mt. Evans and the Whitcombe valley The day presented snow plumes skipcame into view, the latter giving us occa- ping across the summit of Tasman, but sional glimpses of the West Coast. Every- nevertheless we regained Marcel Col and thing went smoothly and we made started cramponning up. the sastrugi ice progress moving together, until a pod of Lendenfeld peak, with the constant ton boulder jumped up and knocked me hope of the wind dropping. It didn't off the ridge. My partner held me and so we returned to the hut, still convinced I slowly regained the ridge, wondering that we would be the first to climb whether I was Arthur or Martha. Tasman via the north shoulder in winter. So that was that; with a twisted ankle, Four days of gale-force winds and a few bruises and shock we slowly made snow. our way down. The next day the others "Hello, we're running out of time." attempted the South ridge of Louper, Graham was mumbling something ran out of daylight 100ft. from the about getting home to see his wife (?) summit and spent half the night abseiling and I was a little concerned about the down; a very fine effort though. four week's holiday I'd already had We awoke the next morning to greet this year. Friday was partially fine and new snow falling, so it was time to maybe our only chance of getting a skib- - off! (We didn't want to climb plane, as the weather prospects were bad the thing anyway). for the coming week. * * * Hence with a very hairy takeoff (50 August, and yet again outlaying yards from the nearest slot) we flew out money. This time with Graham Westerby to the Hermitage. and two other blokes, Elwyn Green and GARTHE MUMME.