West Ridge

From Doug Wingfield:

Hi NZAC, hope you can work with the feedback. The 'summer' photograph that you have showing route 2 leaving Lake Mavis and accessing the West Ridge of Mt Oates (APNP) appears in the wrong place on the photograph, it comes in too low on the ridge. The description of accessing the ridge via a scree "between the West Face and a prominent buttress" is accurate...but that prominent buttress is further up the ridge than where the route is shown coming onto the ridge on the photograph.
Why is this worth mentioning? If you follow the route as shown on the photograph...as we did very carefully last weekend...you end up climbing a lower section of the ridge on rotten steep rock. This then brings you to the top of that prominent buttress (not the bottom) and you find yourself looking down at where the 'correct' scree tongue actually meets the West Ridge.
Here's the problem. The descent of that buttress requires an abseil and people without equipment, expecting to be on a grade 1 scramble (and a starred route to boot) will be confused and possibly tempted to take risks to get off the buttress.
The actual point where you access the West Ridge and can go for the low peak...or cross the ridge itself to the South side and approach the high peak via screes and a steep gully, is shown corectly on the 'winter' photo. If you check this on the 'winter' photograph you can see that it comes onto the West Ridge much higher up than shown on the Lake Mavis side 'summer' photograph.

Thanks Doug – topo is corrected, and ta also for your West Ridge access pik!