Rsser's accident.

[rsser]

PS, the crevasses you see can give an adrenaline hit; the ones you don't see, a king-hit

Mallory dropped into one during his 2nd expedition to Everest I think it was. Luckily his ice axe was underneath him and wedged itself between the walls, holding him. He managed to scrape a ramp and crawl out.

When they knew dangers were there they'd rope up, but even the heavy hemp rope at the time would fail with a body weight drop of 7 or 8 metres.

Much later Meissner, the first climber to ascend Everest without oxygen, also dropped into a crevasse and managed to haul himself out.

[NeilS]

Prob the Tasman Neil and those intersecting. Or possibly Franz & Fox Josef depending on weather and snow conditions. The guide makes the decision the day before we fly in.

That makes sense. From my little experience of walking (tramping) in SW NZ, the weather can be fickle in that area and I imagine a whiteout on a glacier wouldn't be the best of fun.

And, as one very experienced NZ tramper said (met in a remote hut 5 days out), doesn't really matter which tramp you take the scenery is all magnificent in that SW area.

.....

[mic-d]

I'm still looking forward to enough rotation to move from, ahem, Muslim style in the loo to Christian

Whaa? I only just managed to get from Christian style to Muslim, now the trend is the other way?
Do be careful handling the crevasse Ern.
Cheers
Michael

[rsser]

We'll have a guide who will specialise in heartburn from watching out for alpine touring newbies. We'll wear transceivers in case of avalanche burial. My skis have release bindings so they should come off in an avy. I expect we'll get a lesson in prussiking up a rope to get out of a crevasse.

They've had one guide and one client die in avalanches on the Tasman in the last two years so caution will be the name of the game.

If we come in from the West, on a clear day the beaches will be visible from the tops of the glaciers; if from Mt Cook village to the Tasman, a bit of touring will take us to a saddle in the Southern R with a similar view.

Here's a pic of our most likely destination. Kelman Hut, 2500m. Ski plane to the neve nearby.

[NeilS]

Yummy... been in a few NZ huts with specy views, but that one takes the cake. I could spend a few in that. Just don't miss your step on the way down to that dunny.....

[rsser]

Yeah! Long drop takes on a new meaning ;-}

Well the reality is that 90% of the time is hard slog.

It's all either up or down in that terrain. An hour's climb up and a minute of turns down the slope.

Hut temps drop to lower than minus 5C overnight. Got the gear and have slept at minus 14C in the Snowies. Leather ski boots at the time froze; bindings had some moisture too and also froze and wouldn't hold in the mornings.

In some ways this is a last shot at things I didn't know about when young and now regret. Not really on the edge, except for having to crank up the cardio fitness big time and wondering whether it will serve

I love wild places and the way that the wind blows through you as if you weren't there.

[springwater]

Good move Ern the mountain air will be good medicine and the spirit of adventure good for your blood

[haggismuncher]

Meissner, the first climber to ascend Everest without oxygen, also dropped into a crevasse and managed to haul himself out.

Was that the time he was alone?
Must have been "invigorating".
I always read "Touching the void" with a mixture of admiration and dread.
Crevasses are awe inspiring but take a terrible toll.

Mind you I'm as jealous as hell you're doing it, when I went to the Fox glacier there was no ice climbing available that week (can't remember why), I was trying to cure my vertigo. Having a target must focus your recovery so well. Good luck with it.

Chris

[rsser]

Thanks Chris, yes it's both a target and a reward.

Springwater, eloquently put.

Touching the Void is an amazing story I agree. Would have hated to be the guy who had to let his mate go. And then see your mate appear in camp. would you say?? 'Put down that rock mate'? ;-}

Not sure about Messner; whatever it was, he was as mad as a cut snake.

Fox and Franz Josef glaciers have acquired a bit of a bad rep since a couple of folk were killed by falling ice last year if memory serves. All the glaciers down there are getting shorter and some more dramatically than others!

We'll be up at the neves, the headwalls and above thankfully.

[rsser]

So much for the putative last post. Anyway, it's been good to share some good news after so many distressed posts.

Had the weekly review today and the right paw can now squeeze 52kg. Onwards and upwards!

Finally found out the tech term for the dulled/tingling palm: parasthesia. It still limits how hard I can push the rehab.

Contacted an alpine gear supplier asking for an ice axe the same length as Mallory's. No luck. 'What is Mallory? We don't sell them; contact the distributor.'

Also trying to get travel insurance. LOL. Pre-existing medical conditions. Check. Climbing mountains with ropes and/or guides. Check. Smoker. Check. Ever sought treatment for depression. Check.

Hey ho.

[Ozkaban]

All sounding pretty good Ern. 52kg sounds OK

Also trying to get travel insurance. LOL. Pre-existing medical conditions. Check. Climbing mountains with ropes and/or guides. Check. Smoker. Check. Ever sought treatment for depression. Check.

Are you taking an Axe with you... check

Do you like your travelling companions... ???

Cheers,
Dave

[rsser]

LOL.

They could add: would you eat dog liver if nec. to survive?

Answer: Yes, but I may be some time.

;-}

[NeilS]

Had the weekly review today and the right paw can now squeeze 52kg. Onwards and upwards!

If that improves any further I'll have to watch out for the hand crushing handshake...

.....

[haggismuncher]

It may be a long shot for insurance but try the BMC BMC - Membership Services
they were the only ones who would insure us over 6,000m cycling in Tibet.
There may be an Australian equivalent if they are unwilling to cover you being based in Aus. Good to hear the recovery is well on progress.

Chris

[springwater]

Also trying to get travel insurance. LOL. Pre-existing medical conditions. Check. Climbing mountains with ropes and/or guides. Check. Smoker. Check. Ever sought treatment for depression. Check.

Hey ho.

Bugger the insurance, it's only about odds anyway