Aoraki Mount Cook and Westland summary. There were a number of ...
Aoraki M ount Cook and Westland summary. There were a nu m b er o f standout climbs at Aoraki M t. C ook during the last year, w ith Allan Uren and Craig Jefferies’ ascent o f the n ortheast face o f Torres Peak (3,160m) being the m ost significant. Clim bed in early July, G odzone (14 pitches, grade 6+) tackles consistently technical terrain as it negotiates a m ore o r less plum b line up the face. T he 500-m eter route was clim bed w ith two bivouacs and is a definite co n ten d e r for the badge o f “hardest route in the country.” A few days later Glenn Pennycook and Tshering Pande Bhote tackled Mt. H aidinger’s east face headwall via a p rom in en t ice lead high above the Tasman Glacier. In a com itting effort the pair climbed the route from Pioneer H ut by crossing the South Ridge o f H aidinger and abseiling and traversing steep slopes to access the direttissim a. W hite Steel tackles 200 m eters o f ice from 65-90 degrees and is graded 5+.
C ontinuing w ith his penchant for soloing Southern Alps classics, Guy M cK innon upped the ante last w inter w ith solos o f the rem ote and difficult to access H idden and Balfour Faces o f Mt. Tasman (3,497m ), b oth grade 6. The Balfour has been soloed in w inter before, but not often and the H idden (clim bed via the D irect) was a first w inter ascent. In January this year Guy a ttem p ted a solo o f the n o rth ridge o f Aoraki M t. C ook (3,754m ). Tackling the crux, the Beare Step, still shod in his big boots, Guy slipped, but his w ould-be fatal plunge was cut sh o rt after five m eters by a small ledge th at he was lucky enough to strike and rem ain on. The landing broke his left fibula and he rem ained on the ledge for 13 hours before being rescued by the Aoraki Mt. C ook SAR team . A ustralian clim ber G ren H in to n also m ade som e very im pressive w in ter solos. O n the south face o f Mt. Hicks (3,198m ) he m ade an ascent o f th e Yankee Kiwi C o u lo ir (6+) and a mixed free- and rope-solo o f Logans Run (6+). O ther winter highlights included a first winter ascent o f The Balcony Line (4+) on the south face o f Mt. Mallory (2,756m) by Tsering Pande Bhote, Johnny Davidson, and Glenn Pennycook. Pennycook also m ade the first w inter ascent o f Albino M erino (4) on the southwest headwall of Mt. Haidinger. Pete Camell and Nick M onteith clim bed a three-pitch variation to the Valentine Gully on the Marcel Face o f Mt. Haast and a new route on the south face o f Mt. Barnicoat (2,800m). G lenn Pennycook an d A ndrew Young also m ade the first w in ter ascent o f the G ray-W illiam son C ouloir on the southwest face o f Conway Peak (2,899m ). The readily accessable M urchison Face o f My Aylmer (2,699m) was climbed in September by Paul K nott and A drian C am m . A rchbishop O f C an te rb u ry is sustained 400-m eters o f ice w ith occasional rock steps, w ith an overall grade o f 4/5. Sum m er saw the usual throng o f activity in the park, though few significant ascents were m ade. Early in the season T im Billington and Paul Stephanus clim bed a new line on the east face o f M t. N azom i (2,925m ). In January M ike M adden m ade a solo ascent o f th e D irect (4+ ) on the east face o f Mt. Sefton (3,151m ). V aughn T hom as and T hom as Evans m ade a quick ascent o f the Central Buttress on the n o rth face o f Mt. Hicks— 12 hours h u t to hut. The end o f the season was m arred by tragedy with the death o f accom plished climber and guide Erica B euzenberg. Beuzenberg was sh o rt-ro p in g tw o clients on Ball Pass, ju st south o f Aoraki Mt. Cook, w hen one slipped, dragging the trio over a 200-m eter bluff. Seaso n
s u m m a r ie s f r o m
M
ark
W
atso n ,
New Zealand Alpine Club
C ontinuing w ith his penchant for soloing Southern Alps classics, Guy M cK innon upped the ante last w inter w ith solos o f the rem ote and difficult to access H idden and Balfour Faces o f Mt. Tasman (3,497m ), b oth grade 6. The Balfour has been soloed in w inter before, but not often and the H idden (clim bed via the D irect) was a first w inter ascent. In January this year Guy a ttem p ted a solo o f the n o rth ridge o f Aoraki M t. C ook (3,754m ). Tackling the crux, the Beare Step, still shod in his big boots, Guy slipped, but his w ould-be fatal plunge was cut sh o rt after five m eters by a small ledge th at he was lucky enough to strike and rem ain on. The landing broke his left fibula and he rem ained on the ledge for 13 hours before being rescued by the Aoraki Mt. C ook SAR team . A ustralian clim ber G ren H in to n also m ade som e very im pressive w in ter solos. O n the south face o f Mt. Hicks (3,198m ) he m ade an ascent o f th e Yankee Kiwi C o u lo ir (6+) and a mixed free- and rope-solo o f Logans Run (6+). O ther winter highlights included a first winter ascent o f The Balcony Line (4+) on the south face o f Mt. Mallory (2,756m) by Tsering Pande Bhote, Johnny Davidson, and Glenn Pennycook. Pennycook also m ade the first w inter ascent o f Albino M erino (4) on the southwest headwall of Mt. Haidinger. Pete Camell and Nick M onteith clim bed a three-pitch variation to the Valentine Gully on the Marcel Face o f Mt. Haast and a new route on the south face o f Mt. Barnicoat (2,800m). G lenn Pennycook an d A ndrew Young also m ade the first w in ter ascent o f the G ray-W illiam son C ouloir on the southwest face o f Conway Peak (2,899m ). The readily accessable M urchison Face o f My Aylmer (2,699m) was climbed in September by Paul K nott and A drian C am m . A rchbishop O f C an te rb u ry is sustained 400-m eters o f ice w ith occasional rock steps, w ith an overall grade o f 4/5. Sum m er saw the usual throng o f activity in the park, though few significant ascents were m ade. Early in the season T im Billington and Paul Stephanus clim bed a new line on the east face o f M t. N azom i (2,925m ). In January M ike M adden m ade a solo ascent o f th e D irect (4+ ) on the east face o f Mt. Sefton (3,151m ). V aughn T hom as and T hom as Evans m ade a quick ascent o f the Central Buttress on the n o rth face o f Mt. Hicks— 12 hours h u t to hut. The end o f the season was m arred by tragedy with the death o f accom plished climber and guide Erica B euzenberg. Beuzenberg was sh o rt-ro p in g tw o clients on Ball Pass, ju st south o f Aoraki Mt. Cook, w hen one slipped, dragging the trio over a 200-m eter bluff. Seaso n
s u m m a r ie s f r o m
M
ark
W
atso n ,
New Zealand Alpine Club
