De La Beche ridge, Mt Cook National Park

Sidling below De La Beche ridge. Some Australian climbers were demonstrating how ropes can be used to increase the chance of tragedy. The steepish slopes, numerous crevasses and odd ice cliff, mean that the Minarets can appear to be cut-off in summer. This can make the long 1800m ascent up the ridge seem frustrating... but there's usually a way through the maze of crevasses... not that we found it on this occasion (it's a mistake to go too high, too soon).


Mt Cook overview | Back to Jonathan's gallery
Copyright (c) 1996 Jonathan Carr