Mt. Cook 등반기 1

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카나다  등반팀의 Mt Cook 등반기 번역입니다. 원본은 http://www.summitpost.org]

2006년 1월4일-12일

차를 타고 Mountain Cook 빌리지로 들어갔다. 많은 비가 내렸으며, Visitor Centre에 들러 날씨와 산행지에 대한 정보를 얻었음. Linda Glacier에 접근이 불가능하다는 정보를 받고, Haast Hut로 가기로 함.

Tasman Valley로 진입하여 최대한 차량으로 이동한 다음 산행 시작. Ball Shelter를 통과할 때까지는 문제가 없었으나, 약간의 비가 내리고 모래인(빙하의 퇴적물인 자갈과 모래가 섞인 지대) 지대를 통과하여 바위로 덮여있는 Tasman Glacier를 통과했다. Haast Ridge의 아래까지는 길고 긴 트랙이었으며, 거기서 다시 1000미터를 더 올라야 했다. 그 경사면은 자갈과 바위로 덮여 있었으며, 위쪽부터는 최근에 내린 눈으로 덮여 있었다. 눈길이 더 오르기에 편했다. 해는 지기 시작하고 산장은 아직 멀리 있어, 능선 오른쪽의 돌출부에서 비박을 했다.

다음날, Haast Hut에 도착했다. 이곳에서 하루를 지내기로 했다. 왜냐하면 Plateau Hut까지 가기에는 피곤했다. Plateau Hut으로 가는 날, 날씨는 화창했고, 처음으로 Mt Cook정상을 바라 볼 수 있었다. 이 산장은 지난 4월 달에 만들어져서 아주 깨끗하고 좋았다. 하루 밤, 가스와 조명, 물을 사용하는데 $35이 소요된다. (Haast Hut은 하루 $5인데 가스와 조명이 없다.) 이 산장은 30명이 머무를 수 있는데, 오늘은 총 4명 - 우리 2명과, 정상 등정을 시도했다가 정상 아래쪽의 Linda Shelf까지만 오르고 내려온 일본인 2명만 있다. 일본인들은 좋은 날씨를 기다리며 7일 동안 이 산장에 머물렀다고 한다. 다음 이틀 동안 시속 120Km의 바람이 불어 산행을 할 수 없었다. 바람소리는 마치 비행기가 지나가는 것 같았다. 화장실을 갈려고 나갔다가 바람에 쓰러지기도 했다.

마침내, 1월9일 날씨는 좋아졌지만 해가 뜰 때까지 여전히 바람은 불어서 정상을 시도할 엄두를 못 낸다. 일본인 2명은 헬기로 떠나고, 새로 16명이 헬기를 타고 들어왔다. 헬기를 타고 산중턱으로 들어와 산행을 한다는 것은 캐나다에서는 있을 수 없는 일이지만 뉴질랜드에서는 종종 있는 일인 것 같다.(내가 생각해도 산행 정신에는 어긋나지만, 제한된 기간 안에 정상을 밟아 보고 싶은 경우 선택할 수도 있다고 생각한다.)

만약에 경우 Linda로 오를 생각도 하면서, East Face 쪽으로 오르기로 했다. 새벽에 정상을 오를 작정으로 저녁 9:00 산장을 떠났다. Linda 아래에서 나와서 East Face하단에서 오르는 길은 쉽지 않았다. 45도 정도의 East Face 사면을 따라 올랐는데, 올라갈수록 상황은 더 좋지 않았다. 사면은 표면만 살짝 얼어 있는 상태라 체력소모도 많고 전진 속도도 느렸다. 사면을 60미터 정도 올랐을 때, 더 오르기에는 시간과 체력소모가 많다고 판단하여 Linda로 붙기로 했다. 이런 결정을 내리기까지 3시간이나 허비했다.

새벽 1시경 Linda를 오르기 시작했으며, 다른 사람이 우리 앞에 있길 바랐지만, 여전히 우리가 선두에 있었다. Linda에서 루트를 찾기는 어렵지 않았다. 로프와 슬링을 머리 위로 거는 순간 헤드램프가 떨어져 크래바스에 빠졌다. 순간 나는 이제 등반이 끝났구나 생각했지만 Thomas가 확보를 봐 주어서 크래바스 아래로 내려가 헤드램프를 찾아 올 수 있었다. 또 이런 일이 생긴다면 등반은 포기해야 할 것이다. 크래바스 아래로 내려갔다 오는 경험은 색다른 느낌이었다. 이러는 사이 호주인 2명이 우리를 따라 붙어서 같이 오르게 되었다.

Linda상단으로 이어지는 좌측을 지나쳐서 다른 우회로로 접어 들었다. 직등하여 Linda 상단으로 가로 질러 올랐다. Gun Barrel아래의 계곡을 따라 올라서 Linda Shelf로 가로 질러 갔다. 이 지점에서 우리는 현재 위치가 어디인지 감을 잊고 있어서 호주인이 가진 안내 책자를 통해 정보를 받았다. 여기서 호주인들은 능선을 따라서 가고 우리는 협곡을 따라 올랐는데, 협곡을 따라 오른 것은 정말 잘한 일이었다. 능선 길은 2개의 불안정한 암봉을 넘어야 한다. 가파르고 좁은 빙벽 사이 사이로 바위와 눈이 섞인 길이다. 이곳에서 우리는 확보장비로 한 개의 너트와 슬링만 사용했다.

내가 선등한 정상까지는 눈 처마로 연결되어 있었다. 눈은 단단하고 걷기에 편했지만, 무릎으로 스탭을 만들어가면서 전진해야 했다. 최근 2주 이상 이곳은 아무도 온 사람이 없다. 힘든 일이었지만, 해내고야 말았다. 정상은 살얼음으로 덮여 있어 나를 겁나게 했다. 정상은 한번에 한 사람씩 다녀왔다. 정상에서 바로 바다까지 떨어지는 환상적인 경치가 발 아래로 펼쳐졌다. 이것은 2006년의 첫 등정이었다.

하산 길에 눈은 젖은 상태라서 아이젠 바닥에 들어 붙어서 걷기가 불편했다. 정상을 내려와 몇 발자국 지나 넘어졌다가 바로 일어났지만, 하마터면 천길 아래로 미끄러져 떨어질 뻔 했다. 정상바위를 쉽고 빠르게 내려와서 Linda Shelf에 이르렀다. Gun Barrel 아래에 도달해서는 아이젠을 벗고, 눈 썰매를 타고 내려왔다. 훨씬 쉽고 편한 하산이었다. Linda 아래로 내려 왔을 때 햇살이 따가워져서 발이 푹푹 빠졌다.  저녁 7:30분 산장에 돌아왔다. 22시간 30분만에 돌아온 것이다. 중도에 우회하지 않았다면 시간을 더 단축할 수 있었을 것이다. 호주인과 미국인들도 그날 정상을 밟았다. 그들은 거의 30시간 걸렸다.

다음날 휴식을 취했다. 날씨가 급변하여 아무도 산장을 떠날 수 없었다. 비와 함께 시속 100Km의 강풍이 불었다. 다음날은 안개가 자욱하게 끼었지만 산행을 하기에는 충분했다.비가 내린 후 Plateau Glacier는 지형이 완전히 바뀌어 크래바스가 드러났다. 안개는 길을 찾기 힘들게 만들었지만 방향을 잘 잡아 내려갔다. Haast Ridge보다 비교적 안전하다는 Boys Glacier를 따라 내려갔다. Boys Glacier에서 Tasman으로 가는 길은 바위와 자갈로 덮여 있어 길을 찾기가 쉽지 않았다. 개울을 지난 Tasman을 내려왔으며 모래인 지대를 넘어 타로 돌아왔다. 멋진 산행이었다.

[원본 / Original Copy] 

Ascending All 10,000 Feet
with Thomas Haines by Krister Sorensen /Jan. 4-12, 2006

The drive to Mount Cook Village was very beautiful; the plains, the rolling hills and into the mountains. Amazing. It was raining pretty hard in the village as it seems to do a lot. The next morning we went to the visitor’s station to get some information about conditions on Cook. Not good. Reports were coming in that the Linda Glacier may be impassable. It was even on the national news! Despite the conditions we decided to make our way to Haast Hut. 

We drove up the Tasman valley as far as we could and started hiking. We passed Ball Shelter with no problems but a little rain then we dropped down the moraine (which proved to be dangerous) and onto the rock covered Tasman Glacier. It was a long trek to the base of the Haast Ridge and we still had about 1000m to climb. The slope was full of scree and loose rock, but once we got a little higher it was covered by snow from a recent storm. The snow made it much easier to gain elevation. The sun started to set and the hut was still a ways away, so we decided to bivy on a couple of ledges right on the ridge. 

The next day we made it to Haast Hut and decided to spend a night there because we felt too lazy to continue to Plateau Hut. It was a beautiful day when we made our way to Plateau. We got our first view of Cook and it was very inspiring. The hut was just finished the previous April so it was extremely new and nice, but it came with a price. NZ$35 a night for gas, lights, water and a bed. It was only NZ$5 a night at Haast, but there is no gas or lights at Haast. The hut is made for 30 people, but there were only four of us. There was a Japanese party of two that made a summit bid the day we got to the hut, but they only made it to the Linda Shelf below the summit rocks. They had been waiting at the hut for seven days for a good weather window. The next two days the wind picked up to a nice 120 k/hr breeze. I can’t really explain how bad the wind was other than it sounded like being in an airplane. There were gusts that shook the whole hut, and when we walked outside to go to the bathroom you’d just about get knocked over. It was interesting being stuck in a hut with two guys that didn’t speak a lick of English. Finally on January 9th the weather cleared up but the wind didn’t calm down until sunrise so we couldn’t make a summit bid. The two Japanese were able to fly out and 16 other people flew in. 

Excuse this paragraph as I get on my soapbox. I know that flying in and out of New Zealand mountains is an accepted practice; however, I don’t know how you can justify cutting off almost half of the mountain and still go home and say you climbed it. I guess it is a personal decision you have to make, but this practice would never fly in Canada where the mountains are of similar size and elevation. Could you imagine someone landing a helicopter just below the North Face on Mount Robson, summiting, descending the Kain Face, and taking another helicopter out from the Dome? Never! But this is very similar to what happens in New Zealand. The whole time we were there we never met another climber that hiked in and out of any mountains but ourselves. I’m not trying to grandiose myself or my partner; I’m just questioning the ethic used in New Zealand.

Anyway, we had our sights set on the East Face with the Linda as our back up plan. We wanted to hit the summit ice cap at first light so we left the hut the night of the 9th at 9:00pm. Once we moved out from under the Linda and under the East Face we started to post hole pretty bad. We continued up the ramp to the point we decided to ascend the East Face, and it got much worse. The slope was about 45 degrees with an inch of crust on top of a couple feet of powder. We slowly made our way up the first 200 feet of the slope and decided it wasn’t worth it due to the effort and time it would take if the slope continued like this, but also the avalanche conditions would be very bad. We made our way back down and hooked back up with the Linda. This detour cost us at least three hours and quite a bit of energy. 

It was about 1am when we got back to the Linda and we figured we would have some of the other climbers ahead of us, but this wasn’t the case. We were still in front of everyone. Finding our way through the Linda was not too difficult. At one point we decided to put another layer on. As I was taking the rope and slings over my head it caught on my headlamp and caused it to pop off, and it fell into a crevasse! I thought it was the end of our climb. Thomas set up an anchor and lowered me into the crevasse. Thankfully it was sitting on a ledge just were I could get it. If it had fallen any further the lamp and the summit would have been lost. It was quite an experience dropping into that crevasse, and very fun to climb out on the overhanging wall. Because of this delay a couple of Australian climbers caught up with us and stayed close behind us the rest of the way. 

We had another slight detour as we missed our left turn to continue up the Upper Linda. We continued straight and had to traverse the slope high above the Linda until we met up with it again. We continued up the gully below the Gun Barrel and traversed onto the Linda Shelf. At this point we didn’t know where to go so we consulted the Australians. One had a copy of the guide book. I saw the narrow couloir right of the ridge was the most direct way, so we decided to do that. The Australians continued to the ridge and didn’t follow us. I highly recommend the couloir because, although it was steep, it had good ice and allowed us to skip two sections of the summit rocks and saved us a lot of time. The summit rocks were pretty dicey. Lots of mixed rock and snow sections with small sections of vertical ice. The only protection we used was one nut on the first pitch but then we only used the rap slings the rest of the way. 

The summit was now only guarded by the summit icecap that I led up. Every now and then the snow would be consolidated and easy to walk on but most of the time I was post holing up to my knees. No one had been up there for over two weeks. It was hard work but I didn’t mind it. The summit ridge was covered in rime ice that really sketched me out, more than Thomas. We went out to the summit one at a time. The day was glorious. We had great views of everything right down to the ocean. We were the first to summit in 2006. 

 

On the descent the snow was wet and sticky and it started to bail up on our crampons. After only a few steps down the summit ice cap I slipped. I was able to stop myself right away but if forced us to down climb most of the way to Summit Rocks. The Summit Rocks were quick and easy to rap down and we were soon on the Linda Shelf. Once we got below the Gun Barrel we took our crampons off and glissaded down as much as we could. This made things go very quickly. Once we got lower on the Linda the sun had really heated things up and we were post holing every few steps, but we finally made it back to the hut at 7:30 pm; 22.5 hours after we left. If it wasn’t for the detour it would have been much less. Besides the Australians there were also four Americans that summated that day. Their day lasted almost 30 hours!

The next day was our rest day before we hiked out, but it didn’t matter because the weather turned back to crap and no one was going anywhere. 100 k/hr winds with rain. The next day there was a lot of fog, but it was good enough to hike out. The rain had completely changed the Plateau Glacier and there were crevasses exposed all over the place. The fog also made it difficult to navigate our way across, but we knew the general direction we needed to go and made it just fine. We decided to descend the Boys Glacier because we heard it was much safer than the Haast Ridge. You couldn’t pay me enough to try and descend the Haast anyway. The fog made things very difficult at times and forced us to backtrack every now and then but we finally made it below the clouds. Descending below the Boys on the rocks to the Tasman was tricky, but by luck we were able to find a trail that took us down to the Tasman. We hiked down the Tasman, crossed a stream, hiked up the moraine, and took the trail back to our car.
The trip was amazing. We had difficult climbing, good and bad weather, and we met some pretty cool people along the way.