HELA PEAK 2730m
Located 3.2 kilometres north of Beatrice Lake.
Elevation gain:
Key elevations: Beatrice Lake 1451m (4760′), summit Hela 2730m
Season: mid-July to mid-September
Map: 82F/13 Burton.
Routes:
1. East Slopes. From Cahill Lake, ascend to a small lake to the north (Paradise Lake). Skirt the north side of the east ridge to a col between Hela and a minor summit, and ascend the east slopes. (III,3,s).
FRA Mr. and Mrs. Winston Churchill, Walter Meeks. 1948. (PC: Mrs. Churchill)
2. South Face. Follow the trail up Evans Creek, and then Beatrice Creek to Beatrice Lake. Contour by bushwhacking along the north shore, and go up a creek (some would camp here). One hour’s ascent arrives at the alpine meadows. The rope is required in one chimney. Contour above the bush to return. (II,4,s).
FRA John Boulding, Kim (Richard) Dean, Richard Warring July 26, 1959.
For historical interest, a small summit (2360m, 7750 feet; 615-253) two km north of Cahill Lake, “Paradise Peak”, was ascended by Winston Churchill and Norman Warner (probably ca. 1948). The latter was Mrs. Churchill’s brother. There is little doubt about the location of the peak.
Note that some early climbers (e.g., Churchill and Warner) did not build cairns, because they felt that the cairns altered the natural setting of the summits. This is unfortunate for the historian.
