A Taste of Winter

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

A Taste of Winter Andrew McLellan had convinced myself that two ice axe tips could hold my weight asl I hugged the icy slope, spreadeagled, one leg protesting violentlyin spasms, the other leg undergoing a more subtle form of revolution based on some form of passive resistance. "Put the ice screw in! Try at hip height." "Hey, I'm not too comfortable here guys. Any chance of a hand?" Assistance came in the form of a quickly placed ice screw. Clipped in, as shot of bravado, I picked my way up the almost vertical sheet ofi ice, crawling up a gentler slope and onto a reassuring lip of snow below a small bluff. Snow stake in, belay on (eventually), and ready for the others to follow. This little drama was largely unnoticed by the handful of day-trippers picking their way through the ash strewn slopes of Whakapapa on a July day. Admittedly we were competing with the slightly more spectacular display of ash, vapour and rocks being hurled thousands of metres into the air. But for the group of 12 who attended this weekend lofa advanced alpine skills, and a further three trips, these little dramas were very rewarding. A lunchtime show on Ruapehu Andrew McLellan The concept was simple. Take 10 pastgraduates ofAICcourses- -with a will- Whakapapa in early July '96 offered not start out too promising with ingness to extend themselves and a no chance of skiing but an excellent mutterings of wind and rain at the skidesire to learn new skills. The other day's playing around the lower bluffs field carpark. After a regroup in the essential ingredients-two enthusias- of the Pinnacles. Paired off and roped public shelter we headed up alongside tic, experienced instructors; lots of up, we headed up various little guts, the main ski lifts. The walk was memogear; good food; snow and ice; chutes and snow slopes during a rare rable for little more than the interestspirulina; and kind weather. The week- fine, still day on the mountain. While ingi ice formations that transformed the ends were spread from July to Sep- nothing of great height was climbed, wire netting fence running parallel to tember. A couple of warm-up days the cold weather provided good ice the lift into an almost solid windbreak. brushing up on rope skills-including and snow conditions for front-point- We soon retreated- probably because the mind boggling Z-pulley. Despite ing and ice belays. The weather win- of the lack of visibility and a growing excellent tutelage Iwould still hate to dow was short-lived, the next day pro- tendency to curse at fingers and gear be stuck down a crevasse while my viding little reason to go outside. that would not do as instructed. After partner struggles to recall the vagarlunch a much more sane activity (species of this extraction system. Maybe a While Ruapehu played havoc with ski- tators may disagree) of avalanche beacompulsory piece of alpine equipment ers and the Club AICS, two visits to con locating was undertaken, minus should be a laminated card ofinstruc- Mt Taranaki offered a good variety of the avalanche, but with an agreeable tions (something like those "in event conditions. A weekend based in the (if not drinkable) booty for those findof an emergency" cards in airplanes). bustling town of Stratford with the ing the PIEPS. Sunday improved but Another warm-up day on rock at Titahi promise of a hot shower and a spa high winds restricted us to practising Baywas a useful way to build up some more than made up for the grotty con- crevasse extraction in the lee of a team work. ditions of one Saturday. The day did ridge. TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING 1996

Kapuni Lodge provided an excellent venue for the second Taranaki weekend. The Saturday walk up to the top was superb with firm conditions and no cloud. Once up on top the rest of the day was spent either admiring the view, or having a go at traversing, climbing and hacking away at the Sharks Tooth. Ifit didn't have cavities before our visit, it surely does now. Sunday brought the predictable change in weather. The highlight of these winter frolics was a seven-day trip to Nelson Lakes basing ourselves in the Travers Valley and climbing Mts Cupola, Hopeless, and Travers. A cold, clear night on the tail end of a southerly blast in the lakeside public shelter at St Arnaud boded well for thev week ahead. Tosave time we took a boat ride over the serene waters of Lake Rotoiti to Coldwater Hut before wandering up the Travers Valley through the fresh snow. The going was obviously too easyf for some as they opted for a selfenforced river crossing at Hopeless Creek-with exhilarating results. The plod up to Cupola Basin Hut got pro- Snow plugging, Cupola Basin Andrew McLellan gressively harder as the snow deepened-a sign of things to come. the 360° views over the Park were well Valley for a rest day and to farewell Cupolas are more commonly foundi in worthwhile. Mike and Jo, who had to head out grandiose places ofworship and have early. Those of us who remained vague connections with the Saracens. Byt the next day the cloud had returned grinned at the prospect of four more I was therefore curious to note that but the weather was still reasonably days' climbing. Mt Cupola had few of these charac- settled. Promises ofh harder conditions teristics. What it lacked in ecclesiasti- on the south-facing slopes of the You mayl by now see a pattern in these cal grandeur, however, it made up for snow-covered Hopeless couloir lured trips-the pattern repeated itself in with a long series of snowcovered us out for another snow plod. The Nelson Lakes. The following four days ledges, snow chutes, and mixed rock Hopeless couloir covers the only re- were wet, windy and claggy. Hut feands snow routes to the summit. Within maining permanent glacier in the Nel- ver set in; cards and cups of tea bemetres of leaving the hut it soon be- son Lakes area-small but not insig- came part of a daily ritual. To relieve came apparent that the bulk of the day nificant. The route was somewhat the boredom and frustration we viswould not require technical climbing steeper than the previous day but the ited Upper Travers Hut, thought up as skills. Knee- to thigh-deep snow has snow was not as deep. Harry hung well many rain songs as we knew, bunk few endearing features: in our wake a back at this point, feigning exhaustion. traversed for several hours, repaired trench-like trail; ahead, slopes that At the top of the couloir a ridge is the emergency radio aerial, ands stoked sometimes required skills akin to reached where the route down into the fire almost to the point of meltswimming rather than climbing. Hopeless Creek is joined. The sum- down. mit was close but not to be, as a mix The route was fairly straightforward of unstable snow and the lack of an A frustrating end to an otherwise entraversing the lower ledges, up a large obvious route convinced us that this tertaining, challenging, and varied sesnow chute, popping up onto a small point was close enough. Arunning be- ries of winter weekends away. Thanks plateau, and then picking a way up lay down the couloir sped our descent toj Joe Fraser and Allen Higgins for their through rock or snow slopes. Another to Cupola Basin Hut. guidance and calm under testing conimportant lesson learned-make sure ditions. Punters: Shane Connolly, Ed the more confident climbers in your At this stage the plans for the rest of Cox, Jo Dale, Jo McKenzie, Andrew partywho are leading a climb, carry a the week were looking good-Mts McLellan, Mike Pratt, Steve and Tony rope so that they can belay the less Travers, Angelus, and Hopeless. We Reeves, Mark Ryan, Harry Smith and adventurous from above. From atop, retreated to John Tait Huti in the Travers Joerg Bednarik. B TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING 1996