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.

Kris Persson and Vanessa Johnson

Two Section Members Killed in Bolivia

Two Wellington Section members, Vanessa Johnson and Kris Persson, were the victims of a robbery and shooting in Ulla Ulla Reserve while on a climbing holiday in Bolivia on about August 15 2005. Kris was a very keen alpinist and Hash House Harrier and had completed the Wellington Section Alpine Instruction Course in 2003 and the Rock Instruction Course in 2005. Vanessa was active in the Otago Section of the NZAC before moving to Wellington in 2003 where she re-kindled her love for the mountains. Kris and Vanessa met on a climbing trip with other Wellington Section members to Ruapehu and from there continued many trips into the mountains as can be seen in past editions of VertiGO. Both of them were very keen and committed to their climbing and had applied for and received an NZAC Overseas Expedition Fund grant to assist them on their trip to Bolivia. The Wellington Section wishes to pass on its sincerest condolences to the families and friends of Kris and Vanessa.

Kristoffer Bo Gunnar Persson

Oct 1972 – Aug 2005

I met Kris when he came to live in our flat about 3 years ago and I soon found out that he was a keen outdoors person who enjoyed tramping and running (which lead to his membership of the Hashhouse Harriers) and to travel and explore new places. Kris loved the mountains; he tramped and climbed and was an accomplished skier although he recently converted to snowboarding, with just as much success.

When Kris came to live in our flat, he had started to get more involved in tramping and was developing an interest in alpine climbing having previously done a short course in the Southern Alps. He was always keen to improve his skills and in 2003 attended the NZAC, Wellington section AIC. In his enthusiasm for learning more about climbing, he also got me to enrol in the same AIC and we both had a great time that year, practicing what we already knew and learning some new skills.

Later in 2003, a number of AIC students and instructors went on a follow up trip to Ruapehu. Our planned summit was Girdlestone, however, the weather had other plans, and we headed to Mangatepopo for a spot of rock climbing. This was, I think, one of Kris’s first introductions to climbing on rock. I recall his frustrations as he tried to fit his very large tramping boots into some very small cracks. Needless to say, Kris’s enthusiasm for the outdoors included an enthusiasm for gear. Not long after, he bought his first pair of rock shoes.

In 2004 and 2005 Kris did some good trips, including a trans-alpine epic to the Olivine Ice Plateau, with Vanessa Johnson and an attempt on Mt Aspiring with Vanessa and Rachael Schmidt. Both trips were eventful: Vanessa and Kris navigated the Olivine Ice Plateau in zero visibility, and his ascent of Mt Aspiring included a snow cave bivy on the way down.

Earlier in 2005 Kris completed the Wellington Section ‘Summer/Autumn’ rock course. The trip to Bolivia was on the calendar by this time, and he spent a lot of time withVanessa making meticulous plans and building fitness through local trips to the Tararuas and Ruahines, and still more running. Their excitement about the trip was obvious as their adventure took over the hallway in the form of boots, axes, packs, ropes and maps. Kris’s death was sudden and tragic. I hold onto the hope that he was in a beautiful place close to the mountains.

Catherine Moger

Vanessa Claire Johnson

10 APRIL 1974 – 15 AUGUST 2005

I first met Vanessa at the end of 2003 when she moved to Wellington and came to look at the spare room in my flat.
She said she knew the room was made for her when she walked into the flat, saw my climbing gear lying around, was licked to death by a black Labrador and spied my Joe Simpson books on the shelves.

I wasn’t so sure and was a bit wary about having another excitable Labrador around but she worked on the landlord and me and convinced us she should move in. Her tenacity won the day and, in retrospect, I’m so glad it did!

In the two short years I knew Vanessa, we became firm friends. I was the sister she never had and vice versa. People assumed it was our shared love of tramping and climbing which made us so close, but it was more than that. We shared a caustic sense of humour, a love of reading and film, and an infatuation with animals, particularly our dogs (Vanessa’s dog, Winnie, was put to sleep after being diagnosed with cancer a few weeks before Vanessa left for South America)

Vanessa and I went on many trips together, including spontaneous walks into a hut in the Tararuas on a Saturday night when life got too much, and culminating in our rather epic attempt on Mt Aspiring in December 2004 (along with Kris Persson). On all those trips she demonstrated her physical strength and fitness, as well as her dependable, solid character and her biting wit (which on occasion even I bore the brunt of!)

Ness and I shared a flat in Johnsonville and as part of our training for climbing, most days we would load up our backs with dive weights and trudge to the top of Mt Kaukau with the dogs trailing behind, chatting the whole way about our lives and invariably having to stop and regain our breath after laughing insanely at something only the two of us found funny.

Whenever I stand on the top of Mt Kaukau in the future, I will expect a familiar figure to come over the crest of the hill, followed by her loyal plodding companion, Winnie. It’s hard to believe she is not coming back and I wish I’d hugged her harder that day at Wellington Airport when I said goodbye.
Arohanui ka kite ano e hoa kahurangi

Rachael Schmidt

Section trip news

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

Say No! to Crack

Crack is addictive. You can tell an addict by looking for the tell tale marks on the hands and arms. In Australia, some of the best crack can be found at Frog Buttress, near Boonah, Queensland. The long pure lines are and addicts dream! The cracks are between 30-45m long, with the odd shorter route thrown in. All the good climbing is trad, unless you climb hard (25+) and wish to die. The ‘sport routes’ are ‘bolted’ using carrot bolts without hangers (filed machine bolts that are driven in). Bolts are spaced so they might stop you hitting the ground. The trad routes are what it is all about – great gear, fantastic jams and the odd face hold. Double ropes are good to prevent rope drag and make descent easier. The rock is Australian (therefore dense) sandstone, so it is nice on the hands. The crag is best at grade 19-25ish. The routes under grade 18 have a nasty reputation as death (or very serious injury) routes, due to the things you will hit when you fall, the lack of protection, or their obscene awkwardness (and quite often all three).

The local climbers are great. They tend to fall into two categories. The first lot are the old gnarlies, who don’t believe in bolts. One of these removed the top ten bolts and the anchors on a classic 45m grade 18test piece, which followed twelve bolts up a pinnacle. The next climber just thought the route was run out. By the time he realised what had happened (high above the second bolt, 20m off the deck) he was past the point of no return and effectively had to solo the rest, knowing he would hit the ground if he fell. He made it to the top, but then found the anchors gone. Great way to make a point huh!?

The other category of climber is the Brisbane bumbly, who only knows how to top rope. This lot throw themselves at the grade 14 climbs at Frog and get into all sorts of trouble. It makes for great entertainment as they learn how not to lead on these terrifying routes. It also gives the more experienced climber a chance to practice rescue techniques (always a good way to ensure a continuing supply of beer).

Crack addicts camp at the top of the rockface, occasionally venturing into town to sift about. Boohna is not large. It boasts seven pubs (open seven days), one bookstore (open 11am-2pm, two days a week), three butchers, one fruit and vege store, and a kayak retailer (but no rivers). The locals are very friendly, but don’t understand why people travel to Frog – “haven’t you got cliffs you can abseil off in New Zealand? I saw some on Lord of the Rings”.

Frog is a great place to go and climb. It will give you perfect crack climbing technique, a tan, and if you stay there long enough, a fair few stories to tell.

(Mike spent 4 weeks climbing at Frog recently. Hear more and see the photos at the short talks night next section night)

Mike O'Brien

Clearwater on the Trango Tower

Trango II is the major snow-capped peak immediately north of Great Trango, Nameless, and Trango Monk Towers. On August 15 to 19, 2005, Samuel Johnson (USA), Jonathon Clearwater (New Zealand), and Jeremy Frimer (Canada) made the first ascent of a 1600m-high ridge on its southwest side, naming it ‘Severance Ridge’. Despite taking only enough food for three days, the climb lasted five, during most of which stormy weather battered the team. The route offered quality climbing on splitter orange granite in fine positions; it is that hardest and most spectacular climb of each of our Alpine careers.

The climb began up a steep, smooth rock face just half an hour’s walk north of Trango Basecamp. On the first day of the climb, we worked our way up this 900-m high feature, encountering over a dozen sustained 5.9 to 5.11 pitches. The crux two pitches involved: run-out stemming in a tight corner; and underclinging beneath a steep arch before surmounting a roof. We finished the day by traversing a long knife-edge atop the smooth rock face.

On the second morning, we soloed up an ice/mixed gully then simul-climbed moderate rock on a steeply ascending ridgecrest as a storm began. By noon, we had climbed to the base of a steep headwall where we found a sheltered bivy. The headwall, dubbed ‘The Shield’ is a particularly blank feature, save for the perfect handcrack up its centre! The crack, however, narrows then disappeared altogether at ½-height, requiring thin aid and an aggressive pendulum. With only blankness above, we next aid climbed left, exiting the face of The Shield to arrive at an exposed hanging belay as a raging storm began. After nearly opting for retreat, we painstakingly aided a 40m-long pitch best described as a ‘flaring offwidth garden’, using an ice tool for excavation. At its top, the crack became parallel, clean offwidth of the 5.9 variety, requiring nerve-wracking aid with a single tipped out cam as a moving point-of-aid. Into the night, we finished The Shield with a pitch of burly and sustained fist cracks.

While we had anticipated that the final ridge section would go smoothly, we found the terrain to be complex and challenging. After a storm on the third night, we began climbing along the narrow ridge crest on the fourth day as yet another storm began. We soon came upon a series of gendarmes that forced us onto the left side of the ridge. Every pitch involved sustained 5.10 traversing along flaring and thin crack systems. Into the night, Sam attempted to lead a difficult pitch with poor protection, almost taking a huge pendulum fall before wisely retreating. We elected to rappel 60m into an adjacent gully and bivy. Having not eaten that day, we had trouble staying warm that night.

On the fifth and final morning, we climbed several ice and mixed pitches up the gully to reach the end of the final knife edge at the summit snow slopes, completing our route. Exhausted but elated, we traversed the snow slopes then began our descent immediately (without visiting the summit), downclimbing then making six rappels below Trango Monk to reach the Nameless Tower approach gully trail, and the valley bottom.

This trip was funded in part by grants from the American Alpine Club (Lyman Spitzer Award), The Mount Everest Foundation, and the New Zealand Alpine Club. We would also like to thank Mountain Equipment Co-op, Earth Sea Sky, and MSR.

Jeremy Frimer, Vancouver, Canada

Pete’s Post from Antarctica

Yesterday I stood in the sun for the first time in several months. Astronomically speaking, the first sunrise was ten days before this. But Scott Base sits at the bottom of a hill facing south, and the sun needs to be well above the horizon before we emerge from the shadows.

It is interesting how some small things can become very important. We were all quite excited about seeing the sun.

Last week was the “winfly” period. During the week we received four flights from New Zealand of C-17 Globemaster aircraft. These aircraft are operated by the United States. I was out at the Pegasus ice runway when the first flight landed. Some people were cheering, because winfly marks the end of the winter period of isolation.

Personally, I had mixed feelings as I watched the aircraft arrive. I was happy because it would bring us fresh food, mail, and parcels containing new toys. But it was also a little bit sad. I had really enjoyed the winter experience, and now it was over.

It also means that my year on the ice is drawing to a close. In six weeks time the summer series of flights will commence. These are the “mainbody” flights that bring in our replacement crew, lots of scientists, some VIP’s, and all the hustle and bustle that occurs when a seasons worth of activity needs to be compressed into the three or four months of summer. I’ll have a week or two of handover to the incoming technicians, and then I’ll be returning home.

Winfly brought us an influx of people, and things were very hectic during the week. We had a change of base manager. Our chief executive also came down to inspect the new Hillary Field Centre, and was very impressed with the fit-out work that was completed by our winter crew. We also had a few scientists and technicians come down to perform maintenance checks on their instruments.

In preparation for one of these science visits, three of us had driven out onto the sea ice a week earlier. We went about 20km northwest of the base to drill holes and assess the ice thickness. Some years the ice in McMurdo Sound breaks up and drifts away, but this hasn’t happened for the last six years. Consequently, the sea ice is quite thick but also of an inconsistent quality where melt pools had developed on the surface during summer, and subsequently refrozen. I’ve seen video footage from previous years of minke whales swimming twenty metres in front of the base, but we weren’t so lucky this season – the ice remained frozen but severely fractured.

The sea ice where we drilled was about five or six metres thick. We’d expect new ice to be one or two metres thick at this time of the year. The inconsistent quality of the old sea ice is causing concerns for the Americans, who normally build a sea ice runway close to their base. This significantly reduces the travel distances, as the Pegasus runway is 40 minutes drive away on the permanent ice of the Ross Ice Shelf. This year, the only solution will be to build the sea ice runway in the area where the icebreaker ship cleared a channel through McMurdo Sound during the summer. This will be new ice about 1500mm thick, but it contains lots of frozen-in blocks of ice debris that the ship had smashed up. It will take a lot of preparation to achieve a smooth surface suitable for landing an aircraft on.

It is also a busy time for science. Much of the science in Antarctica involves climate change and ozone destruction. The months of August and September are when most of the ozone destruction occurs. The chemical reaction occurs on the surface of special clouds called “polar stratospheric clouds” or “nacreous” clouds. It requires cold conditions plus sunlight, which is exactly what we have at this time of the year. Nacreous clouds have a beautiful pink and blue mother-of-pearl colouration, and most people never get a chance to see them.

I look after several instruments that measure ozone levels, as well as the quantities of other chemicals in the atmosphere. They use a number of different techniques; a couple of these are the measurement of ratios of light wavelengths absorbed by ozone compared to wavelengths that are unaffected by ozone, and measurement of the 278 Gigahertz radio emissions of chlorine oxide molecules, which exist when ozone destruction has occurred.

Next month’s instalment is likely to be my last, and by the time you read it I’ll be suffering in the hot and humid weather in Wellington as I try to reacclimatise.

Pete DeJoux

Section general news

New Website at Fergs

When the Ed asked me to check out the Ferg’s website and write a brief review, I wasn’t sure he’d picked the right person. As a cynically, crusty and old, technologically depraved outdoor climber, I didn’t think I’d like what I found. But I was pleasantly surprised.

The site (http://www.fergskayaks.co.nz) was easy to navigate my way around and quite expansive. A lot of work has gone into it, and I hope this continues, as the site has great potential.

For the Ferg’s regular, you can now check out the names and grades of all the routes out the front (and maybe the back soon?), and keep track of changes. There is the addition of an events section too. I’m not sure whether this means Ferg’s is preparing for events like the boulder comp series that Hangdog runs, or whether it is for other local events. Either way, this is a good feature.

The crucial info on prices is easy to find, and I’m sure they’ll add their open hours and the discounts they offer to Alpine Cub members soon. The Product section is informative, but the information comes straight from the product suppliers. This means it doesn’t sell the gear in a New Zealand context, or give information in plain English. For example, the Mythos (a great La Sportiva shoe) is described as “good for dessert splitters” instead of great for crack climbing. But for the experienced climber (the target audience) it tells us what is on offer, which if enough.

I look forward, with great anticipation, to finding out how much I can save by buying a second hand Ferg’s climbing rope. I should probably be saying I would never use a second hand rope, blah, risky, blah blah. But, in all honesty, as a spend thrift student I think its great idea. I will be first in line. Hopefully they will have some really old, faded neon ones available.
The Instruction courses offered include the prices and content – it would be interesting to know the qualifications of the instructors, as I know some of the instructors are NZOIA qualified.

I think the website is good. With more information on gear, maybe some links to other good climbing related sites, it will serve Alpine Club climbers well. Best of all, it could be the catalyst Ferg’s need to help them serve Wellington climbers better, with regular updates on events, courses and comps. Good stuff Ferg’s.

Mike O'Brien

Quiz Number 21

The drawing of the winner for Quiz #21 was defered due to the absence of our esteemed Pres who was busy exploring the wilderness of the election trail. He had been missing in action when on Saturday night a virtual version finally turned up on TV One. We eargerly await the return of the real Pres this month!

Homer Hut Progress Report

There are some activities planned for Homer Hut over the next few months
that people wishing to use the hut should be aware of:

Weekend 3/4 September
First Southland Section work party at the hut. Bunks may be moved away from the walls but hut will still be open for use.
Weekend 24/25 September
Second Southland Section work party at the hut.
Mid October 2005
Hut closed for a few weeks due to renovation work commencing by Jones and Cooper Ltd

John Cocks

Wellington Rock Guide

The Wellington Rock Guide lauched last section night will be offered at the October section night again at the special members price of $25.

Climb Cheap in Nepal

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has decided to provide a fifty percent discount in the royalty charge to the mountaineering teams seeking permission to scale Mt. Manaslu (8163m) and Mt. Lhotse (8516m). According to MoCTCA, the slashed rates will come into effect from March 1 to June 30, 2006.

The decision has been taken under a policy of observing a golden jubilee of the first ascent of mountains above 8,000 meters, the ministry said adding, the concession will be applicable to the royalty charge on the basis of numbers of mountaineers in an expedition team. During that period the royalty fee for seven members expedition team will be US $ 5000 (Five thousand),it is stated in a statement issued by MoCTCA.

We do hope that this kind of step will certainly help to boost the mountain tourism more in Nepal.

Regards,
Ang Tshering Sherpa
President
Nepal Mountaineering Association

Whanganui Bay news

Mere's contact phone number has changed : 0275 688 146

Cabin accomodation:
There is a cabin complete with fire available for rent. Sleeps 8-9, $10 per person per night. Red tin roof, white building close to the climbing camping area. Contact Mere for details.

Opening date for the Whanganui Bay Marae at this stage is in March.

Mere would love some female climbers to give a hand with the weaving of the tukutuku panels for the marae. This is a great chance for the climbing community to contribute to whanganui bay and also learn a bit about the local history of the area. Weaving should hopefully start again October to November. Food and accomodation will be provided. Please note that per normal marae protocol you cannot go on the marae if you have your period.

Once Mere gives me the dates I would be really keen to get a carload of people to go up there. Please let me know if you are interested. Email preferred.

Thanks,
Anitra Fraser
a.fraser@niwa.co.nz
ph 04 386 0309 (W).
ph 04 387 2656 (H)

For Sale/Wanted to buy

Personal Locator Beacon
I have an emergency locater beacon. When I am not using it, which is quite e few weekends, it is essentially a useless lump of plastic. If people want to borrow it for their weekend trips, then thay can borrow it off me. It is hardly going to depreciate with use. Club members might as well get as much use out of it as possible. I just hope that while people carry it, they don't have to "use" it. Know what I mean? Anyway, the offer is there. People can contact me on this e-mail address if they want to borrow it.
Sam - Samuel.Newton@nzpost.co.nz

For Sale: Adjustable 12 point crampons with key in Charlet Moset crampon bag. Good condition. $140.
Contact Chris on 021 307 353.

For Sale:
Macpac Microlight Tent excellent condition $300 Used on only one major trip
Contact Craig Robinson baldrick001@paradise.net.nz 021894002

For sale:
1.Volkl 190cm Touring Skis (The Volvos of all-mountain boards, great for skifields too) with Diamir touring bindings, exact matching Black Diamond skins and ski crampons -$700 ono
2.Two pairs Rossignol 200 cm skis with excellent bindings for those who don't believe all this shaped ski marketing. All reasonable offers considered.
3.Fairy Down Terra Nova pack with tons of useful life - $200 ono
4.Fairy Down Couloir pack, older style, minimal wear $150 ono
Ring John Nankervis at 04 3850415(H) or 04 4987317 (W)

For Sale:Plastic Climbing Boots
* Koflach Clima Varios, size 10.5, approx EU 44, $30, well worn
* Asolo AFS Supersofts, size 9, approx EU 42?, $130, good condition
* Koflach (Vario Soft maybe?, navy blue colour), size approx 6.5-7, EU 40?, $120, outers good condition, inners a bit worn
Contact Caroline Duggan, cd@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, 475 5542, 021 804 398

For Sale :NZ ALPINE JOURNALS
After buying a larger set of NZ Alpine Journals to fill a few gaps in another collection/set, there are now two groups of NZAJ's that are surplus to requirements, and are for sale:
* 1892 - 1931 (bound in eight volumes, reprints) $95 ono
* 1948 - 1971 $360 ono
All Journals are in very good condition, with very little toning etc. Prices include free courier if required. Would prefer to sell as 'blocks', but also open to the idea of selling individual journals.
Contact Pete Barnes on 027 281 5183 or peterbarnes@clear.net.nz

Wanted to buy: Helmet, general mountaineering iceaxe, adjustable strap-on crampons.
Contact Scott Julian on 021 308 377

National Climbing Camp 2006

The 2006 NZAC National Climbing Camp will be held in the Rees Valley from Saturday 31 December 2005 until Saturday 7 January 2006. The Climbing camp is being hosted by the Otago Section of the NZAC which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2006.

The climbing camp is an opportunity for climbers to get together to climb mountains, socialise, explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Non climbing family members are welcome at the camp. Members of overseas alpine clubs are especially welcome to attend. A base camp will be established that will function as an information and safety centre. Some people will choose to use the camp as a base for day walks while others will venture into the surrounding mountains for multi-day adventures.

On the first night of the camp a complementary Bar-B-Q will be provided around 6pm. You will need to bring your own liquid refreshments.

The fee for NZAC members attending the camp is $40 for an individual and $60 for a family. A family consists of a couple and all their children under 18 years old. Non members can attend the camp if they are friends of a member attending the camp, but will be required to pay an additional $20. Members of overseas Climbing Clubs can attend at member rates. Late registrations after the 1st of Dec will cost an additional $10.

A registration form can be down loaded from the NZAC web site www.alpineclub.org.nz or you can have one posted to you by contacting the NZAC Office at ph (03) 3777598.

Journal Exchange

The NZAC runs a journal exchange with many overseas Clubs for our Reference Library. We have had a request from the Japanese Alpine Club's Library for some missing copies of our Alpine Journals for 1989, 1993 and 1994. Unfortunately these three years are no longer available in our spare stock. Are there any members with spares that they would be willing to donate and send to us here in ChCh (we would reimburse postage costs)? We would then forward these to the Japanese Library.
Thank you for your help.
Margaret McMahon,
NZAC,
PO Box 786,
Christchurch
margaret@alpineclub.org.nz

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 Merewyn Ellis (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.

Trips for the Calendar for the rest of 2005…

Check out the proposed and planned new list for 2005. 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.

Ruapehu
Type: AIC Follow-up trip Beginner/Intermediate
Consolidate your new skills. Based at the NZAC Ruapehu hut at Delta Corner. Objectives are Pinnacle Ridge, Summit Plateau and others.
Organiser: Caroline Duggan cd@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz and Sinead Daly Sinead.Daly@acc.co.nz
1-2 October 05

Girdlestone/Ruapehu
Intermediate
Ruapehu's classic summit, as seen in the latest issue of "Climber" Magazine!
Limited places
Organiser: Tom Wilson Tom.Wilson@mfat.govt.nz
8/9 October 05

Taranaki/North Egmont
Type: Alpine/AIC follow up
Beginner/Intermediate
Another chance to try for the summit. Based at Tahurangi Lodge.
Organiser: Craig Wadsworth wadsworthc@paradise.net.nz
15/16 October 05

Mt Arapiles (Australia)
Type: Rock climbing
All levels
In association with the new Australian section, who will be helping to co-ordinate transport from Melbourne, central cooking tent etc. A great chance to visit an amazing climbing area and meet our Aussie club members.
Places still available, book cheap flights now!
Organiser: Judy Reid - while Judy is overseas, contact trips@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz
12-20 November 05

Bored at work?

Check out:
For NZ's latest mountaineering news:
www.mountainz.co.nz

NZ's top rock site:
www.mojozone.co.nz

Satelite photos of all the best places including mountains and approaches:
earth.google.com

A site with links to all the best stuff on google earth:
bbs.keyhole.com

Fergs New site
www.fergskayaks.co.nz