Harry Ayres (climber)

Horace Henry Ayres , better known as Harry Ayres, (born July 31, 1912 in Christchurch , New Zealand , † summer 1987 in Lyttelton Harbor , New Zealand) was a mountaineer and mountain guide.

Ayres grew up in poor circumstances. He didn't have a good relationship with his father. His mother died in 1924 when he was 12 years old. At 16, Ayres went to the west coast of New Zealand, where he worked for several years as a farm and track construction worker. Later he sometimes took on shorter occupations, as he went on trips between the Franz Josef Glaciers and the Fuchs Glaciers . In 1931, the mountaineer Frank Alack took him on long mountain trips and taught him the art of mountaineering. In 1936 Ayres was an experienced mountain guide.

In 1939 he married Catherine May Guise, whom he had met after moving on the west coast. The couple settled in Waiho on the Franz Josef Glacier . During World War II , Ayres served in the Pacific , where he had major health problems due to the climate.

After the war, Harry Ayres gained greater popularity and was considered to be New Zealand's best climber at the time. At this point his reputation spread beyond the borders of New Zealand. His friends included famous mountaineers like Edmund Hillary and Mick Sullivan . He was considered determined by mountaineers, but still cautious. He took part in rescues of other mountaineers several times.

In 1948 his first wife left him because of his numerous women affairs and his gambling addiction. A year later he was in a relationship with Jeanne Ette Cammock. Although thought to be cheerful and sociable, Ayres was actually unhappy. He disappeared without a trace on July 16, 1987, and his body was found on August 11, 1987. Ayres is believed to have committed suicide.

Web links

• Graham Langton : Ayres, Horace Henry . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , September 1, 2010, accessed August 24, 2012 .