Anti Crow Hut, Arthurs Pass, Thursday April 8 2004 (Garth London)

Section Nights: Upcoming: JUNE & JULY!

On Monday evening, 14 June (ie: a week after the Queen's Birthday holiday), the Wellington section of Alpine Club will hold its annual photographic competition (details below).

On Monday evening, 5 July, Neil Hickman teams up with John Rhodes for a multi media presentation on New Zealand's top ten classic peaks.!

PHOTO COMPETITION

It’s time to start thinking about getting your entries in for this year’s photo contest. There are some fantastic prizes to be won again and our esteemed Prez Nigel Roberts will again be judging the competition (I hear he likes a good South African white…)

Entries can be either slides or prints and should be in any of the following categories:

Alpine activity
Alpine general
Alpine Nature
Rock climbing
Humour
Photojournalism

Drop your entries in to Mainly Tramping before 5 pm on Friday 4 June 2004. Please put a black sport on the front, bottom left-hand corner of your slides so they’ll be loaded correctly into the projector.

For further info contact tb @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

Section trips news

Please send all your fantastic trip reports to newsletter @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, so everyone can enjoy your stories.

Easter Bunnies

Over Easter, Garth and Angie London, Michele and Karen Domaneschi, Caro Duggan, Jeremy Bray and Catherine Moger headed down to Arthur’s Pass with the intention of climbing Mt Murchison. Thursday morning saw us wake to snow falling at the club lodge. We headed off up the Waimak with a hopeful destination of Barker Hut but realistically aiming for Carrington in heavy snow, cold temperatures and a first off knee deep crossing of the river.

We took refuge from the snow in Anti Crow Hut for morning tea and liking it so much stayed there for the rest of the day and night. Around 30-35 cm of snow fell in large fat droplets and the outside temperature hovered around 0.1 degrees. However 7 people in a small 6 bunker and a good fire soon produced a balmy 18 degrees inside.

Good Friday was beautiful weather, but deep snow and the river was still cold. We spent the afternoon at Carrington Hut trying to get the fire going. With all the snow and a deteriorating weather forecast we headed back out on Saturday and made ourselves at home back at the club lodge. Sunday saw Garth, Michele, Karen and Catherine run up Avalanche Peak getting a view just before the clag and snow rolled in. Angie, Jeremy and Caro had an arduous day trip to see a waterfall and a café.

Come Monday we were all in holiday mode, lazy sleep-ins, cafes, touristy trips to see the viaduct and cafes again. We stopped off at Castle Hill on the way home to show Michele the rock. Then another café, Thai for dinner and then flew home.

Special thanks to Angie for the Easter eggs, constant supply of cow on tap and the apple crumble. Yum!

Caro Duggan

And more Easter Bunnies

Early Easter, Delmar Schafer and Mike Peat had grand plans of a Southern Crossing of the Tararuas, but an injury saw our objective revised to a North-South traverse of Mt Kaukau (445m). The ascent was made on mountain bikes, which made it harder than had we simply walked. The summit pyramid, a 100m high steel tower proved too much for the bikes so we had to be content with the trig instead. We regained our camp before nightfall and the only mishap to report was a punctured tyre during a staircase descent.

On Easter Monday Mike Peat teamed up with Paul McCullagh (CNI section) for a spot of ice climbing on Ruapehu. As usual, the early season ice was excellent, although our activities were confined to “The Fingers” (Giant Cirque) due to the inclement weather. Mist, wind and icy rain prevailed throughout the day, but a lot of good ice bouldering was done and one route of 20m at about W14 was climbed. Eventually we could ignore our discomfort no longer and soaked to the skin and completely covered in ice, we retreated to the luxury of the Fat Pigeon Café for a deserved tonic of espresso and cake.

Mike Peat

Tararua Biscuits

Mid March, Delmar Schafer and Mike Peat did the Holdsworth-Jumbo circuit in the Tararuas. Having earned our stripes in these hills as members of the Onslow College Tramping Club during the mid 1980’s, we were relishing the chance to take up the challenge of wild weather, mud, rivers and leatherwood. We found there had been a few changes since our last visit in 1988. Most significantly, major track improvements have reduced the weekend trip of old to a 7 hour walk (at a good pace). We discovered that Kiwis have by and large given up tramping and the local hills have been invaded by Europeans and North Americans. Sadly, school kids don’t go tramping any more because it’s apparently too hazardous. We thanked our lucky stars that we went to school in those dangerous says before OSH laws and regulations.

We discovered that nobody walks in on a Friday night any more, imagine the surprise of the good folk at Powell Hut when we burst in out of the wind and rain at 11 pm! We found no mud or streams to cross: these “hazards” had all been bridged. A wide and well graded gravel path had taken the place of all those tiresome ups and downs and pesky roots that we used to occasionally slip or trip on. The fierce leatherwood of our youth was pruned well back from the track to negate any chance of getting scratched or worse, whipped, by the person ahead of you.

But most of all I regret to report that modern trampers don’t say hello, let alone stop for a trackside chat any more. I’m afraid stranger danger has officially gone too far. They have all been afflicted by “public transport syndrome” – have you tried talking to the person sitting next to you on the bus recently? Try it and check out the shocked reaction!

Next time you’re heading into the hills, don’t forget your newspaper: that way if someone says hello you can quickly bury your face in the business section and pretend you haven’t heard them.

At least the rotten weather lived up to our memories. (How did you like the cellphones beeping at Powell Hut? My favourite – Ed)

Mike Peat

Carriage of Stoves on Airplanes

While travelling Air NZ over Easter, some club members had some issues when declaring their stoves for transport despite having followed the published instructions exactly. The main issue was inconsistency in the rules applied to the 3 different stoves. If other club members have had any good or bad experiences when travelling by air with stoves can you please email Caroline at cd @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

MOUNTAIN SAFETY & AVALANCHE SEMINAR

The Mountain Education Centre of NZ (a division of Tai Poutini Polytechnic) is holding a Mountain Safety and Avalanche Seminar in the Central North Island on 29 May 2004.

The theme is mountain safety and avalanche awareness with particular emphasis on the unique situation as experienced on the North Island volcanoes. This seminar builds on the success of their 2003 avalanche seminar in Queenstown.

All ski patrollers, snow safety professionals, professional and club mountaineering instructors, SAR personnel, mountain and ski guides and other interested individuals or groups are encouraged to attend. The seminar will focus on current practices and developments in mountain safety, search and rescue, avalanche risk management and control and the latest in safety equipment. This is a great opportunity to meet other professionals and club personnel and expand the network of the mountain safety and avalanche community.

The location is at the Outdoor Pursuits Centre near Mt Ruapehu. Cost is $95.

The Wellington Section committee would be happy to consider any requests for funding from any of our alpine instructors who wish to attend this seminar. If you’re a recent, current or prospective instructor on our alpine course, please contact Pete de Joux for more info (ph 478 1017 (hm), 568 1478 (wk), 0274 421 779 (mob) or email pdj @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

This may also qualify for Distarghil Sar Fund funding so get your application in.

A description of the seminar will be posted on the Section’s website, along with the enrolment form you’ll need to fill out.

Pete will be taking his van up and some spare seats are available. Accommodation is available at OPC for $35 in a bunkroom or $85 for a twin share room.

BANFF IS BACK! THE BANFF FESTIVAL OF MOUNTAIN FILMS!

"Well of course the Banff Mountain Film Festival is one of the greatest, if not THE greatest film festival on mountaineering matters in the world" -Sir Edmund Hillary

Well, if Sir Ed says so...........

Following on last year's success, the NZAC is bringing the Festival back to Wellington on Sunday 2nd May. Featuring films on climbing, skiing, mountain culture and other oddities, we guarantee you will be entertained. There will be showing a variety of short and long films, so be prepared for some adventure, humour, and adrenalin. This event sold out last year so get your tickets early.

Only 500 seats! Don't miss out!

When: Sunday 2nd May 6:30 PM

Where: Paramount Theatre, Courtney Place
Tickets: $15 available From: Mountain Designs, Mainly Tramping and Bivouac Outdoor

Thanks also to our other sponsors Fergs Rock 'n' Kayak, Hangdog Climbing Centre, and Format Printing for helping us bring this event to Wellington.

DISTAHGIL 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 is made up of donations from families and friends. Awards are made every year from the interest it earns. This year the total available for awards (including interest not spent last year) is in the region of $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 3 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. Applications should be sent to Distaghil Sar Fund, NZAC Wellington Section, PO Box 1628, Wellington BY 3 MAY 2004. Awards will be announced in the June newsletter.

COLIN TODD HUT

DoC has advised that Colin Todd Hut will be closed for the week of 26 April to 30 April 2004 so that maintenance work can be undertaken. This will include a clean down and repaint of the hut interior. The work may extend a couple of days either side of these dates depending on weather patterns at the time. However, disruption will be kept to a minimum and the aim will be to complete the work during the closure period.

DoC apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

CHAIRPERSON'S 9th QUIZ - ANSWER

The question Nigel Roberts posed in the 9th Quiz was “What is the tallest peak in the solar system?” It’s Olympus Mons on Mars, and there were many correct answers. Unfortunately, a technical glitch prevented the winner’s name being drawn on 5 April, so the draw to determine the winner of Quiz Number 9 will be held during the section night meeting on Monday evening 3 May.

CHAIRPERSON'S 10th QUIZ -

The draw to find the Winner of Quiz Number 10 will also be held on 3 May. The question for Quiz Number 10 was posed by Nigel at the section night meeting on 5 April. It was “One of the people often called ‘the father of Canadian mountaineering’ has a peak named after him in New Zealand. What’s its name?”

Email your answers – with the words "Quiz number 10"in the subject line if you don't want your email to be destroyed as spam! -
to chairperson @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz by no later than 12 noon on Sunday, 2 May 2004, to go into the draw to win a bottle of wine.

Wanted to Buy

85 litre mountaineering pack, down jacket to fit woman size 14, crampons, ice axe and ice hammer. All good condition please. Contact newsletter@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz

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 the new trips co-ordinator (trips@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz)

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!

Get to know your committee…. (Part One)

Match the descriptions to the names to the photos…

The Urban Climber
I Like being on the committee
The Minimalist Climber
The Pot Heads
The Abominable Snowman
The Bivouac Add
The Masked Toilet Paper Thief
He Who Likes Being Tied Up

Zorro (kind of)
Caroline Duggan (Treasurer)
Alan Lowrie (Committee Historical Expert)
Rachel Depree (Committee Member)
Garth London (Secretary & Gear Coordinator)
Steve Hart (Vice Chairperson)
A Local Outdoors Shop
Michele Domaneschi (Trips Coordinator)
Rachael Schmidt (Newsletter Editor)

Sub Editors Quiz

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it the Lochness Monster?