Easter climbing trip to Pioneer

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Easter climbing trip to Pioneer Dave Wills Prior to leaving work on Thursday I rang the weather office and the man said, "Go East young man, be warned!". So the four of us and large piles of gear squ-e-e-zed into Paul's Escort and blatted off down past Christchurch to finish at Lake Heron around 1 a.m. on a beaut clear night. Same morning, after a few winks and a couple of false starts, was a classic case of over-kill when we headed up the Cameron Valley piled high with useless gear and excess food. We were headed for the Arrowsmith Range and the nearer we approached the less we saw of the sun which was replaced with airborne spray and, later, rain. We arrived at Cameron Hut at mid-afternoon having unloaded Don's punctured billy during lunch at Highland Home. Two other parties arrived later, filling the hut to its capacity of 12 persons. The following day was pit bashing practice, broken only by a quick sortie onto the North and South Cameron Glaciers by various groups. The weather cleared that evening and 6.15 a.m next morning saw our party (last out) heading for Mt Arrowsmith, 5,000 feet above. The cold night meant we had ice on all the rock slabs. We were soon however on the South Cameron Glacier, where we donned crampons and other paraphernalia and also North Cameron Glacier with removed as much clothing as we dared. Jagged Peak beyond/Paul Richardson We soon had to rope up to climb in and out of a crevasse. us. At the top. of the rock section we All up and we headed off towards the set up an abseil with two ropes joined, couloir which descends direct from the just reaching bottom. Before we set summit. There were three ropes of two down the clouds were in, the air cold. competing to start up the first 150 The two Taranaki lads decided to wait feet of steep loose snow covered rock. for the five others who were seen try- Two lads from Taranaki were first up, ing to spy out a devious route, having so Danny and I decided to go unroped taken a different ascent route. We to save time. The rock was terribly arrived back at the hut before dark, loose and a heavy pack and cramponed and proceeded to brew up large. The boots made the climbing awkward. Taranaki two arrived about 7.30 and Reaching a suitable stance, I threw the five remaining turned up about the rope to Dan who proceeded to find 10.30 p.m. Monday was typical alpine an easier route. Meanwhile, Don was weather - cold, wet, and windy, so yet suffering the shattering experience again we bashed pits all day. of being in line of fire of a large falling rock which hit his now retired We left at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, headed helmet. He was still groggy on the down for fine weather. We enjoyed a way down. leisurely return, taking time for tea and cakes and shopping Christchurch. Following the rock came 600 feet of Sole fillets and porterhouse steak at front-pointing to reach the top soon Kaikoura saw us fit for a quiet sailafter noon. We were greeted with ing from Picton on the 10.40 Ferry. views of Cook and Tasman but rolling cumulus clouds obliterated all views Easter climbers were: Dan to the West. A blasting wind and short Don French, Paul Richardson Wilson, and Dave daylight hours forced a quick retreat Wills. down the couloir after eyeing a fusilade of rocks which bound down before 16 - 21 April 1981