Merewyn, Garth, Alan, Caroline (in front), posing on spot height.1900m, Tukino, Sunday July 13 2003

Section trips news: Growing and sowing

Please send all your fantastic trip reports to newsletter@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, so everyone can enjoy your stories, tall or short, fat or thin, sharp or dim. We love to know what you're up to!

Andrei and Nicki get Thai’ed up and Krabi on rock holiday

We climbed at Railay (Krabi, Thailand) and Koh Phi Phi, one and a half hours away from Railay. We hired gear from “Phi Phi” climbers who were happy to to discount their climbing package to $45 – it is the low season! We climbed at the Ton Sai wall which has 30+ bolted routes, a 5 minute stroll from the accommodation. We did 6 climbs of French grade 5, 5+, 6A. The rock is wavy bedded limestone – lots of ledges, slopers and pinches. We enjoyed the climbing despite lack of climbing fitness. After Arapiles, and assisted by many cold showers, both our fingers (you’ve only got 2 fingers left? Ed.) were stripped of their hard earned calluses, leaving tender pink pads. Thankfully the rock is quite soft, and we could sink our paws into it! Enough to keep you busy for a few days and after that the taxi boat will take you anywhere for plenty of natural pro opportunities in butter soft rock.

Alpine course Instructor Weekend of fun

Attendees at this weekend at Tukino were Peter de Joux (coordinator), Alan Lowrie, Sean Comber, Dave Shanks, Caroline Duggan, Craig Robinson, David Morgan, Jenny Henshaw, Merewyn Ellis, Michele Domaneschi, Garth London, Sharon Flood, Peter Laurenson, Blair Leslie, David Eaton, Don French, Toby Johnston and Peter Blaxter.

Accommodation at Desert Alpine's lodge was comfortable. They had hired a large generator but it failed before we arrived on Friday night, leaving only enough power from the reserve generator to run the essential lighting. The lights in the bunkrooms were not operational. The large generator was fixed on Saturday, after which there was ample electric power. The food they had supplied was more than adequate, and they were highly cooperative to ensure that our needs were being met.

Although they are not instructors, Karen Domaneschi and Angie London came up with us for the weekend. They worked hard in the kitchen to prepare meals and to clean up after us, leaving instructors with more time to focus on our desired outcomes from the weekend.

On Saturday morning the weather was good, but we needed to conduct an indoor briefing as a start to the weekend program. This developed into a session on key technical points for various syllabus items.

After lunch we split into four groups, each with a senior or experienced instructor. Each group conducted mock lessons and/or travelled around looking for places to use later with the students.

By the time dinner was completed, some instructors were keen to go out ice climbing. Others wanted to socialise in the lodge. The ice-climbing group had a great time on a calm and clear night with an almost full moon. They were climbing a 45m route on a frozen waterfall, and had taken 2-way radios for communication between themselves and also to stay in touch with the rest of us in the lodge. They returned to the lodge about midnight, and were buzzing about the good experience they had had.

On Sunday morning, I ran a quick session to explain that current practice is not to use or teach self-equalising methods for connecting multiple snow anchors. This was followed by was followed by a navigation talk by Dave Eaton.

As people headed back to the lodge, we had them look at a fully risk-managed abseil set-up.

This was a highly valuable weekend. It helps us to lift our game again. The AIC this year will be run by a very competent, enthusiastic and dedicated group of instructors, and promises to be highly successful.

Top work from Pete De Joux

Knockin’ on Evans’ door

In mid May, John Barnes and Pete McGregor flew from Harihari into County Stream for a quick attempt on Mt Evans (2620m).

Circling in the Hughes 500 over the névé – crevasses, icefalls, featureless snow – revealed little in the way of a possible landing site, so in a cunning attempt to prolong the spectacular ride I suggested Red Lion col. But that proved to be no go as strong gusts plucked at the helicopter so we circled down to the glacier again. Dicey, but Brian took his time, eventually finding a level spot and cautiously easing down tentative skids. We got the nod... then he was whap whapping away down valley, arcing down the County.

Silence. John’s eyes disappear behind his huge grin.

Alone in the mid-morning shadow under the West face of Evans – an immense, glazed wall of chaotic rock and snow. We set up a quick camp, roped up and picked our way through the slots, stepped out from shadow and began the long plug to the col. Steeper than it looked. On the col we realised that the ridge leaning over us was a very different proposition from our preconceptions. We’d thought it would be a straightforward plod with a few steep sidles, maybe a little technical scrambling. Perhaps in some conditions it is, but for us it was iced rock showering spindrift; the buzz and whirr of ice breaking loose as the mountain’s encrustation collapsed; crampons squeaking and scratching on verglas; tools picking for purchase on wrong-sloping rock; snow too soft to hold an axeplant.

Balance above nothing, rockover, push and make the move, don’t think about the space... The brilliance of light and air, looking out over the sundazzled world: range upon range, deep valleys, the Tasman Sea of Cloud, Aoraki... Gravity defied by joy, on the edge of life. Birds in flight must feel like this.

Eventually we knew the climb was going nowhere. We checked the altitude at the top of a steep, constricted gully – a dead end. After much indecisive blinking, the GPS finally produced a result: “Are you indoors?” so we reversed down the gully, abseiling off a frozen-in sling – someone had come this way – then cramponed across coruscating ice, scrabbled back to Red Lion col and trudged down to the glacier camp to watch white vapour writhe around the summit and evening colours change on ice-locked rock and névé, on schrunds and crevasses.

A blast of wind whips over the col, howls down the glacier, tears at the camp then dies away. The first star winks in a darkening sky. I wake in moonlight as the glacier shudders – BOOM-BOOM-BOOM – and at dawn there’s a fresh fracture line not far from the tent.

Mauve and indigo; the violet light pales and suddenly there’s a patch of gold on the Red Lion ridge. The dawn of another brilliant day on the West Coast. A day of ice-encrusted moraine becoming ice-encrusted river bed boulders; of terraces infested with spear grass, snow grass, recalcitrant shrubs and piripiri; of deep drops between giant jumbled boulders; of rushing water and camera lenses fogged when the kea’s at arm’s length. Half an hour from dark we called it quits and camped on a small terrace to wait for the new day and the easy way out.

(Brian McBride flies a Hughes 500 from Harihari; ph. 03 753 3074; a/h 03 750 0113)

thanks to Pete McGregor

CHAIRPERSON’S QUIZ No. 2: Answer

The chairperson's second quiz question was, What are the six Australian state summits? The answers are:

New South Wales: Mt Kosciuszko 2,230 metres
Victoria: Mt Bogong 1,986 metres
Queensland: Mt Bartle Freer 1,622 metres
Tasmania: Mt Ossa 1,617 metres
South Australia: Mt Woodroffe 1,440 metres
Western Australia: Mt Meharry 1,251 metres

The winner -- named at the section-night meeting on Monday, 7 July, after a live draw from all the correct entries -- was Mike Williams. He took home a bottle of Jackman Ridge wine.

…and the riddle of the Chairperson’s new problem number 3 – graded V15!

Who am I? (word to thickies – I can tell you right now that the answer’s not Nigel Roberts! Nor is it a Satre-inspired existential question neither! Ed.)

The first letter of one my names
Comes from one end of the alphabet.
I was the first person to climb A,
The highest mountain in a country beginning with A.
There's also a ridge named after me
On another mountain known as A.
This other mountain, which also has another name,
Is the highest mountain in a country known as A,
But that country is also known by another name,
One word of which begins with ...
The first letter of one of my names!

Email your answers to the chairperson of the Wellington section by no later than noon on Saturday, 2 August. The chairperson's email address is chairperson@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz.

The winner will be announced at the 4 August section-night meeting. The prize will be a bottle of wine from a country beginning with A!

New Zealand Alpine Journal 2003: Contributions please!

Contributions sought… Yup - it's that time of the year again; time to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard and start sorting out those slides.

We want your words and photos. Principally we seek reports of this year's most note-worthy climbs (either new climbs or repeats), articles or essays from any aspect of the greater sphere of climbing, local area reports, and yes… obituaries. As always photographs and artwork are welcomed.

If you have an idea you wish to discuss or any questions, or a submission, don't hesitate to contact the editor:

Mark Watson - NZAJ Editor
(day) 03 377 7595,
(eve) 03 942 3312
editor@alpineclub.org.nz
PO Box 786, Christchurch.

CLOSING DATE 1st SEPT 2003

NZAC National instruction programme

Course Numbers are limited so book early! Fully qualified alpine guides or rock instructors will be used to lead all courses and there will be an instructor - student ration of 1:4 ensuring an excellent learning environment.

Intermediate Alpine Instruction (Two Days) $130
2-3 August Mt Ruapehu

Intermediate Rock Instruction (Two Days) $99
23-24 October Otago
1-2 November, Canterbury
23-24 October Auckland
1-2 November , Wellington

Intermediate- Advanced Mountaineering (Five Days) $750
3-7 January 2004 , Unwin Hut Mt Cook
10-14 January 2004 Unwin Hut Mt Cook

Richard Wesley
National Administrator
phone 03 377 7595
email richard@alpineclub.org.nz

Banff Festival of Mountain Films coming to Wellington!!!

The NZAC Wellington Section is pleased to bring the best of the Banff Festival of Mountain Films to Wellington for the first time. This international festival will be an evening of films on all types of climbing as well as mountain culture and other mountain-related escapades. Guaranteed to be a fun and entertaining evening.

When: Friday Sept 5th at 7:30PM
Where: Memorial Theatre, Victoria University
Tickets: $15.00

We will be having a one night only pre-sale of tickets at the August 4th section night. This is your chance to assure yourself of a ticket as there are only 375 seats. Cash only please.

And here are the club trips ....

Wellington Section Trips

Trips are a key part of the section, so if anyone has an idea about a trip, no matter how vague, come and chat to either Jenny Henshaw or Mike Williams.

Jenny (alpinetrips@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz) is the person to contact about alpine trips and Mike (rocktrips@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz) can help you out with planning rock climbing trips.

Trips can be of any length, any level of difficulty, and any size. Simply email us, or approach us at the monthly meeting, and we can help you get going on a safe and enjoyable trip.

See you in the hills!

Weekend August 2-3

Weekend August 30-31

Weekend September 13-14

Weekend September 20-21

Weekend September 27 - 28

Weekend October 4-5

Long Weekend October 25-26-27

Weekend November 8-9

Week November 29- December 7

Week January 3 - 11, 2004 

Long weekend January 17-18-19

OTHER TRIPS

Dates to be confirmed…