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McGregor-McGregor-Terpstra

To the left of Moir’s Mate: Starts at a corner to the right of slabs on the step on the Homer Ridge. (Darrans guide, p61)
3 pitches – MS with some VS moves (c. 16?)
Route description:
First corner to right of slabs on Homer Ridge step. Follows broken corner to top slab.
1. 115 ft. Climb corner past bulge at 40 ft, over a small overlap and into a scoop at 95ft. Layback on a small rib to the right to a second scoop just above. Belay (or continue up right to a sloping ledge below an overhang.) The crack system branches here.
2. 115 ft. Take the right branch and climb to sloping ledge below an overhang. Climb the overhang, then traverse left across a slab (crux, VS/16) to gain a spike in the lefthand crack. Climb the groove above (poorly protected – for the first 80 ft all my runners kept coming off) to a largish sloping grassy ledge.
3. 115 ft. Continue up the groove until faced with a blankish slab. Traverse a short distance left to beneath a small bulge. Make an awkward pull-up over the bulge (VS/16) then continue up easy slab above trending right over a rounded rib to a groove and belay ledge/foothold.
Unrope at pedestal top 10 ft further up.
Descend by downclimbing or abseiling Homer Ridge.
4 and a half hours climbing on first ascent.
First ascent: Rick McGregor, Peter McGregor and Judy Terpstra, 24/12/74 [not 1975]

Slabs between the Phil’s Bivvy Slabs and the Gill’s Bivvy Slabs [I think - certainly between the Phil's Bivvy Slabs and the Great White Slabs] (Darrans guide, pp124-126):

* Africa Slab (18) 45m

The slab directly behind the biv [Phil's], a steep section of slab bounded by 2 water streaks. There are 3 difficult sections, between scalloped ledge/footholds. The top 25m to the belay is low angle.
Descent: walk down the side.
First ascent: Rick McGregor, Peter Newton, 2/2/78

* Susceptibility Slab (19) 50m

Above the 2nd stream East of Gill’s Bivvy is a steep, clean slab with a triangle of white/red rock below it. Start at the white slab.
Pitch 1, 25 m: Climb the white slab, move left and then up trending right to the foot of a short corner which is climbed to a belay ledge.
Pitch 2, 25 m: From left on the belay ledge start up the slab, trending right (crux) to the righthand rib which is followed to the top. Sparse protection.
Descent: walk down on the eastern side.
First ascent: Rick McGregor, Peter Newton, 3/2/78

Great White Slabs: Braustin Ooks

[I hate that name... Darrans guide, pp127-128. The first 3 (?) pitches were done by Rick McGregor with various partners including Peter
Newton in a number of pushes in Feb. 1978. The route was completed - probably later the following summer, ie early 1979, by Bill Atkinson and Brian Fish - don't know whether Al Cutler was involved or not]

North Face, Barrier Knob

[First foray onto the face? Darrans guide, p140, route listed as 11, McGregor, was climbing with Bill Atkinson in Feb. 1975, and is probably between 9 and 10 in the photo on p. 138, heading up towards the big roofs]
Three and a half pitches of a new route in the middle of the N Face.
1. I led up rib onto easy ground then trending left across steep slab, across to flake crack and thin layback move then round corner into shallow groove (c. VS/16-17). 2 pegs for aid (thin free) to foot of wet groove.
2. Bill led up the groove, moving out left at the top with a peg for aid. Up easy ground and around left.
3. Left and then up flake crack on jams and side-pulls. Up easy ground to foot of overhangs. Saw 2 skinks on belay ledge.
4. Bill led left and up groove, over loose blocks then aiding on nuts out left (A2) to an alcove under an overhang, moss caterpillar unrolling beneath his feet. Came up against a 6-inch crack and placed a bolt (one of the first in the Darrans) and brought me across – quite freaky – magnificent position under huge overhangs [in the middle of the face?].
Abseiled off the bolt, a sling, a peg and a sling to the deck.
7 hours total on the route including abseils.
Bill Atkinson, Rick McGregor, 8/2/75

SE Buttress of Sentinel

[Darrans guide, p144. First ascent, Feb. 1975] Scrambling (4th class) along ledge to get onto the buttress
1. Bill led up a groove to the left of the buttress (easy)
2. I led up a steep wall with cracks (fingers and hand jams) round right to groove, mantel onto foothold. Up on jams, up groove and round right onto the rib where the wall steepens. Sloping belay ledge. (Severe/gr. 15 for a while). Absolutely fantastic climbing on good rock.
3. Bill led on up the rib, round right on loose blocks, up a groove and out right up an exposed 5 ft wall to belay.
4. 20 ft scramble to ridge.
Total of 4 hours climbing.
First ascent: Bill Atkinson, Rick McGregor, Judy Terpstra, 1/2/75

West Twin

[Darrans guide, p147, ridge left of route 2 in the photo on p147]
First (?) ascent of West Ridge (“McInnes Ridge”) of the West Twin from the snow field below the Sth Face of the West Twin (after scrambling 300 ft up a ramp and climbing 1 and a half pitches on the South Face then abseiling off).
First ascent (?): Bill Atkinson, Rick McGregor, 30/1/75
[Bill and I believed - I can't remember why - that this ridge (left of route 2 on the photo on p. 147) had already been climbed by Hamish McInnes. The guidebook credits McInnes and Ken Hamilton with climbing the West Twin from the East Twin, p. 147]

Could not find Pawnbrokers even after two hours of searching. But we had a tent anyway, which was probably better. Found another good quality bivvy rock to replace Pawnbrokers. I think pawnbrokers has been flooded & is full of gravel?

This is what we thought was Pawnbrokers

Possible other bivvy rock

Photo looking down valley from about where the bivvy is incorrectly marked on the maps. The one which I suspect is Pawnbrokers is silhouetted against the stream. The one that appears quite usable is the big clean one to the right, with a big tree against it. It’s a bit of a battle getting to it. Overhanging on the down valley side. Reasonable overhang. In the heaviest of rain it may start getting damp, but there was only the slightest hint on moss on the ground on the overhang side. Always a good sign. Only 10 minutes of ground work would be required to make it habitable. Sleeps 3 or 4. Splashing from the rain hitting the ground is probably the biggest problem. No sign of previous usage. No sleeping platform, or fire, no flattened vegetation. Definitely no track to the stream, where you’d have to get water from. I’d give it 6/10 as far as bivvy rocks go (Arawata Rock is 9/10).

Does anyone have any ideas where the old bivvy rock has gone?

Madeline. You can see the top and some of the middle of NE ridge – the left skyline

Ian Brown and Tom Williams climbed the probable first complete ascent of the North East Ridge of Mt Madeline in February 2009 over two days. The pair encountered fresh snow and rock gendarmes that made for difficult travel on the upper ridge. They bivvied at 1400 metres and thought the route would be about grade 3 on the Mt Cook scale.

Hanging Out the Washing

Two routes right by the Eyrie: Hanging Out the Washing, 17 and Having a Bit of a Tidy Up, 22 up the wall just to the left.

It’s All Gone Biltong, 22 is a two pitch arete on a wall below the east ridge of Patuki.

It's All Gone Biltong

South ridge of Te Wera

Not really fair to describe Te Wera’s south ridge as “Loose in places” – as it says in the guide. “Stone cold old-school classic” does it justice though.