Friday 20/06/2003
1330 Left Nelson with Anthony and drove to the Robert Ridge low car park on Coldwater side. Left packs and Anthony at the car park and then drove car to upper car park. Ran down. Headed off to Coldwater hut. I wore suit and tie all the way.
1600 At Coldwater hut. Food etc.
1710 Ben arrived.
Saturday 21/06/2003
0700 Out of bed.
0810 Off to Angelus hut via Hukure stream, up Cascade Track, kept suit on all the way.
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| I and my suit |
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| Anthony and Ben |
2031 Well feed and had a couple of wines. Thinking of going up to the top of Angelus for midnight.
Lots of people lots of fun. Maybe head off at 2140?
Not everyone one as not everyone had crampons and some had drunk to much alcohol.
2153 Off for the climb....
We where near the top at 0010 and Nick slid off down a steep slope and went over a bluff. It is shit scarey to see a fellow climber accelerating to their death on a mountain. The noise of the slide and the headlight receding in the distance did not look good.
Andrew and I went down a gulley looking for him, we did find him, but it was initially decided that it was a rock. So me Mark and Amanda headed down. We got to the hut and raised the alarm. No hut radio so some headed off up to Robert Ridge direction where cell phones work to call for assistance. Mark, Grant and I, and a member of another party took up clothing food and hot drink. A cold night grouped around Nick. He was not really ever concious.
In the morning a chopper arrived and after a bit of a struggle with a stretcher he was airlifted to Nelson hospital. Nick had bad head injuries and a broken Pelvis.
Sunday 22/06/2003
Headed off out eventually with others along Angelus Ridge. Was excellent weather.
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| Ben and Anthony |
