Mount Aspiring

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MOUNT ASPIRING KEN MCNATTY Ever since J. T. Thomson of the Otago Provincial eye when I enquired of him the steepness of the Survey named Mount Aspiring, many colourful adjeccouloir leading to the summit ridge. tives have been associated with it, indicating perhaps The next attempt was in August 1965 when Paul a mountain with an interesting history. Green, Allen Higgins and I decided that Aspiring in For a brief description of the mountain, John winter offered interesting possibilities. Our approach Pascoe gives the following "Mount Aspiring to the was to be the same as that of the two previous parties, north-west is a spectacular offering. It soars against i.e., establish ourselves at French Ridge Bivvy then the blue, dwarfing its neighbours, and adds grace to attempt the South-west Ridge from there. stature. It is a good peak from many other angles, We were rather light hearted in our approach, I and its imaginative name is in keeping with its even had visions of a day to French Ridge Bivvy, scenery. Forty-three feet short of 10,000 feet, Mount climb Aspiring the next day followed by a day back Aspiring heads vast glaciers that feed two great Westto Wanaka and then to Queenstown and the social land rivers, the Waipara and the Waiatoto, and two life. branches of Otago's bushed Matukituki." Our first day was exhausting, we reached the bivvy The club has in the last six years had very close at 8.30 p.m., taking 14 hours from the road. We association with the mountain as is shown by the encountered knee to waist deep snow from the bushfact that no less than fifteen members have stood on line. The following day we left for Aspiring at its perfect summit. 4.30 a.m. in dubious weather conditions. Very soon On December 26th, 1961, Norm. Whiteside, Kelly we realised that unless the snow conditions improved Yip, Norm. Clarkson and Bruce Jefferies began this higher up we would never reach the mountain. Finally association with a fine traverse via the South-west in an attempt to save time we left French Ridge to Ridge. try and reach the Bonar via the Breakaway. After two hours of steep sidling, disaster almost struck with Their journal account is worth a second reading one member of the disappearing down a huge "Boxing Day dawned fine and bright. We crossed the party crevasse a very tense hour followed before he was glacier to stand covetously admiring the South-west recovered, ending our first trip to the mountain. Ridge mantled in a shroud of virginal whiteness. Christmas 1965-66 saw no club members in the Dare we mere mortals trespass and defile such missed purity? Yes, but with humbleness and in trepidation, area, but in May 1966 I a graduation cereaware of the honour bestowed upon us and our good mony to join John Watson and Kevin Moynihan in fortune. another attempt. Crampons bit deeply into the firm crisp snow. This time we encountered no snow and reached French Ridge Bivvy at 4.15 after hours There is the music in the sound of axe and the p.m. only 71 tinkling of ice, exhilaration in the climb, overawed from the road. The weather was slowly deteriorating: by the beauty and form of our Snow Princess. however, we felt that we could attempt the climb before it closed in. On the 10th we left the - May - bivvy Hold! A fall checked a wave of relief. at 6.15 a.m. in fine but high overcast skies. We did Still she holds her crown hautily aloof, can it be not encounter any snow below the Quarter Deck, but of the stuff that dreams are made of - then we shall the Quarter Deck itself looked impossibly cut up. never reach it. However, after wandering in and out of crevasses, No Cook, Earnslaw and Tutoko beckon in the retracing our steps several times and a mighty broad distance, Aspiring Hut is just visible, the western jump, we gained the Bonar Neve, four hours later. hills are cocooned in white mist. We are on the Hog's backs and mist were descending over our summit. mountain but it looked too temptingly close and What have we achieved? There are bigger and without much hesitation we were drawn into a mighty better and more difficult mountains, who cares. We battle. are four happy pilgrims enchanted under a spell We began our climb at 10.30 a.m. on the Southcast by Mount Aspiring and we have consummated west Ridge which consisted of nobbly ice. With the our ideal." lateness of the season and with no winter snow The next ascent again involved a traverse via the Aspiring was bare of surplus snow. To gain the ridge South-west Ridge Christmas 1964-65. The party we front pointed up a rock step covered only in thin consisted of Mac. Riding, Bill Drake, Peter Atkinson watery ice and slowly moved up the gradually and Neil Gray. They were unanimous in declaring it steepening ridge till we were forced to belay and a fine climb and I can still see the light in Peter's engage in time wasting but necessary step cutting.

Slowly, very slowly we reached the couloir prosituation which was beginning to be of some concern viding the escape to the summit ridge. From here we to us. Our immediate problem was how to get out each moved a rope length at a time, hacking out and secondly with no food left we had to get back a step, inserting a piton then bringing the next person to French Ridge. Meanwhile the storm had broken, up. With three on a rope this is extremely time SO we retired to our pits without having solved our consuming but in such a steep environment we had problems. no choice. The following day (12th May) was evil - snow, The couloir seemed never ending and climbing into strong winds, zero visibility and thoughts of food the cold N.W. wind and the mist I failed to appreciplagued us all day. ate the magnificent climbing taking place and began Friday 13th was an improvement, Bevan Col was to have thoughts of a fast retreat. By 3.00 p.m. we visible SO without much choice we left Colin Todd had climbed out of the couloir on to a broad steep and reached the col with little difficulty. However, face where we met our first and only snow. It was the whiteout returned and we began to have difficulty soft, deep and in a very avalanchy state and progress in sorting out the snow and the mist. was reduced even further while the leader stamped Bevan Col is an awkward place to descend from a step, consolidated the surrounding snow, then carewithout prior knowledge. 1,500 feet below the col fully stepped up, ad infinitum. By 4.30 p.m. we had sloping ledges and gullies peter out into horrific bluffs gained the summit ridge, with the summit being which are unnegotiable except for the mentally perhaps 200 feet away, but with a storm imminent unbalanced. and no knowledge of the descent we decided unani- In very low spirits we reached the bluffs, and mously to retreat to Colin Todd Hut. By 5.30 p.m. linked the two climbing ropes we possessed to make we had descended the relatively easy North-west a 160-foot abseil line. After three long abseils (one Ridge to the prominent rock buttress at its base. free) we had run out of pegs and were still well above Darkness caught us still searching for a way off the the valley floor SO were forced to make a laboributtress and John suggested looking for a bivvy site ous and very difficult ascent of our abseiled descent. as further climbing would have been hazardous. On reaching safer ground the mist cleared par- Kevin and I agreed and we started engineering a tially and our difficulties were over. We reached the platform when in the gloom we noticed a ledge some valley floor on darkness, another night out inevitable. 50 feet lower which was protected by an overhang. It was cold, wet and very unsettling as Kevin had On climbing down to it, it didn't appear very inspirdeveloped a wretched cough which kept us awake ing but it did offer protection against a nor'wester. all night. Duvets and even down boots were produced and Saturday, 14th May, we were away early from when fully clothed we crawled into our Zdarski sack our chilly surroundings and had gained French and prepared ourselves for the night. Thanks to the Ridge Bivvy before midday. After a meal (the first bivvy sack and down gear we remained very warm for five days) we left for Wanaka where we arrived and miraculously the storm did not release its fury. at midnight exhausted, hungry and rather dirty. At 7.30 a.m. we began to slowly untangle ourselves Christmas 1966 saw Kevin and I return with from our belayed position and nibbled some scroggin. Graham Westerby and Peter Goodwin, and we We then followed a set of ledges, still on the Therma climbed Aspiring via the North-west Ridge from Glacier side but all too soon they ran out. However, French Ridge Bivvy in a fast time of 11 hours for another ledge appeared 50 feet lower, sO after a free the round trip, the summit gained at 8.00 a.m. abseil it was gained from where a further abseil January 1967 saw Noel Thomas and Ralph Jorgenlanded us on a sloping slab which led out on to a col. sen climb Aspiring via the North-west Ridge from From the col a snow route enabled us to gain the Colin Todd Hut. Bonar and hence Colin Todd Hut. At the same time Norm. Whiteside and Paul Green Feelings of relief and weariness overcame the climaxed an excellent season by traversing Aspiring storm could do its worst. We had shelter, sleeping by the very difficult airy Coxcomb Ridge (fifth ascent) bags and a little food. spending a night out on the North-west Buttress. A The following day after a long sleep we ate our long climb of 193 hours .(See first Journal of 1967.) remaining food and set off back to French Ridge In my opinion this is the finest ascent yet completed in whiteout conditions. After rapid, almost easy by club members. progress we suddenly came up against a maze of To sum up, Aspiring offers excellent climbing both tumbling ice blocks and crevasses. Afterj jumping, zigto the competent novice and to the tiger. zagging and forever prodding we finally were about Aspiring has given me some of the most intense, 100 feet or so across. After failing to find any weakfrustrating and exciting moments of my life. Further, nesses we despondently retraced our steps with some I am also confident that our club will continue its difficulty and made a half-hearted attempt to reach close association with the mountain. After all, there's Bevan Col although not being quite sure of its wherethe North Ridge, the faces and winter ascents still abouts. Back at Colin Todd we took stock of our to be considered.