The mountain that changed his life

Wednesday, 27 September 2017

A stoked William Pike standing at the Notch on Mt Ruapehu.

An eruption on Mt Ruapehu almost took William Pike's life. He celebrated the 10th anniversary of that event by returning to where it all happened.

Pike was trapped beneath debris from a lahar that swept through the Dome Shelter on Mt Ruapehu after a volcanic eruption in 2007.

William outside the Dome Shelter after digging out the hut and taking a moment to reflect on the ups and downs over the last 10 years

In the days after, in Waikato Hospital, Pike was battered and bruised and coming to terms with the loss of his leg, just below the knee. So he started setting goals.

He wanted to walk again, to get back into the classroom teaching, and to get back to the Dome Shelter.

Andrew Pike (left) and William. The happiest climbers in the world descending Mt. Ruapehu and icing up due to a cold and wet wind.

On September 17, Pike [32] was able to tick the third, and final, goal off that list.

'I didn't know if I could do any of them,' he said. 'But I promised myself I would.'

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Pike had actually returned to the Dome Shelter in 2012 with James Christie – the man who he was with during the eruption – but he had yet to return in snowy winter conditions.

He had talked with Christie for a long time about returning to the Dome Shelter but as September wasn't a good month for Christie, Pike's brother went along instead.

The brothers made their way to Whakapapa skifield where they stayed the night in one of ski clubs but the weather the next day was not ideal.

'We watched the weather carefully. We did not want to take undue risks. By following the weather maps we could see a weather window that might or might not come through,' he said.

'We were opportunists. We set our alarms for 4am the next day, stuck our heads out in the morning and it was clear.'

So their adventure began.

Pike said walking on soft snow and uneven terrain is hard for anyone, but especially an amputee, so he was pleasantly surprised when the ground was solid.

Making pretty good time under torch light, the Pike brothers made their way to Restful Ridge before continuing up the ridge towards the Notch. They continued up over the Dome Ridge, right to the Dome Shelter.

'As we approached, visibility went down a bit,' he said.

'As we got closer to the shelter, we had to laugh to ourselves that it was buried.'

Pike and his brother took to the snow with a shovel and managed to dig out the front face of the shelter and it was at that moment he realised he had done it.

'For me, to get back up there was a momentous occasion,' he said.

'There were times when I thought I wouldn't get back up there. The blood, sweat and tears to get there and continue being an explorer had paid off.'

The moment made Pike pause and reflect on everything; James Christie, Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation (RARO), Police, Fire, Ambulance, Taupō Helicopter, Taumarunui Hospital, Waikato Air Ambulance and Waikato Hospital.

'James was incredibly courageous for going out and finding help,' he said.

'RARO put eight lives on the line for just one. They didn't need to do that. I've closely followed their work over the years and have huge respect for them all.

'The doctor on the Waikato Air Ambulance did a lot to save my life and the care at Waikato Hospital was perfect.'

Then came Pike's biggest adventure; getting his life back on track.

He spent nine weeks in hospital and underwent 15 operations. It took a couple months to learn how to walk properly again.

'I got my first leg in February 2008 but that was not very good,' he said. 'Prosthetics and amputees are hard to get right.'

Four months after the accident, Pike got a part time job as a teacher and he said he turned up to his first day legless.

'It was daunting to be entering the work place without a leg,' he said.

Eventually, Pike got a prosthetic that felt right but he said it was not an easy process.

'I would walk around the block, keeping a note book, tracking times, distances and lamp posts,' he said. 'I was just trying to get the leg to fit right.'

Then Pike was able to walk again.

'That hard work I was putting in behind the scenes was paying off and then I was able to walk again, which was massive.'

Pike said it was a long road to get it right but they got there in the end and Pike even managed an 18 hour climb in Antarctica.