Club nights are at Turnbull House, on the first unimpeded Monday of every month. New and prospective members are welcome. Meet for dinner at the Backbencher public bar at 6.30 and on to Turnbull House at 7.30 pm for a catch up. Meetings and talks start at 8.00 pm with club business and tea and coffee afterwards.

Hanging Out on the Volta!

Section trips news

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

Literature-less days at Colin Todd

Nick Groves (C/W), James Broadbent (C/W), Scott Campbell (Wgtn) and Don French (Wgtn) spent a number of days on skis in the Aspiring Region. The group spent 3 days exploring the Volta Glacier from a tent camp on the lower Upper Volta (or was it the upper Lower Volta?) Glacier Dome was the most significant ascent.

They made Colin Todd hut with the assistance of the compass on the Wednesday in deteriorating weather. There started 5 days of hut activities as the 120/150km wind and snow (½ mtr) restricted outdoor activities to only those necessary for life. A one day fine spell on the Tuesday enabled a prompt retreat to Aspiring Hut via the Quarterdeck and French Ridge.

Exited the mountains on the Wednesday, only 4 days overdue.

PS. There needs to be some work on the quality of the library at Colin Todd.

Don French

TimTams at Tukino

On the weekend of 4th - 5th September Paul McCullagh & Niklas Werner (CNI Section) and Tom Wilson & Mike Peat (Wgtn Section) went in search of untracked snow at Tukino. After our late night rendezvous at the desert base camp, equipment and skiers were wedged into Mike's Jeep for the final haul up to the ski field. Deep drifts of snow on the road may have stopped most Remuera Taxis but were no match for 4 litres of raw power and an aggressive attitude.

The full moon rose over the Kaimanawas, lighting our way as we skinned on up toward Whangaehu Hut. A short but sweet ski down to the hut and the obligatory brew saw us into bed at 2.30am.

Sleep is a word unknown to the hard-core ski-tourer, thus we were up again at 6.30am to beat the blizzard forecast for the afternoon. The steep slope below the hut to the Whangaehu Glacier proved demanding on our rusty technique, and forced a second breakfast of snow into a couple of mouths. Skins were fixed and an hour's labour saw us cruise up the crater outlet stream to the lake edge. It's sad to think that this lovely valley will soon be wiped out by a lahar and will then take ten years to recover its present snow cover.

Conditions were ideal with two inches of powder on wind pack and after a couple of runs down a choice slope above the crater, we skinned around the crater edge and up the east ridge of Paretetaitonga. Here began our primo run of the day from the summit of "Pare" a 700m descent in perfect snow right back down the Whangaehu Glacier.

But wait there's more... Skins were fixed again and we coaxed our tired bodies back up to the Summit Plateau for one last run. Across the plateau we schussed to the top of the Mangatoetoenui Glacier and from here a 500m descent to the hut door completed a fine day's work. We rewarded our efforts with a siesta before rising at dusk for a fish curry accompanied with a selection red and white wines and Timtams to finish!

The Sunday weather was as unpleasant as expected so we decided to ski out to the car. To add an element of adventure to the trip out we decided to head down the Whangaehu and force a route out of the gorge. For a time it appeared that abseils may be required but in the end a route practicable for skiing was found, a short carry followed and then a long traverse brought us right to the door of the vehicle to end a superb trip.

Mike Peat

L'alpinisme au Presidente

After three weeks climbing in France and Switzerland in August, I can happily recommend climbing in Western Europe to fellow Alpine Club members. It's highly enjoyable -- in part because there are some key differences between climbing in Europe and climbing in New Zealand.

For a start, access to the mountains in France and Switzerland is often much easier than in New Zealand. Gondolas, chair-lifts, and even cog railways can whisk you into alpine areas quickly (and far less expensively than Kiwis usually pay for rides in helicopters and ski-planes).

What is more, alpine huts in Europe cannot be compared with New Zealand huts. The "refuges" I stayed in last month in Switzerland and France were more akin to hotels. In addition to beds, most European alpine huts provide breakfast and dinner -- and dinner is often a three-course meal. In the Gouter Hut on Mont Blanc (which is situated at 3,817 metres -- i.e. higher
than the summit of Mt Cook), meals were even served on china plates decorated with the French Alpine Club's logo!

The bunk rooms in all the huts I stayed in were equipped with pillows and blankets.

The result of these little luxuries (no, I tell a lie -- they are whopping great luxuries!) is that one does not have to carry a sleeping bag, nor does one have to carry a stove or much food when you are climbing in the European Alps. This means that your pack weighs less -- far, far less -- than when you are climbing in New Zealand, and that makes climbing all the more enjoyable.

Added to these advantages is the fact that weather patterns in Europe are slower moving and more stable than those in New Zealand. This is because the Southern Alps are situated on a narrow island in the middle of a very large ocean, whereas the European Alps are, of course, part of a large land mass. Good weather in Europe can last for weeks rather than days.

Without doubt, the holiday I've just had in Europe (three weeks in France and Switzerland, followed by a week of friends, relatives and culture in the UK) was one of the most enjoyable breaks I've ever had. The differences between climbing in New Zealand and in Europe certainly contributed to that.

As that well-known French statement puts is, "Viva la difference!"

Nigel Roberts

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

Freda du Faur

I've started up a bit of a project to place a headstone for Freda du Faur over here in Sydney. I'm originally from South Canterbury and interested in climbing hence my involvement. I tracked down Freda's unmarked grave in the Manly cemetery after reading her biography 'Between Heaven and Earth'. A mate of mine who's a reporter with the Timaru Herald was over recently and I took him to the site which resulted in a story in the Herald. Since then Stu at the Herald, has received some donations and support for the actual headstone (a piece of Greywacke from the Mackenzie) plus what looks like a free flight to get it here c/o Air NZ. I'm talking to the Manly Council and local historic society here to cover this end.

Maybe members would be interested in providing input in the form of a donation or thoughts about how we should go about any of this. We are aiming to get the headstone over here about late November (TBC). The whole cost for the headstone including simple brass plaque seems to be under NZD$1,500 delivered in Manly, though we are still working on costs for mounting etc.. We are also wondering what the inscription should be.

Donations/Inquiries should go to the Timaru Herald c/o Stu Piddington. 03 684 4129

Ashley Gualter

The answer to Quiz Number 12

Chairperson's twelfth The quiz question was: Which opera has the line "I'm sweating like a mountain climber"? The answer is Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" (the line is sung by the American consul, Sharpless, after he's climbed a hill above Nagasaki). Despite having two months to find the answer, none of you did, proving perhaps that sport and culture do not mix.

Quiz Number 13

Nigel Roberts' thirteenth quiz question sticks strictly to climbing. Inspired by his recent visit to Zermatt, where there's a plaque commemorating Edward Whymper's first ascent of the mountain in 1865, Nigel wants to know who was the first woman to climb the Matterhorn.

Email your answers to <chairperson@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz> by no later than 12 noon on Sunday, 3 October 2004. Be sure to put Quiz Number 13 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, 4 October, section night, and the winner will receive a bottle of good white wine.

Budding Journo's!

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a journalist, be it photos or writing, Mark Watson at the National Office would love to hear from you! He has been heard to say that contributions from the North Island to Climber magazine and/or to the annual Alpine Journal are a bit thin on the ground. Unlike the snow on Ruapehu, so come on guys, get some contributions in and show the rest of the country what an active section we are.

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

Trip type: Alpine Level: Intermediate-Advanced Organiser: Looking for a volunteer

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.

Definite…