2009–2015 Peak Bagging and Peak compiled by Colin & Jeni Bell Colin & Jeni compiled by Mountain Adventures Adventures Mountain SIMON’S TRIPS SIMON’S SIMON’S TRIPS PEAK BAGGING AND MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES 2009–2015 BELL SIMON’S TRIPS SIMON’S TRIPS Peak Bagging and Mountain Adventures 2009–2015 compiled by Colin & Jeni Bell Cover photo: Simon crossing Lake Stream on the way to Jagged Peak, October 2014. Nina Dickerhof Published 2015 by Colin & Jeni Bell ISBN 978-0-473-34051-3 © Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. The moral rights of all contributors are asserted. Please contact Colin & Jeni Bell for permission to use or reprint this material or for electronic or additional copies. Printed by The Copy Press, Nelson, New Zealand. www.copypress.co.nz Simon Colin Bell set out to climb Pikirakatahi / Mt Earnslaw on the 15th January 2015 and did not return. This work is to honour Simon, keep his memory alive and be a gift to his friends and family. It is also to introduce and thank some of the many people who enriched his life. Simon wrote most of this book and provided most of the photographs. His family, friends and fellow climbers contributed the rest. All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. J. R. R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings. PREFACE On the 15th January this year, our son Simon left Esquilant Bivvy in the Mount Aspiring National Park alone and early in the morning to climb Mt Earnslaw. Maybe to traverse from the West to the East Peak. He never returned and is assumed lost. This has left a huge hole in our lives. Three months later we were back in our sunny Nelson home. Colin was trolling through thousands of mountaineering photos found on Simon’s computer extension drive and Jeni was sorting through his climbing magazines, paper trip reports and electronic copy of his adventures. They looked really interesting so she printed some off and started filing them all in a nice blue ringbinder. The folder grew bigger and bigger and had to be read, illustrated with some of the amazing photos and shared. It insisted on being turned into a proper book. So here it is. Simon had seized every opportunity in the past five years to explore wild mountain places with fellow members of the Tararua Tramping Club, NZ Alpine Club and Canterbury Mountaineering Club. He’d forged close friendships and entered upwards of 100 trips or peaks climbed on the club blog sites, together with photos. He’d written trip reports and given presentations. We found his reports and speaking notes lively, exciting and fun to read. His enthusiasm, logical analysis and sense of wonder were always evident. Simon was on a quest to climb all of NZ’s most notable peaks (the ‘100 Great Peaks’ challenge) but that was really just the excuse. As his friend Steve Dowall put it, “While he had ambitions with climbing, his real joy came from just appreciating the wild places of our beautiful country.” This book features 23 trips ranging from gentle tramps to challenging alpine rock or ice climbs. Simon’s own trip accounts or presentation notes form the basis of 18 chapters and he took all the accompanying photos unless otherwise attributed. The complete list of Simon’s trips and his 67 Great Peak climbs are found in Chapters 32 and 33. Lorraine Johns, Simon’s closest friend, climbed 22 of the Great Peaks with Simon as well as acting as chauffeur and behind the scenes organiser for many of his trips. Three of Lorraine’s reports are included as well as reports or stories from Gina Andrews, Steve Dowall, Rob Hawes and Stu Hutson, all of whom shared many adventures with Simon. Rob and Simon climbed 17 of the Great Peaks together and in doing so became close and good friends, as their happy and humorous trip accounts show. Sylvie Admore, Jackie Delaney, Nina Dickerhof, Don French, Dave Grainger, Helen Liley, Stuart MacDonald, Dan Pringle, Heather Rhodes, Daniel Rogerson, Marta and Andrew Scott, Neil Sloan, Vaughan Snowdon, Björn Striebing, and others have so willingly contributed memories or photos. Our role has been to introduce Simon in Chapter 1, add several linking chapters, arrange everything chronologically and carry out minor editing. Simon liked writing and photographing and talked of writing a book himself one day - though he wouldn’t have had so many photos of himself in it! We’ve tried to make it happen for him with help from his friends and from Dave and Suzanne of The Copy Press, Nelson. Thank you so much everyone for all your kind efforts. We hope you enjoy Simon’s Trips. Colin & Jeni Bell [email protected] September 2015 CONTENTS 1 Introducing Simon Colin & Jeni Bell ...........................................................................................1 2 Easter Bagging Lorraine Johns ....................................................................................................11 3 Rock Climbing at the Arapiles Simon .........................................................................................13 4 Rolleston via the Rome Ridge Simon .........................................................................................16 5 Ascent of Tititea Aspiring Stu Hutson ........................................................................................19 6 Aoraki Mt Cook Simon & Rob Hawes .......................................................................................22 7 Club Trip to Pioneer Hut Simon ...............................................................................................27 8 Safety Moment Simon ...............................................................................................................30 9 A Mischievous Fairie Queene Lorraine Johns .............................................................................32 10 Tutoko Simon ...........................................................................................................................34 11 Simon’s Secrets – TTC Club Profile Simon .................................................................................40 12 Cook to Fox – the ‘gTTT’ Simon ...............................................................................................41 13 Barff, Dragonfly and the FOMO Rob Hawes .............................................................................52 14 Sabre Simon ..............................................................................................................................54 15 Dilemma and Unicorn Simon ...................................................................................................58 16 Treasures of Kahurangi: The Needle and The Haystack Lorraine Johns .......................................63 17 South Face of Douglas and Friends Simon & Rob Hawes ...........................................................66 18 The Jagged-Upham Couloir Attempt Heather Rhodes, Simon, Colin & Jeni Bell .........................73 19 Peak Bagging from Wellington Simon .......................................................................................76 20 Elie de Beaumont and Cellphone Coverage in Crevasses Rob Hawes & Lorraine Johns ...............81 21 Anyone Can Play Guitar Simon .................................................................................................85 22 Turret Peak Simon .....................................................................................................................90 23 Stargazing through a Broken Window into my Aspiring Dream Simon & Rob Hawes ................93 24 Life in Wanaka Colin & Jeni Bell .............................................................................................100 25 Climax Peak and the Olivine Ice Plateau by Moonlight Gina Andrews .....................................103 26 La Perouse with Simon Steve Dowall .......................................................................................106 27 Torres Peak West Ridge Steve Dowall .......................................................................................111 28 Home for Christmas Colin & Jeni Bell ....................................................................................118 29 Paradise Found - The Gardens of Eden and Allah Helen Liley & Sylvie Admore ........................120 30 The End of the Dream Colin & Jeni Bell .................................................................................123 31 Afterwards Colin & Jeni Bell ....................................................................................................127 32 Simon’s Trip List 2009 – 2015 .................................................................................................128 33 Simon’s 67 Great Peaks spreadsheet ........................................................................................132 34 Maps – Aoraki Mt Cook region, Mountains of North-West Otago ..........................................138 INTRODUCING SIMON 1 Early Life Anau. During this unsettling time, Simon’s uncle David gave us his old computer. For Simon it Simon was surrounded by love and action from the was the ultimate interactive toy and he altered time he was born in 1981. He was the youngest its settings almost daily, to our frustration. When of our five children, his elder sisters being Heather we upgraded, he talked us into buying the best (8), Kiri (6), Mary (5) and Sylvia (3). Jeni was the graphics card possible so he could play Doom centre of family life and Colin taught maths and with Peter Ericcson, Shun Hashiba and other science at Motueka High