May section night: Barnes storming with ET

Our JB and Elaine T talk about their travels in Italy's Dolomites. Promo from JB: "We've waited awhile, but we're are finally going to reveal our secrets about civilised climbing in Italy's Tyrol. Introducing hot Italian techniques, like promenading pizzas with boccino and rocket, finding belay points using cigarette butts, & what happens when Madonna is used for an anchor."

Future hot section nights for winter fun

June: The Annual Photo Comp is here again. Its time to dig out all your great photos. The judge this year will be Rob Suisted. Entry forms are in the newsletter - see below.
July: John Palmer talking about rock. Promo from JP: "my slide show will feature many of NZ's top rock climbing areas including Froggatt Edge, Whanganui Bay, Baring Head, Payne's Ford, Castle Hill and more." Can't wait!

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.

do wE wanT to belOng to FMC?

FMC was founded in 1931. NZAC joined some years later. NZAC had 243 members in 1935. National Parks were non existent.

Climbing was a bit different then too. FMC passed a motion in 1935 '[t]hat in the opinion of the executive, solitary climbing above the snowline or tramping in rough country is to be condemned, and that a circular be sent to all Clubs to take steps to discourage the practice.'

Today NZAC is the national climbing organisation with some two thousand members. FMC is simply a lobby group, comprising 75 local and regional tramping clubs and NZAC. The total membership is about 10, 000.

There are 13 National Parks. All told just under a third of New Zealand is managed by DOC. There are many climbing areas outside of Parks and Reserves and rock climbing is a key activity for many NZAC members.

The NZAC's objectives are encouraging mountaineering and allied activities in mountain regions, to encourage the enjoyment and conservation of those regions, and to bring together those interested in mountaineering.

The Club is developing vision statements for each of its major activities: accommodation, instruction, publications, recreation advocacy, library etc. Policies will be guided by those vision statements. NZAC represents climber's interests via: Recreation Advocacy Committee, Cragwatch committee, and Section Committees. All of these make submissions, and lobby on behalf of climbers. The Recreation Advocacy Committee comprises Bob McKegg, President Elect; Richard Pearson, twice President of NZAC; Richard Wesley, NZAC Administrator; Phil Doole, formerly recreation planner for DOC Southland Conservancy; Rob Mitchell, OSONZAC chairman and Otago Conservation Board member; John Cocks, chairman NZAC Accommodation committee; and John Nankervis, President, Tongariro Conservation Board member.

The FMC's focus of attention sometimes matches that of NZAC and sometimes differs. There are plenty of issues that are of real importance to NZAC members that the FMC does not address, and vice versa. There are plenty of differences in values held by FMC and NZAC.

FMC opposes payment of hut fees and other fees and want their recreation opportunities and services to be provided by Government, or owners, at zero charge. They want international tourists to pay additional taxes to fund these things. NZAC owns 17 huts nation wide, and is working hard, often with DOC assistance, to improve hut fee collection. NZAC recognises that Government will not provide services at zero charge to climbers of typically above average income and education.

The FMC has lost its way. It lacks vision. It lacks leadership, and it lacks judgement. It often fails to consult with NZAC on items of real concern to NZAC. It has failed to develop coherent workable policies in an era of 1.8 million international tourists per year, and pricing of many services.

Should NZAC retain membership of FMC? I think not. NZAC is the national climbing organisation. It represents the interests of climbers and those with complementary interests in the mountains and other climbing areas. There seems very little reason for the large, well organised, active, national climbing organisation, to be a member of a federation of tramping clubs.

Membership of FMC becomes even less attractive when we focus on the statements of its spokespeople, which are frequently shallow, populist nonsense. NZAC should not be associated with such ill-considered drivel.

Could NZAC reform FMC? Because of the voting structure at FMC AGMs, NZAC is capped at 9 votes. The 75 tramping clubs have another 123 votes. NZAC has 7% of the votes despite having over 20% of the FMC membership. We have very limited ability to elect people onto FMC executive. Even if we could vote NZAC members with a mandate to represent the club, onto the FMC executive, this would not be sufficient to get FMC on track. One or two NZAC representatives on the FMC executive alone will not alone be able to reform FMC. There needs to be a majority of people on the FMC executive who are committed to getting it on track. They will need to have shared belief in the importance of that task, the values to strive for. I said many of these things in 1992 when NZAC last voted on membership of FMC. I see little evidence that NZAC has made any progress on reforming FMC during the past 9 years.

A better approach is for NZAC to represent climbers through its own committees and to collaborate with CMC and NZMGA when it judges a collective voice is needed. When there are common interests, it can continue to collaborate with FMC. But membership of FMC is harmful for NZAC. The judgement of the Club in 1931 was correct, the Alpine Club is on a different footing, and it should work with the Federation rather than be a member of it.

By Ross Cullen

Editorial note: Withdrawing from FMC will save the club $10,000 per year or $5 per member. This proposal will be put forward at the club AGM in Christchurch on 18 May. If you would like to comment or have a proxy vote then contact Harry Anderson our National Representative who will be attending the meeting at ha@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz.

Editor's Ramble: file under X

One thing that's always bothered me is a powerful impression that many climbers disproportionately share common first names. Curious, I have probed further over the passed month, pouring over the records utilising powerful statistical methods. Reliable analysis of NZAC records reveals a disproportionate over-representation of certain names amongst the climbing fraternity and sorority.

For example 4.9 percent of Wellington section males are Matts and fully 17.3 percent are Johns. Adjusting for variations in the distribution of ages in the club compared to the population as a whole and different population representations of Matts and Johns across age cohorts, revealed only 1.4 percent of Matts and 4.2 percent of Johns in the age-adjusted population at large. Confidence tests reveal that the revealed over-representation of Johns and Matts in the club has only 1 in 25,000 chances of being a random event. And over-representation is not only for blokes.

Coding all Kathryns, Catherines, Kathys, and Kateys as one name (please, no correspondence will be entered into), my research uncovered the shocking news that of the 6.8 percent of Wellington women so named, a full 3.0 percent belong to the Wellington section. And this even though less than one tenth of one percent of Wellington women are section members of the section!

The chances of this latter event happening randomly are estimated at 1 in 1,000,000. Buy a Lotto ticket K/Cather(yn)ine!

All I can say....creepy....or what?

Distaghil Sar Fund Applications

This fund was set up as a memorial to Chris Hoare, Andy Boas and Steve Thornley, Wellington Section members who died on Distaghil Sar in the Karakoram in August 1996.

The fund comprises donations from families and friends. Awards are made every year from the interest. This year the total available for awards is about $1000. The purpose of the fund is to assist members to become better qualified to instruct on our alpine courses.

Any member of the section may apply for an award. The closing date for applications this year is 1 May. Decisions about grants are made by the fund administrators (the section's chairperson, instruction committee convener and treasurer).

Applications should be in writing, and should specify the courses or qualifications for which financial assistance is sought; the need for such assistance; and the availability of the applicant to instruct on the section's snow courses.

Appropriate courses are NZAC or FMC instructor courses; NZOIA snow assessments or pre-assessments; risk assessment and outdoor first aid courses; or any other courses or qualifications that the fund administrators approve. Awards will be used to pay for expenses actually incurred, rather than given as a lump sum.

The decision about awards will take into account the applicants' climbing skills and judgement, ability to communicate with students, commitment to safety, previous contributions to the section's instruction programmes, and availability to instruct on the section's alpine courses in future. The available funding may be given to one applicant, or split between two or more.

Send applications to Distaghil Sar Fund, NZAC Wellington Section, PO Box 1628, Wellington BY 1 MAY 2001. Awards will be announced at the May section night and the June newsletter.

Alpine Instruction Course 2001: oh very, very yes!

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 Ric "Silent P" 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 Ric if you would like to instruct or be an assistant instructor and are available

An advance notice for Spring Rock dates:

Contact Scott Taylor for early details. Ph home 380 0913 and talk to the guy or leave a message.

Neville Johnson

Neville Johnson, a dedicated NZAC Secretary for much of the time that HQ was in the capital, died recently. A fuller appreciation will be included in next month's Vertigo.

John Marcussen

Vertigo notes with deep regret the recent death of John Marcussen (Canterbury section) after a fall on the Otira Face of Mt Rolleston, Arthurs Pass.

Photo Competition

Slides are now being accepted for the 2001 Photo Comp. Mainly Tramping are accepting all the slides for the competition, so drop them off there with the entry form that appears later in the quality publication. Please add a black spot to the front bottom left of all your slides so that we can put them in the projector the correct way the first time. There will be some fantastic prizes this year. Entries Close Friday 1 June.

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.

A current first aid certificate is essential for instructors on our Alpine or Spring Rock Courses and we will pay for you to attend a full weekend course or revalidation day. If enough people are interested we may be able to organise a separate course for club members.

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.

Once you have signed up and if you want to receive just an electronic copy of Vertigo, please send us an email to savetrees@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz. We hope to phase out the paper copies as much as possible, as printing and folding them takes a lot of effort.

However, it is not that simple a process - the address labels are sent up from NZAC head office in Christchurch. We do not have control over the mailing list they hold. This will slowly change, as they will be requesting email addresses next time you pay your annual subscription. In the meantime, your wish to save the committee folding time and stamp money will be gratefully noted, and will be actioned in due course!

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

Web Pages

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.

News that's news that happens as it happens

Nank on Planks

Duncan Ritchie , NZAC's Wanaka rep,and John Nankervis skied most of La Haute Route between Chamonix and Zermatt , just prior to Easter, until huge snowfalls barred progress and they had to return La Bas. John then joined ex-Wellingtonian Rob Rowlands for a few days ski mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, out the back of Yosemite. Their attempt on Matterhorn Peak failed due only to GPS inaccuracies.

By Nank

Bay Rock

Nicola and Ben hit Turangi on Friday night in the pouring rain. Camping down at the bay was not The Bomb so they stayed in a Turangi backpackers that night. The next day down by the lake, Mere assured us all that it had been beautifully sunny there with narry a climber in sight - all scarred off by the rain up at Turangi. A lesson to us all. Jo joined them on Saturday night around a luverly bombfire, prepared with wood collected from the side of the road on the way down. Good food was consumed and the Drambuie was enthusiastically imbibed. Many silly arguments followed. Just before bed time, the half moon rose over the south-eastern hills, giving Nicola the strong impression that Sunshine Buttress was on fire. Watch it with that Drambuie, Niks.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear and John Barnes showed up ready for some inspired climbing. There was good fun on James Stirling Direct, Small Pox and a few other bits and pieces. A leisurely lunch, followed by a swim, followed by more Drambuie - really and trully, Nicola - preceded a leisurely amble up to The Plateau for a play on John's new route up by Piki Mai (sp?). All of us were delighted with it. What a cool climb.

The next day, Jo discovered the giddy thrills of lead climbing on Slug Wall at Froggatt and John styled his was up some choice climbs in Animal Biscuit Valley. Jo blamed a coffee at Bryce's that night for all manner of scarry climbing dreams in the early hours of Tuesday morning however, with most of the populace back at work on Tuesday, John and Jo revelled in the freedom of another day of climbing at Smiths and then Waipapa. Waipapa is well worth visiting with beautifully frictioned rock up in the trees above the inky Waipapa stream. The next day, Jo got lost on her way back to Wellington while attempting to break up the trip home by crashing at John's house. Just when she thought she might be roving the plains of the Manawatu until daybreak, the prophet-like appearance of John, be-decked in his apron at the side of the Main Trunk Line saved the day.

Thanks to Jo

Oh soooo close, but Bowen street statue abides, dude

Rumours abound that Kester Brown and various rag-tag Bivouac bodies surmounted "the Carrot", grading it at about V3 in the process. On returning for a second ascent and a photo snap to capture the much coveted green prize, they were accosted by Parliamentary security persons and gently escorted from the premises. A crisp new $20 note abides.

Climbing gear being flogged

For sale: Rossignol 4S skis , 200 cms with good downhill bindings , good nick, evergreen classics $250, ski touring boots (size 9) $340, Montana stick-on skins for medium wide skis $100 and ski crampons to fit Daimio ski touring bindings $65.

Ring John Nankervis at 04 3850415 (H)

Ending thought

"You can be in the majority", said Frank Knight, " or you can be right".