Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- 195303 [2016/11/11 11:30] – tyreless
+++ 195303 [2016/11/11 12:46] – tyreless
@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 ----
+=====The Chardonnet Episode.=====
-THE CHARDONNET EPISODE.
 By Leon Blumer.
-(Below is the first of three articles on climbing in the European Alps received from Leon Blumer. The other two stories will be published ip subsequent issues. We learn that Leon has now 'bagged!' most of the worthwhile peaks in Europe and has turned his attention to Canada. We wish him good rocks and far horizons.)
-We were very tired after the Du Tour ascent and argued that evening whether to attempt the Auguille du Chardcnnet. Tomorrow was our second day in the Alps and to climb a fairly difficult 14,000-ft. peak was very ambitious. Ian, our third limn, was obviously too ill from the day's excursions and needed rest, but Brian and I decided that if we climbed slowly from an early start, we two would make the top. The weather was fine, the route fairly obvious, and the peak worth climbing, We could have a rest day after.
-We left about 4.0 a.m., following numercas parties bound for the Du Tour. A Swiss party of two had left even earlier and, as the dawn awakened, we could see the two dots gradually working their way towards a steep ice ridge an the other side of the mountain. It was interesting to compare 'choir progress amid such grand mountain scenery, mere files on walls of blue, white and green. We followed Du Tour route for quite a way in order to avoid a badly crevassed section in the middle of the glacier, but soon found new nrrihln,-
-on our own route. WP hcarq
-.
-not feel inclined to explore some of the enormous cavities cutting across our path, the axe being poked nervously into each doubtfultridge
-Above the middle section on the rising slope it was naleh better and so second breakfast was declared. The =is rays were warming, and layer after layer of clothing was gradually peeled off and placed in th, rucksac. This is a set-back of "good weather' climbing - rucksacs get so bulky that climbers are tempted to leave them (to their cost).
-The Swiss party was now on the thin ice ridge, a gleaming arc lit by the sun. Evidently they were leading through, as we observed one dot slowing advancing the length of the rope, the other stationary. Seeing others at work on difficult climbs is sometimes nearly as good as being in the actual battle. One can sense the expectancy and doUbt as each difficult section is overcome. The sheer beauty of the day, thE freshness of the sun on snowfield and peak, took my mind back to happy days in the Australian bush. This was living indeed.
-We strapped on crampons and threaded our way through several large crevu.t>ot)Ls to an enormous bergochrund belot a very steep snow slope, about 400-ft. high. This proved exciting, as two other tracks had crossed an parts which had since melted and dropped into the depths. This part was still in shadow so, after donning more clothing, Brian belayed with his axe, while I led up a frail bridge between the previous tracks. Slowly and gently I managed to lodge myself on the wall, axe buried to the hilt in the-soft snow. Brian led through and established himself a rope length away, ploughing through hip-deep snow. It was slow and exhausting progress, and ice was encountered at one stage less than two feet below the surface.
-At last we reached the col and walking along its crest to a clump of rocks ate in the sun While we surveyed the next part of the route. Someone had evidently disregarded the guide book and worked their way up a steep ice couloir above the col, then cliMbed a short steep rook cliff. We decided on the guide books instructions to traverse upwards' to the right on to a steely-looking ice slope leading to a smaller col. It was only after we had crossed the smaller bergschrund and were launched on this slope that we realised its difficulty.- It was brittle hard, and the crampon points had to be punched in at every step. We moved slowly and cautiously - one slip and wewolad fall back, not to the col, but down its sides for thousands of feet to the Argentiere glacier. Steps were cut for 20-ft., but the effort left us panting and heaving for breath. A few weeks later we could have walked up, but at this early stage of the holiday we were badly in need of training.
-A horizontal crack a few inches wide split the slope at this point, and by using this we managed to traverse to blow the ice couloir. At least if we slipped here we could hope to brake with our axes, and slide back to the col.
-Another badly needed rest on some rocks, then we took to the ice until it became so steep that it waS necessary to climb rocks on the left. Just before reaching the top, there came a stinging shower of
-ice particles and we heard voices. Yes, it was the Swiss party attempting to cut steps in an ice slope above. They had been moving very strongly, obviously very fit and competent. We waved a greeting, as
-.
-cheery as possible under the circumstances, then wearily plodded upward' on a mixed snow and ice slope.
-Another rest an more rocks, lemon, sugar and snow water being greedily gulped down. Possibly another hour to the summit - another hour of torture. Every upward move now was gained by placing one foot slowly in front of the other, and leaning on the axe shaft every few minutes. A quarter-hour of this and Brian turned round and said he would be ill and couldn't go any further. I took over the lead now and, after what seemed a long, long time, we reached another thin col. There, slightly above us, a few hundred yards to the left, was the summit. At last!
-We pushed on but were brought up short by a long, narrow snow
-ridge, both sides plunging down incredibly steep slopes. A bit unnervel
-:tackled this on one side, arms hanging over the top. This resulted
-some floundering and only undermined the ridge, so I balanced along the crest, Brian being warned to jump down the opposite face if it collapsed and carried me down one side. We staggered over to the varmilL and collapsed. The hours of torture had ceased.
-A little more food and sugared lemon gradually put us in a better state of mind and body. The view was startling, the 15eaks on the other side of the Argentiere Glacier smoking with mist and cloud, presenting some of the most sheer ice and rock cliffs we had ever seen. It was very pleasant to lie back and tai in in all this grand scenery, and an hour went by before we eased our cramped limbs and started back.
-Brian, unfortunately, fell through the narrow snow ridge, but managed to stop himself falling down the face by placing both hands ova the crest. I had grabbed a rock as a belay,but the instinctive actia was not needed. Brian simply crawled back on to the 18-inch wide track and cautiously walked over to my safety point. The knife-edge looked a little mangled in appearance but we were over it, thank God!
-Further down, the mixed snow and ice slope required care as it was getting rather soft, so the crampon points were placed securely before transferring weight. Another much needed rest at the rocks and then down 50-ft. into the ice couloir. We were just about to take to the ice when we heard a whirring and clattering noise, so shrank back again the wall - just in time  those rocks coming down were unpleasantly close.
-We then had more trouble half-way down the ice slope when my left leg developed cramp. As last man, I did not dare to fall, so yelled a warning and hobbled down on one crampon till comparative safety was reached. The ice couloir was now running with water, and the place did not seem very healthy, especially When a feWmoro stones whizzed past our heads. Even though we were dead tired, our mental faculties were still alert and our retreat becare more like a military operation,, slippery ice and missiles being endured till we jumpiod the subsidiary bergschrund and rattled down to the col. Oh, well, no harm doneI Lord: - what is this? The slope we had climbed in the morning looked horribly steep now, as we craned our necks over it. Had we really came up this?
-.
-We belayed properly down this now sun-softened slope, and slowly neared the large bergschrund. Brian plucked up colra.ge and jumped the fifteen feet into the trough. I followed suit - a most peculiar flying feeling this - one second you are high up on the lip, and the next you have landed and a.re trying to pull both feet out of the soft snow. Brian was feeling much better by this time and ha:d lost his sick feeling, but I still retained a slight ,heacrahe. We threaded our way through the crevassed area, and fairly-romped, home' to the hat,- very fatigued, but quite happy. We had spent a long time over " but there were no mishaps.
-Ian, good lad that he was had a special brew waiting for US 2 so while we sipped hot sugary tea we told him of our exploits  Much laughter and -cursing, _but we 'both agreed it had been' quite a day - a very satisfying climb all roan.d,clespite aching muscles and other die- comforts. The rest day was well earned.
+(Below is the first of three articles on climbing in the European Alps received from Leon Blumer. The other two stories will be published in subsequent issues. We learn that Leon has now 'bagged!' most of the worthwhile peaks in Europe and has turned his attention to Canada. We wish him good rocks and far horizons.)
-'
+We were very tired after the Du Tour ascent and argued that evening whether to attempt the Auguille du Chardonnet. Tomorrow was our second day in the Alps and to climb a fairly difficult 14,000-ft. peak was very ambitious. Ian, our third limn, was obviously too ill from the day's excursions and needed rest, but Brian and I decided that if we climbed slowly from an early start, we two would make the top. The weather was fine, the route fairly obvious, and the peak worth climbing. We could have a rest day after.
+We left about 4.0 a.m., following numerous parties bound for the Du Tour. A Swiss party of two had left even earlier and, as the dawn awakened, we could see the two dots gradually working their way towards a steep ice ridge on the other side of the mountain. It was interesting to compare their progress amid such grand mountain scenery, mere files on walls of blue, white and green. We followed Du Tour route for quite a way in order to avoid a badly crevassed section in the middle of the glacier, but soon found new problems on our own route. We had [illegible] not feel inclined to explore some of the enormous cavities cutting across our path, the axe being poked nervously into each doubtful bridge.
+Above the middle section on the rising slope it was much better and so second breakfast was declared. The sun's rays were warming, and layer after layer of clothing was gradually peeled off and placed in the rucksac. This is a set-back of "good weather" climbing - rucksacs get so bulky that climbers are tempted to leave them (to their cost).
+The Swiss party was now on the thin ice ridge, a gleaming arc lit by the sun. Evidently they were leading through, as we observed one dot slowing advancing the length of the rope, the other stationary. Seeing others at work on difficult climbs is sometimes nearly as good as being in the actual battle. One can sense the expectancy and doubt as each difficult section is overcome. The sheer beauty of the day, the freshness of the sun on snowfield and peak, took my mind back to happy days in the Australian bush. This was living indeed.
+We strapped on crampons and threaded our way through several large crevasses to an enormous bergschrund below a very steep snow slope, about 400-ft. high. This proved exciting, as two other tracks had crossed on parts which had since melted and dropped into the depths. This part was still in shadow so, after donning more clothing, Brian belayed with his axe, while I led up a frail bridge between the previous tracks. Slowly and gently I managed to lodge myself on the wall, axe buried to the hilt in the-soft snow. Brian led through and established himself a rope length away, ploughing through hip-deep snow. It was slow and exhausting progress, and ice was encountered at one stage less than two feet below the surface.
+At last we reached the col and walking along its crest to a clump of rocks ate in the sun while we surveyed the next part of the route. Someone had evidently disregarded the guide book and worked their way up a steep ice couloir above the col, then climbed a short steep rook cliff. We decided on the guide books instructions to traverse upwards to the right on to a steely-looking ice slope leading to a smaller col. It was only after we had crossed the smaller bergschrund and were launched on this slope that we realised its difficulty. It was brittle hard, and the crampon points had to be punched in at every step. We moved slowly and cautiously - one slip and we would fall back, not to the col, but down its sides for thousands of feet to the Argentiere glacier. Steps were cut for 20-ft., but the effort left us panting and heaving for breath. A few weeks later we could have walked up, but at this early stage of the holiday we were badly in need of training.
+A horizontal crack a few inches wide split the slope at this point, and by using this we managed to traverse to below the ice couloir. At least if we slipped here we could hope to brake with our axes, and slide back to the col.
+Another badly needed rest on some rocks, then we took to the ice until it became so steep that it was necessary to climb rocks on the left. Just before reaching the top, there came a stinging shower of ice particles and we heard voices. Yes, it was the Swiss party attempting to cut steps in an ice slope above. They had been moving very strongly, obviously very fit and competent. We waved a greeting, as cheery as possible under the circumstances, then wearily plodded upward on a mixed snow and ice slope.
+Another rest on more rocks, lemon, sugar and snow water being greedily gulped down. Possibly another hour to the summit - another hour of torture. Every upward move now was gained by placing one foot slowly in front of the other, and leaning on the axe shaft every few minutes. A quarter-hour of this and Brian turned round and said he would be ill and couldn't go any further. I took over the lead now and, after what seemed a long, long time, we reached another thin col. There, slightly above us, a few hundred yards to the left, was the summit. At last!
+We pushed on but were brought up short by a long, narrow snow ridge, both sides plunging down incredibly steep slopes. A bit unnerved I tackled this on one side, arms hanging over the top. This resulted in some floundering and only undermined the ridge, so I balanced along the crest, Brian being warned to jump down the opposite face if it collapsed and carried me down one side. We staggered over to the summit and collapsed. The hours of torture had ceased.
+A little more food and sugared lemon gradually put us in a better state of mind and body. The view was startling, the peaks on the other side of the Argentiere Glacier smoking with mist and cloud, presenting some of the most sheer ice and rock cliffs we had ever seen. It was very pleasant to lie back and take in in all this grand scenery, and an hour went by before we eased our cramped limbs and started back.
+Brian, unfortunately, fell through the narrow snow ridge, but managed to stop himself falling down the face by placing both hands over the crest. I had grabbed a rock as a belay, but the instinctive action was not needed. Brian simply crawled back on to the 18-inch wide track and cautiously walked over to my safety point. The knife-edge looked a little mangled in appearance but we were over it, thank God!
+Further down, the mixed snow and ice slope required care as it was getting rather soft, so the crampon points were placed securely before transferring weight. Another much needed rest at the rocks and then down 50-ft. into the ice couloir. We were just about to take to the ice when we heard a whirring and clattering noise, so shrank back again the wall - just in time - those rocks coming down were unpleasantly close.
+We then had more trouble half-way down the ice slope when my left leg developed cramp. As last man, I did not dare to fall, so yelled a warning and hobbled down on one crampon till comparative safety was reached. The ice couloir was now running with water, and the place did not seem very healthy, especially when a few more stones whizzed past our heads. Even though we were dead tired, our mental faculties were still alert and our retreat becare more like a military operation, slippery ice and missiles being endured till we jumped the subsidiary bergschrund and rattled down to the col. Oh, well, no harm done! Lord! - what is this? The slope we had climbed in the morning looked horribly steep now, as we craned our necks over it. Had we really came up this?
+We belayed properly down this now sun-softened slope, and slowly neared the large bergschrund. Brian plucked up courage and jumped the fifteen feet into the trough. I followed suit - a most peculiar flying feeling this - one second you are high up on the lip, and the next you have landed and are trying to pull both feet out of the soft snow. Brian was feeling much better by this time and had lost his sick feeling, but I still retained a slight headache. We threaded our way through the crevassed area, and fairly romped home to the hut, very fatigued, but quite happy. We had spent a long time over it, but there were no mishaps.
+Ian, good lad that he was, had a special brew waiting for us, so while we sipped hot sugary tea we told him of our exploits.  Much laughter and cursing, but we both agreed it had been quite a day - a very satisfying climb all round, despite aching muscles and other discomforts. The rest day was well earned.
+----
+====The Annual Re-Union - at Woods' Creek. March 14/15th.====
 Trains to Richmond on Saturday:
-.59 a.m.. (Electric) 12.33 p.m. (Steam)'8.30' a;n3., d , n 1:38 -p.m. 1 'n '' : 8:35 p.m.
-.1
-(Steam). 2,44 p.m. (Electric)
-' 11 ' '`26 "a..In..;:(Electric) 4-,29.p..m..- "
-, 5 P.m, (Steam)
-- tBus is being booked ,to meet 12.33 p.m. ,return.
-Mollw.11.1CRFalamrradlInrisali
-.!!)......H2..qA2EA"...T..12H.gL22 7' :
-l
-rain f'rom Sydney. Fare 4/-
-Mary and Bob Eastoe - a 'dab.ghter Gillian.13osemary,
-A.t the advanced age of 10. days G.R. Eastoo' was to be seen
-camping (with her parents) at Brandy Mary Flat -on the Tumut River.
-,
-The train time for the last Instruction.al Walk at Marley Pool was announc,e.d. as 1.24 p.m. from Central to Cronulla; 'When the majority of attenders arrived at Central, officials assured them that there was no Cronulla trad.n at 1.24. p.m. 1.14 p.m. was the train, so they
+.59 a.m. (Electric), 8.30 a.m. (Electric), 9.15 a.m. (Steam), 11.26 a.m. (Electric), 12.33 p.m. (Steam), 1.38 p.m. (Steam), 2.44 p.m. (Electric), 4.29 p.m. (Electric), 6.5 p.m. (Steam), 8.35 p.m. (Steam).
-travelled on it. Two prospectives and your report', Who relies mainly on a recently published timetable,- travelled on 1.24 p.m: train which ran as timetable& and was caufortably empty., The leader, owing to a misunderstanding at Rockdale, travelled on 1.,4.4 p.m. train ex Central.
-. ,
+'Bus is being booked to meet 12.33 p.m. train from Sydney. Fare 4/- return.
- , .
-T.171E ANNUAL RE-1.1NION'.,..  AT WO:Malt_ CRETE
+----
-'
- Such circumstances, including the arrival of the leader from the rear, could. have caused a minor panic and quite a bit of fluttering. However, with commendable sagacity, the various contingents sorted themselves out upon arrival at Cronulla and all.crossed to Bundeena in the 2.55 p.n. ferry.
+====Congratulations To:====
-bon). 6/1/53.
-.
+Mary and Bob Eastoe - a daughter, Gillian Rosemary, born 6/1/53.
+At the advanced age of 10 days G.R. Eastoe was to be seen camping (with her parents) at Brandy Mary Flat on the Tumut River.
+----
+The train time for the last Instructional Walk at Marley Pool was announced as 1.24 p.m. from Central to Cronulla. When the majority of attenders arrived at Central, officials assured them that there was no Cronulla train at 1.24. p.m. - 1.14 p.m. was __the__ train, so they travelled on it. Two prospectives and your reporter, who relies mainly on a recently published timetable, travelled on 1.24 p.m. train which ran as timetabled and was comfortably empty. The leader, owing to a misunderstanding at Rockdale, travelled on 1.44 p.m. train ex Central.
+Such circumstances, including the arrival of the leader from the rear, could have caused a minor panic and quite a bit of fluttering. However, with commendable sagacity, the various contingents sorted themselves out upon arrival at Cronulla and all crossed to Bundeena in the 2.55 p.m. ferry.
+----
 ACTIVITIES OF THE F-AUNA PROTECTION PANEL,
 -53