Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
SET NEW RECORD
!. IN ARCTIC CLIMB
Britons Scale Mountain
: 1900 Feet Higher Than
Peterman Peak.
BY ANDREW STEPHENSON.

by Radio to The Star.
= ANGMAGSALIK, Greenland, June
as, via London, June 81 (N.A.N.A1.-
"A height of 1Os80 feet, which is 1900
feet higher than Peterman Peak, the
has been attained by party of the
British Arctic Air Route Expedition,
consisting of L. R. Wager, Surgeon
Lieut. Bingham and myself.
On May 6 We three started North
.ern Journey on the ice cap toward
the region of Mount Forel, our purpose
being to map the inside border OF the
coastal mountains, survey around
Mount Forel and climb it If possible.
Mount Forel was discovered and fixed
from a distance of more than 70 miles
~hY De Guervain in 1912, when he eSti-
smated its height at about 1920 feet,
~ar1d that was the only previous survey
OF that area.
1.-The ice cap in the region of Mount
Eorel consists of series of valleys and
ridges rising slowly northward. When
about 20 miles northwest of F'orel we
climbed high ridge of 5000 feet from
where we had an excellent view of the
approach. The inland side of the range
us bounded by wide glacier flowing in
"a southwest direction, the ice cap
boundary of which is marked by
Series of nunataks. Around the latter
Sthe inland ice falls in steep crevasSed
slopes, but the intervening valleys are
smooth and free from crevaSSeS, afford
ling easy access to the glacier.
TO our establishment, we were able
Ito Sledge across the big glacier and up
"a tributary onto the foot of Forel with
Sout crossing single crevasse. We
spaSsed through this gateway to Mount
~~Forel on the sixteenth day after leaving
hoe hox travelled rs Y1nilnc in
~ days.
Rises Gently From Ice.
= For the first 100 miles of the jour-
: ney Forel appears to rise gently from
the ice up to the broad ice dome at
.$~the summit which everywhere caps a
crock wall of almost 1000 feet, rising
UP from the almost fat glacier below.
Where the rock rises Steeply, the ice
dome ends abruptly in an overhanging
wall of 200 or 300 feet. But above the
seasier south and southwest ridge the
ledge of the ice dome is less steep.
This ridge ran up from snow col
Sbetween Forel and an adjoining noun
tain. which we called Camp Mountain.
~On the first day we approached this
col from the west, but from here the
ridge we proposed to climb appeared to
%be. more accessible from east of the col,
so We went round Camp Mountain to
Investigate this approach.
= To the east of Forel, however, We
discovered a tremendous hollow, 5000
feet deep, encircled by mountains rising
-precipitously from the glacier below.
Beyond this were innumerable flne
peaks and glaciers, the latter draining
Unto glacier eight or nine miles wide
running southeast into the head OF Ber-
-mitek Fjord. From this immense sys-
> tenn of glaciers We were cut off by a
very steep rock wall of 5000 feet.
This difference in the level between
two glacier systems so close together
was most unexpected, and We had to
return to the western approach. Camp
was pitched within a quarter of mile
of the foot of the col at a height OF
1890 feet, and the next morning Wager
! and set off for reconnaissance of
the col. Progress was slow, as the snow
vas IL to 10 inches deep.
!. or Two Bergschrunds to Cross.
= There were two Bergschrunds to be
crossed before we got to the top. The
= first was crossed by firm snow bridge,
but the upper lip of the second, which
extended to the top of the col, proved
difficult. 1t was Snow-free ice and a
slope of about 80 degrees. The angle
was so steep that in order to cut step
Six inches wide the back wall of the
~step had to be about two feet high.
z We found the top of the col was 700
. feet above the camp. The other side
.of,the col was smooth ice slope which
Narrowed rapidly and fell steeply down
.sa~eouloir to the glacier some 5000 feet
below.
: TO get to our ridge We had to cross
this slope. Steps were difficult to cut,
aI1d Wager, who was leading, had to
sreturn once or twice to rest before we
req ched rock about so yards away two
.-hours later. We then spent an hour
~oI the rock before returning to camp.
: Two days later we reached the top
~sof' this rock after six hours of climb
ing, but the ice dome, which from
below had appeared to slope down
gently, was much sleeper than We had
expected. I Delayed made fast) to
the rock and Wager cut steps for one
ropes length, but the ice was of such
scut a step with five or six strokes of
sthe axe it took 20 or 80.
ITO get to the top of the steep part
about 300 steps would have been nee
-essary, which would have required
much more time and also more energy
ethan was available in such a small
sparty.
= 1t would have been unsatisfactory
for a tired man to cut these steps, as a
nisstep would have meant a loss of
balance with an accompanying fall OF
$4,000 feet.
Take Careful Reading.
= Having considered this, we reluc-
Stantly decided to return. Before starting
1.-The descent we boiled the hyphOmeter
= and read the aneroid, from which we
subsequently determined our height as
Il, ZOO feet above the camp whose
height after a weeks observations, was
estimated as $3.50 feet. Thus we had
reached height of 10,880 feet, which
lis 1900 feet higher than Peterman
:. Peak.
: Another day was spent in survey
before we moved the camp and sledges
around the north end of Mount Forel
to consider the northeast ridge. This
: ridge was a definite climbing propo-
= sition. 1t entailed going down another
= ! 500 feet before starting to climb and
there were many more ice slopes than
on the southwest ridge.
= These ice slopes were a peculiar and
= annoying feature Of the mountain in
AtniS region. Elsewhere they would