When I completed my biography on Ebenezer Teichelmann I started searching for a respected mountaineer to set the scene for the book, preferably someone who knew of Teichelmann's great feats. Sir Edmund Hillary was the obvious choice. With some trepdidation I wrote a letter to him. Both he and Dr. Teichelmann were former Presidents of the New Zealand Alpine Club and Ed had followed in Teichelmann's footsteps many times. Ed agreed immediately and graciously wrote the FOREWORD beneath.
FOREWORD
As a young climber I came to respect the climbs and exploration done by Dr. Ebenezer Teichelmann, mainly from the West Coast of New Zealand, up those long and difficult valleys such as the Cook River Valley, and his many first ascent were remarkable in that day and age of hobnail boots and long handled ice axes. His third ascent of Mt. Cook in 1905 was a wonderful achievement.
I have seen his photographs gracing many NZ Alpine Journals and other books and I am delighted that hardy band of West Coast mountaineers which included not only Dr. Teichelmann, but Peter and Alec Graham and later, my old climbing partner, Harry Ayres, is getting the recognition they deserve.
Both Dr. Teichelmann and I are former Presidents of the NZ Alpine Club and I am pleased the club is supporting this important publication on New Zealand Mountaineering, and capturing a bygone era of courage and tenacity in exploration.
Edmund Hillary
1 December, 2003.
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