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 Section
Night: Monday 1 November 2004
"The Most Fun You Can Have With Your
Clothes on"
Last month it was Dave Vass. This month it's
Dave Langrish. Dave will be talking and showing slides about
ski touring in NZ. Although his talk won't appeal to naturists
and nudists, it will be of a great deal of interest to those
who want to know more about ski touring on Ruapehu, Tongariro
and in the Southern Alps.
Dave has been rock climbing and mountaineering for 25 years.
He served his climbing apprenticeship in the UK and Europe
and has climbed extensively in North America. Dave has also
worked in outdoor education since 1986 at places including
the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, the Pacific
Crest Outward Bound School in California and Plas y Brenin
in North Wales.
Dave jokes that he's a split personality: he works both
as a physics teacher at Wgtn College and as a guide for
Alpine Guides at Mt Cook. He's an NZMGA qualified mountain
and ski guide.
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Section trips news
Please send all your fantastic trip reports to newsletter
@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, so everyone can enjoy your stories.
Pete's Post
After one 7-hour returned flight which got as far as the edge
of the Antarctic circle, I finally made it to Scott Base last
Saturday. We flew in a C141 Starlifter, which has webbing seats
and very little leg-room. You sit facing the opposite row of people,
and are so close to them that your feet need to be alternated
with theirs. You must wear all your heavy ECW clothing (Extreme
Cold Weather), despite the temperature in the aircraft reaching
29 degrees C.
When we landed it was minus 25 degrees, but it has since been
unseasonably warm at -12 to -18 degrees.
We started our field training almost as soon as we arrived. This
involves learning to self-arrest, kick steps, make a snow shelter
etc. I definitely learned something. We slept the night in snow
shelters and Antarctic tents, which are tall canvas pyramid shapes
- just the same design as Scott and Shackleton used almost a hundred
years ago.
We also learned how to assess the thickness of the sea ice by
drilling through it with an hand auger and lowering a tape-measure
through the hole. It needs to be at least 75cm thick to safely
support a vehicle.
I had one afternoon of vehicle training, and can now drive a
Hagglunds, which is an articulated tracked vehicle. It looks like
one bulldozer towing another one, only there is no blade at the
front. The other vehicle I can drive is a PistenBully. This is
a snowgroomer with a passenger cab at the back. And no blade in
front. Both vehicles are fun to drive.
I've only just started learning how to do my job. I do weather
observations at 9am each morning. The instruments are inside,
and in a box outside. It is sometimes uncomfortable writing down
the data when you take your gloves off on a cold day, but we're
tough down here. Might be a different story once it gets to -50
degrees though.
Most of the experiments measure atmospheric values by looking
at what frequencies of light are absorbed by various chemicals
in the air. Or they use radio energy reflections to see what is
happening above us. The ozone layer is looking pretty good above
us at the moment.
I've been allocated a couple of helicopter flights onto Mt Erebus
to help carry batteries for the radio repeater station, but these
keep getting cancelled due to high winds.
I went cross-country skiing on the sea ice after dinner last
night. The sun is still setting for a few hours each night at
about 11pm, so you have plenty of time to go out and play. In
a few weeks the sun won't set at all. This sounds great, but you
need to make sure you don't overdo things, because the work during
the day is complex and important. When winter rolls around we
will have permanent darkness, so we need to enjoy the sun while
we can.
Pete de Joux from Antarctica
Taranaki Alpine Club 75th Jubilee
The Taranaki Alpine Club's 75th Jubilee is now being planned
for Queens Birthday weekend (4th & 5th June 2005) and will
be held in New Plymouth. The theme of the reunion will be Trips-Outings-Events.
If you have any photographs or slides that you would like to
contribute for inclusion at the celebrations please contact:
John Jordan
Convener 75th Jubilee Committee
254 Johns Rd, RD8, Inglewood, New Zealand
phone/fax 06 7624752
email jd.jordan@xtra.co.nz
Any material will be returned as soon as it has been scanned.
For anyone wishing to join in the celebrations please contact
John Jordan. We look forward to your company.
Greg Hall
Taranaki Alpine Club
Lost mountaineers
I know this might be a long shot but I need to find a group of
Kiwi mountaineers last seen on the Haute Route circa 1966-67.
The reason I ask is that my uncle, Ernst Doll is trying to get
in touch with these guys after all these years, he was part of
a German team who stumbled across the kiwis in difficulty. What
the Kiwis lacked in equipment, the Germans lacked in food,so between
them they finished the trek and became good friends.
My uncle is retiring soon and plans a trip to NZ, it would be
great to reunite the friends.
Owen Doll
arkeyteqt@hotmail.com
Employment opportunity
Jones and Cooper Ltd of Gore, Southland, have been contracted
by the Department of Conservation to build the new Plateau Hut
in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. The hut is being assembled in
Gore and will be disassembled for packaging into manageable helicopter
loads. Once on site it will be reassembled on the steel sub structure.
Peter Cooper requires the services of approximately four experienced
carpenters who are also mountaineers and are capable of working
in this alpine environment. For further details contact Peter
Cooper on 0274358577
Photo Comp
Congratulations go to Peter Laurenson, who did extremely well
during the Wellington section's 2004 Photo Competition in June
(with champion or honours slides in almost every category), and
since then has gone on to win two coveted championship positions
in the national level photographic competition.
Peter Laurenson's "Reflected Ants" was the national
champion Alpine Activity photograph and was also the subject of
a full-colour A2 poster inserted into the most recent edition
of the NZAC's "Climber" magazine. What is more, Peter's
"Cultural Collision" slide also won the Photojournalism
category of the competition.
Take a bow Peter Laurenson -- a true champion!
Titahi Bay Rebolting
Heaps of thanks to Kristen Foley and the seven volunteers who
turned up at Titahi Bay a couple of weeks ago to undertake a rebolting
project just in time for summer! Mike tells me the day spent bolting
was a great day out. Several climbs got new belay bolts, some
very dubious bolts were replaced or removed, and a lot of learning
took place.
Please note that if you are climbing out there Whitireia Park
Board have written to the Section
regarding the bolting and protection. They have advised us that
they will erect a sign which states "that neither they nor
DOC are responsible for installation, inspection or maintenance
of fixed gear, including bolts, placed in the area. The sign will
advise that climbers …… use this gear at their own risk."
The contact for this is Liz Paton, DOC Recreation Planner, 04
470 8421.
For Tender
As the Wgtn Section has now purchased a sparkly new slide projector
the old slide projector is now surplus to requirements. A number
of enquiries have been received regarding what will happen to
it and we have now decided to offer it for tender. So if you want
it then let the treasurer (Caroline on
treasurer @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz) know how much you are
willing to pay for it!
Bevan Col air access issues
The views of the Wellington section are being canvassed on this
issue. If you have an opinion you wish to share, please email
Alan Lowrie on al
@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz
The answer to Quiz Number 13
The chairperson's 13th quiz question was who was the first woman
to climb the Matterhorn. The answer is Lucy Walker, who climbed
it in 1871. About half-a-dozen correct answers were submitted
to Nigel Roberts, and Monty Vass-- Dave Vass' son -- drew Murray
Presland's name as the winner. The Matterhorn is on the Swiss-Italian
border and the mountain's Italian name is
Cervino, so Murray 's prize was, appropriately, a bottle of Italian
white wine.
Incidentally, the chairperson's 13th quiz should serve as a warning
to those of you who use Google to try to find answers to the questions
posed by Nigel Roberts. A large number of Google entries claim
that "in 1985 Annie Smith Peck became the first woman to
climb the Matterhorn", which is -- of course-- total rubbish.
(She was the first American woman I believe - Ed)
Quiz Number 14
Nigel Roberts noted that not only had the film "Touching
the Void" been very popular in Wellington, but also that
Simon Yates will possibly be coming to New Zealand on a lecture
tour early next year. Simon Yates and Joe Simpson are, of course,
famous fortheir dramatic first ascent of the west face of Siula
Grande in Peru, so Nigel's 14th quiz question is: Name one of
Simon Yates' first ascents in another country beginning with "P",
namely Pakistan.
Nigel is overseas (working, not climbing Mt Blanc this time,
we are told), which mean that you have a long time to answer this
one. Email your answers to Nigel at <chairperson
@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz> by the end of November (that
is, by no later than Tuesday, 30 November 2004). Be sure to put
Quiz Number 14 in the email subject line (or else your email is
highly likely to be destroyed as spam).
The winning entry will be drawn at the Monday, 6 December, section
night meeting, and the winner will receive a bottle of Christmas
cheer (which almost certainly won't be Pakistani wine!).
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 Michele Domaneschi or Rachel
Depree (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.
See you in the hills!
Trips for the Calendar for the rest of 2004…
Check out the proposed and planned new list for 2004. We need
trip organisers to put their hands up for what are bound to be
outstanding adventures. There's something for everyone in here
with a mix of snow, rock and even a spot of ski touring.
Proposed…
| Tasman Saddle 13 - 21
November 2004 |
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Trip type:
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Alpine
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Level:
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Intermediate-Advanced
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Organiser:
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Looking for a volunteer
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Fly into Tasman Saddle hut for a
week and tackle some of the peaks as well as sort out or
polish up on glacier travel etc.
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| Arthurs Pass 11 - 19
December 2004 |
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Trip type:
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Alpine/Rock
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Level:
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Intermediate-Advanced
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Organiser:
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Looking for a volunteer
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Stay in Arthurs Pass or at Castle
Hill village for alpine or rock. Lots of options and opportunity
to take a week off.
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Definite…
| Tapuae-o-Uenuku 23, 24, 25 October 2004 (Labour
weekend) |
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Trip type:
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Alpine
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Level:
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Intermediate - Advanced
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Organiser:
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Andrew Finnegan. Email Andrew.Finnegan@wcc.govt.nz
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3-4 day trip into Tapuae-o-Uenuku with lots of opportunities
to get your feet wet.
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| Patagonia 10 or 17 December 2004-9 January
2005 |
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Trip type:
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Overseas Expedition
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Level:
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Intermediate-Advanced
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Organiser:
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Daniel Joel, daniel@jadepromotions.co.nz . Ph 021
732 004
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We will be going to Torres del paine national park. The
trip will be based around climbing one or more of the towers.
However, if people are interested in coming along there
is also great tramping in the area. The more the merrier.
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Bored at work? - Check out www.mountainz.co.nz
Still bored at work?
Then start writing for vertiGO or be prepared for the next issue
to be filled with more random photos from the sub-editors collection!
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