March Karakoram section night on 5th of March

The 5 March Section Night will be about thrills 'n spills at Snow Lake in the Karakoram, Pakistan visited last year by a group of 12 Wellington Section members.

April section night

The 2 April Section Night will be the AGM plus wine & cheese plus Mini Talks on "What I did on my summer (or winter) holidays". The AGM will be very short (it lasted 18 minutes last year). If you have a few photos of a trip you have done (the club will arrange to convert prints to slides) we would be keen to hear from you as we are putting together a series of 5-10 minute talks about "What I did on my holidays" You do not have to have been to an exotic location as the point of the evening is just to show other club members a range a different places that would be worth visiting next holidays. Contact Al Lowrie to register your interest.

Section night competition!!!

And here's an item about a competition. Your all powerful committee is currently trying to come up with speakers to talk at section nights this year. We would like to hear your ideas. We will even provide two (yes two) bottles of wine to each person that has the best suggestion (for May, July, August, September, October, November and December) and organises to have the person/s at the section night. The club will cover all expenses and you can even nominate yourself. Talk about conflict of interest! We have a few ideas of our own but you are the people we are doing this for so we would like to hear what you think. We could even do things like have a buy/sell/swap evening or mid-winter dinner/party if there is enough interest

Baring Head Rock Hop "goes off"

According to sources close to the rock, the Baring Head Rock Hop went off better than the Kumara Patch, which, according to other sources, is the best left hand break in NZ.

The weather was overcast but clement enough for climbing to start on Saturday as planned. About 60 people entered. A disappointment was very few out-of-towners in the expert categories. The youngest competitor entered was 8 years and the oldest 71 years.

The competition involved an excellent selection of well chalked routes. Numerous of us were scared silly on routes 58 and 59 for example. Perhaps we could have friendly routes like Split Apple as well next year?

Thanks to John Palmer, Jono Clarke, Kester Brown, Judy Reid and others for their organisational commitment. Word to the sponsors - Hang Dog, Mainly Tramping, Bivouac. Hope I haven't forgotten any!

And good to see the oldest active male and female members of the Wellington section both getting among the prizes.

"Carrot proves inedible": Great Bowen street statue challenge undimmed

At the bottom of Bowen Street behind Parliament are three statues. One - "The Carrot" - awaits a first ascent. A crisp new $20 note remains on offer.

Welly High Wall Tuesday night

This wall 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! It has a range of climbs and boulder problems from Easy to Fing hard. Call Scotty Taylor if you want to know more. $5 gets you entry. Ring Scott before going to make sure its happening.

NZAC Night at Fergs Monday February 19th

Only 15 of us showed. Thanks for the subsidy, the other 385 of you!

Hangdog discount

Hangdog no longer have a cheap night on the second Monday of the month but they have matched Fergs $8 discount to club members, down from $9 last year. Remember your card!

Editor’s Ramble

What a day to skive off work. I wish. It’s boiling here as I write this and the harbour looks perfectly fabbo!!! I want to go for a swim at Lyall Bay, take a rambly walk, boulder at Baring Head, & eat the biggest picnic hamper (the contents, not the hamper you understand) with a fine bottle of sparkly wine.

I have this theory one should take off the sunny still days and work the raining windy cold ones. Something to write into my next employment contract? Hands up for a weather dependent employment relations act.

I promised you Mungo Man this month, but my reading attentions have been elsewhere – on twins. Now we have ultra-sound, we’ve found many more twins than are actually born. The medics scan ‘em and then in the next scan….they’re gone. Merged like the Borg. 1 in 8 of us have had a phantom twin. Spooky… or what? Some of us are even born clutching teratomas – little balls of foetal hair and teeth, all that remains of our lost twin. And a 67 year old guy had a six pound foetus removed from his body in an autopsy….

Next month: maybe a commentary on Moses’s first ascent of Mt Sinai.

Wellington Section News

Angling for Aspiring

Late in January Aroha Wigram, Tom Gunn, Warwick Mason, Joe Prebble, Graham Bussell, Richard Davies, Peter Rowe, Eric Duggan (NZAC Wlg), and Jeremy Haines (NZAC Wlg) headed up the Wanganui River, up Lambert Spur, onto the Lambert Glacier, Garden of Allah and Eden Ice Plateaux, down Adverse Creek into the Perth River, Scone Hut, and out at Whataroa. Peter Rowe and Eric Duggan then headed south and into Colin Todd Hut on the Bonar Glacier. They summitted Aspiring via the NW ridge, encountering good cramponing conditions although very hard ice and wind on the summit. A guided party also summited that day and the day before 12 had summited via the NW ridge and 2 via the SW ride.

Cheers to Eric Duggan

Part time bushmen from the Ruahine Ranges, Pete McGregor and Tony Gates joined Nick Groves last month and flew into the Wanganui Valley (that's the one between Harihari and the Garden of Eden). They met Shaun Barnett, Rob Brown, and Elise Bryant, joining them on their Aoraki/ Mt Cook to Arthurs Pass trip from the Wanganui to the Whitcombe Valleys. They enjoyed a perfect day on the Bracken Snowfield/ Ramsay Glacier, admiring Mts Evans, Red Lion, Whitcombe, and others. Pete and Tony spent some time wandering the mighty Whitcombe Valley and chasing chamois and thar, while the others continued north.

Tony reports that the hot pools at Smyth hut are in fine form. DOC have tidied and painted all of their huts in the area, and are in the process of trimming some of the tracks. The bridges over the Whitcombe and its side creeks are all in pretty good condition.

Thanks to Tony.

Following in the general footprints of other AIC 2000 grads, Ali Bryant, Frances Woodhead, Steph Gibson, and Sally Boyd set out from Mt Cook village, on 2 January, for an adventure on Ball Pass. Pleas to the weather gods had been answered: the sky started grey for the ridge climb up through the snow and lilies from the Tasman Glacier side of the pass, but soon turned into one long glorious photo opportunity by the time we got to Caroline hut. Two of us mulled over whether we would employ any of the extremely skilful nitro techniques viewed in the film Vertical Limit (not recommended as pre-trip watching!!).

We set up camp on the pass. Ali and Frances climbed up the unnamed lump aka Mt 2222 while Steph and Sally contented themselves with excessive consumption of pink mountains and grazing at chocolate.

The next morning we appeared out of our tents to another round of glowing mountains and an even MORE beautiful day. We roared off down the slopes, overtaking all the boys on the way and causing large amounts of temporary emotional emasculation. After an occasional spot of spontaneous seated glissading down a snow-filled gully we were on flat ground again by the Hooker glacier melt. Then it was a long trudge back to Unwin Hut, a celebration dinner and a sunburn comparison session.

By Sally.

Toby and Ali Betts have taken out the record for the slowest climb of Mt Cook. 26 hours from door to hut door. Well done guys!

Scotty, Simon, Spitto, and Derek, are going to Arapiles in March, whereas Judy, Elaine, and Lee are climbing there over Easter.

Kath Brownlie reports "fantastic" climbing in Thailand.

Climbing gear wanted!!!

Plastic boots wanted

Help me find a pair of plastic boots! My size would be 10 or 10 & 1/2. If you know of anyone wishing to off load a pair could you put them in contact with me. And if you don't, then could you please put the word out for me. I am able to be contacted on 06) 8447856 or 06) 8310106 ext. 883 or via email at Muppet@paradise.net.nz.

Yours hopefully

Garry Kane.

Wanted. Set of wires, preferably "Wild Country." Addresses: john.barnes@dia.govt.nz or phone 063570654 evenings.

Thanks.

John Barnes.

e-Vertigo reminder

If you wish to receive Vertigo by email, please send an email to vertigo-subscribe@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz. It can be viewed on the web at nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

Trips: This club needs you!!!

If you truly do think you have the nous. To lead at trip to your favourite mountain for some less experienced but keen and eager people. Who want to get out and about into the snow and rock and ice. Especially if it is a weekend or long weekend sort of jaunt. You! You are enjoined to contact our trips person. Or the inter-acting all powerful chair personage.

Participation: yes, this club needs you!!!

Both Judy Reid and Isobel Ross have resigned from the Wellington Section Committee. The club acknowledges and thanks them for their contribution to the club over the years.

The all powerful committee is on the look out for people who would like to join them to contribute some volunteer time to the running of the club. Please contact a committee member if you would like to help out and would like to discuss what we do. The Alpine club relies heavily on the time and effort put in by keen enthusiastic volunteers. Without this effort the club would not exist. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!