Mt Elliot - Cramponeering and other trips.

Mt Elliot (left) and Fang peak from Mt Ward - David Range

1st January 2012 - After lunch on a sunny, cloudless, windless day Tom and I headed for Mt Fang in the David Range. At about 2:30 we parked the Hag next to Fang field hut, unloaded, had a cup of tea and set off for Mt Elliot, the highest peak in the David Range. We radioed our intentions to climb Mt Elliot and that we would sked in at about 8pm.

East Flank

West Flank

Mt Elliot is about 1200m above sea level  (600m above the hut elevation). We planned a 5 hour round trip. This was our second attempt, the first in the grip of winter was unsuccessful due to dangerous ice and the lack of crampons.

First attempt in the grip of winter.

In the winter we attempted a westerly approach. This attempt took the east flank. The warmth of summer had melted much of the snow and ice on the steeper slopes. We headed south along the ridge line then went lower and skirted around the eastern flank on steep scree before again picking up the ridge.

The ridge allowed good progress until we got closer to the peak. The sheer rocks ahead required a more technical approach than we had the equipment for, so we again worked our way down around the eastern flank between boulders, scree and buttresses.

Mt Elliot Peak

View to Mt Parsons and Mt Fang

We were able to scramble over boulders and snow drifts and up the scree to the base of the summit. The final assault was a 70m cliff climb via a large crack and across a ledge to the pinnacle of Mt Elliot.

View to Mt Coats and Mt Hordern.

With great views of the encroaching Southern Ocean into the fast ice along the coast and along the range to the south Mt Coates and Mt Hordern were prominent.

Mt Parsons in cloud

Centrol Masson mountains in cloud

To the east the North, Central and Southern Masson ranges were in full view as was Mt Henderson.

After some photos, water and energy food we started the descent down the cliff and then a 300m scree slope directly to the glacier edge.

The surface of the scree was mobile and at different points varied from large boulders to fine gravel.

Orographic cloud started to form on all the peaks as the moist easterly breeze was lifted over the mountains. Had we been half an our later there would have been no view from the top. It was on with the boot spikes at the glacier edge.

At the Central Masson range cold air draining from higher up the plateau from the south was forming a thin layer of cloud above the glacier but beneath the orographic layer.

By 8:15pm we were back at the hut.

Fang Hut

Mt Fang in cloud