Monday 2nd July club night at Turnbull House: "Palmerstry". New Zealand's notorious bouldering maestro John Palmer talking about rock.

Promo from JP: "my slide show will feature many of NZ's seldom visited new crags, including Hoggett Edge, Pranganui Bay, Wearing Head, Jayne's Ford, Parcel Hill and more." See also JP's http://www.powerband.org.nz for an excellent up to the very minute website on New Zealand bouldering (….if you're bouldering V5+).

August meeting: Rob's Outdoor Photography

Rob Suisted will be showing some of his top outdoor shots. You can get a glimpse, a taster if you will, on his website www.naturespic.com

Welly High Wall $5 Tuesday night

This wall, in the old gym at Wellington high School at the top of Taranaki Street, will be open to Alpine Club members on Tuesdays from 7 pm. There is bouldering, top ropes, table tennis to warm up on, crash mats, and a CD machine. Bring your own music! Welly High has a range of climbs and boulder problems from Easy to Fing hard. Some new easier routes too have been developed, around the grade 14-19 mark. Call Scotty Taylor if you want to know more on 380 0913.

Fergs discount

$8 if you produce your card.

Hangdog happenings: letter

Good to see we got a mention in the June News....if truth be known we never raised our price over $8 last year...but no worries!!

NZAC card carriers are always welcome at Hang Dog. And for 2001 we would like to offer them some great deals on gear. Being climbers and mountaineers we know that getting the right gear, and the knowledge to go with it is half the battle, so for the best advice and gear and 15% discount, pop in and see the crew at HangDog.

We would also like to invite Wellington NZAC to find the best night for their HangDog club night, something that worked well in the past, but seems to have vanished.

Some dates for your calendar:

Every other Wednesday (next 30/5/01): The Problem with Winter Bouldering Series (with 91zm and Pizza Haven) Just $10! Alternating with: Training Night...power, recruitment, visualisation, massage, recovery, techniques. Normal Rates!!

June 24: HangDog Rocks! Open Leading Competition

Sept 1&2: NZSF Wellington Regionals

Coming Soon: Baring Head Work Party!!

Cheers

Dave Gwillam, New HangDog Manager

Editor's Ramble

Space, copious letters, and the mangled state of the Ed.'s brain, prohibit a contribution from me this month. Enjoy the silence…long may it last.

Roll on up, customers: Alpine Instruction Course 2001

Our very popular AIC will run again this year. The course includes theory and practical sessions on avalanche Awareness. The cost of the course is $680. This covers instruction (2:1 student/instructor ratio), accommodation, food and transport for three weekends away on Ruapehu and Taranaki, and includes three evening sessions in Wellington.

If you want a place on the course contact Squadron Leader Ric Cullinane (04) 292 8350 (home) or (04) 496 0294 (work), or 025 443 651 (mobile), or email at rcullinane@hq.af.mil.nz or sharandric@paradise.net.nz as soon as possible. There are 20 places. They fill up very quickly. Please contact Matt Stevens if you would like to instruct or be an assistant instructor and are available (hm 380 0913, secretary@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz).

Spring Rock course dates

Contact Scott Taylor for early details. Ph home 380 0913 and leave a message.

Descent into a Maelstrom: a letter

Dear Editor

Your suggestion for developing down-climbing as a separate sport is interesting.

Good risk management practices demand proper attention to safety. Whilst learning to lead a down-climb at a crag or in the gym, I strongly recommend people make use of a BOTTOM ROPE.

Regards
Pete de Joux

(Thanks Pete, keep it up. The club needs people with your vision. Ed.)

The digitial divide strikes: another letter

No Hopoate jokes please.

We have received a long hand written letter from club member John Dawkins (thanks John) putting the case for phone numbers and addresses of club officials in Vertigo and for a general moratorium on changes in the direction of further electronicness of club publications. Amongst other things (including a cosmic opposition to any manifestations of the FMC, who he likens to KFC), John wants his Vertigo to continue on paper. He plaintively writes:

"PS: What are we going to wipe our bums on when we run out of bog roll on big alpine missions? Cyberspace?"

Nice try John, but you deal with the issue by taking a virtual crap.

To be fair John's got a point. Some people aren't on e-mail and there is something warming in this day and age in getting something that isn't an advertisement or a bill through the letterbox.

Results of the photo competition

The overall champion was Dave Langrish for his slide in the humour section, "The Fear". The other champions were John Palmer for "Country Road", entered in the rock climbing section, and Kester Brown for his slide "On The South Face, Mt Hicks", which was entered in the Alpine General section. Our excellent judge Alan Knowles also awarded honours to several photographers. They were Dave Langrish, John Palmer, Phil Castle, Jordy Hendrickx, Tony Gates, and Dave Morgan. Their entries are being sent up to Auckland for the national photo competition. All other pictures entered into our section competition will soon be posted back to their rightful owners.

Thanks to our sponsors Mainly Tramping, Mountain Design, Ski & Camp Great Outdoors, Bivouac Outdoor.

Thanks to Sue Eden.

New Zealand Alpine Club Photo Comp 2001

The NZAC National Photographic Competition is being organised this year by the Auckland Section. Send submissions to: NZAC Photo Competition c/o NZAC Auckland Section PO Box 3036 Auckland. The Deadline for submissions is 31st July. Entrants, mark or otherwise clearly indicate your submitted slides and mounted prints (up to A4 size) with your name, address, section & phone number, the title of the picture and the category. The six categories are: AA = Alpine Action, AG = Alpine General, AN = Alpine Nature (artistic shots; not scientific), R = Rock-climbing, H = Humour, P = Photojournalism.

Your club handbook has an appendix describing the competition rules. As well as prizes, there are awards of trophies and the fame of publication in the Climber magazine!

Photo Competition prizes have been generously provided by Fujifilm



Judging will be performed by a panel of 3 professional photographers and climbers. Please limit entries to 3 photographs per person per category. There is one special award for the best print. Entries should be appropriately packaged for sending by mail. It is recommended that slides are sent in plastic boxes, and prints backed with firm cardboard and "Do Not Bend" on the envelopes. Entries will be returned within 2 months of the closing date. ALL EFFORT WILL BE MADE to take great care with your precious submissions. If you are unable to submit your slides for the duration of the competition, consider making professional or projection-quality duplicates either for submission or your own use while the originals are away.

Mountain safety courses

The Mountain Safety Council are running the following courses in Wellington. Outdoor First Aid - Full Course on the weekend of 27-29 July. $130; Outdoor First Aid - Revalidation day on 12 May. $75. Contact Dianne Gallagher for details on 385 7162 or dianne.gallagher@paradise.net.nz for details.

eVert:Vertigo by E-mail

Anyone (you do not even have to be a club member) can get this newsletter by email and be the first to read the news. Send an email to: vertigo-subscribe@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz and you can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to vertigo-unsubscribe@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

Brilliant discussion forum

A forum has been set up for use by Wellington NZAC members. Please use it considerately to communicate articles of interest, trip details, and other information. Email messages to discussion@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz If you would like to subscribe to this forum, send an email to discussion-subscribe@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz
You can unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to discussion-unsubscribe@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

Funky web-sites

Check out The New Zealand Alpine Club (National Office) web page which has lots of information, reasons to join the club, and even a form to sign up on line. www.nzalpine.org.nz. Also remember to check out our own Wellington Section web page at nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

And there is a interesting site worth checking out at www.climb.co.nz that has location guides for just about every obscure little corner of New Zealand (of the North Island at least!).

Trips: Phil-in

Being new to the Wellington Section and new to the position of Trips Co-ordinator, I would gratefully receive ANY information on the following: trips being planned; trip ideas; people interested in leading trips; people whom I can help persuade into leading trips; ideas on how to go about co-ordinating trips; and more.....I'm really keen to get to know as many keen trip people as possible so please pass this information on to those who don't do e-mail.

Thanks for your help,
Phil Suisted.

All the bonafide news (which ain't much)

· After hanging at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, the Editor intends a short haj to Yosemite National Park in late October. If you're going to be there at the same time and need someone to act as a halfway intelligent nut-key on Half Dome or play spotter while you flash "Midnight Lightning", let me know asap.

· There are about 12 enrolments in the AIC thus far.

· Scott, Matt Downes, Matt Spittal, and Simon are going to Frog Buttress, Queensland, to learn how to climb cracks, before September 20 when airline prices go up by $100 for the school holidays.

· A bunch of mysterious people believed to be associated with the club are rumoured to be talking about a trip to the Wadi Rum, Jordan later this year. I'll stick with Bundaberg Rum, me.

For sale: climbing gear

2 Black Prophet Ice Tools, aluminium/carbon fibre laminate - one curved handle, one straight (never used), $450 each. One spare pick for the above tools (never used), $75, 1 pair Black Diamond Switchblade crampons, small (never used), $300.

Sue Keall
135 Townsend Road
Wellington
Ph. 3889583 (h)
4635580 (w)

Slippery slopes

"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking and from that to incivility and procrastination."

Thomas De Quincey, early 19th century

Cracker ending thought from Julie Andrews

"Climb", sang Julie, "every mountain". The hills are alive.