Vertigo. Newsletter of the New Zealand Alpine Club - Wellington Section

Transcription

1 No. 807, June 2017 Vertigo Sefton (11) climbing Margaret s Leap, Tukino (Carolyn Ellis) Newsletter of the New Zealand Alpine Club - Wellington Section

2 Section News Next section night Wednesday 26 July, 6pm High on Australia In July last year, Wellington section member, Nigel Roberts, and his Canberra-based climbing partner, Eric Hodge, became two of only about fifty people who've ever successfully climbed the highest mountain in each of Australia's six states and two mainland territories. It was the culmination of a plan that took Nigel to Australia on five separate occasions and took Eric and Nigel seven-and-a-half years to complete. It also took them to some amazing places which they might not otherwise ever have had the opportunity to visit. On Wednesday, 26 July, Nigel -- a former chair of the Wellington section and frequent 'Photo Comp' judge -- will give an extensively illustrated talk about climbing what have been called the 'Aussie Eight.' Don t forget that we now meet at the Third Eye Tuatara Brewery at 30 Arthur Street - upstairs. It s just around the corner from the Southern Cross. Eric Hodge - climbing Mt Woodroffe - highest peak in South Australia Page 2

3 August Section Night, Wednesday 30 August, 6pm Photo Competition At our August section night, Peter Laurenson will take us through the entries to this year s photo competition, providing feedback and awarding prizes to the category winners and overall winner. So have a dig through your photos and get them in. Details as below: Categories: Alpine Activity: climbing, skiing, whatever you do up high Photographs where the main subject is people engaging in activity in the alpine environment (e.g. climbing, skiing, tramping, camping). Emphasis on careful composition and capturing the moment. Alpine General: scenery and views that make you want to come back Photographs that display mountain landscapes. Images should be strongly composed with great light. Judges will be weighing technical excellence, colour, tone and detail along with the image s subject and composition. Alpine Nature: the little gems of beauty along the way Photographs of natural subjects in the mountain environment, where the emphasis is on artistic rendition. Subjects may include geological features, plants (or parts of plants), animals, water, snow and ice formations, etc. Rock climbing: hardest moves, slickest lines Photographs of rock climbing and bouldering that have strong visual impact and creative composition. Mountain and Climbing Culture: climbing life, places and people Portray the climbing life and places and people encountered by climbers. Entries might include travel photography (as long as it s strongly related to climbing) or documentarystyle images, covering any aspect of climbing. Humour: whatever gets you a laugh Kids photos Alpine / climbing-related photos taken by kids aged 6 to 14 (please include age of the child when submitting entries in this category) Judging criteria: 1. Category relevance is the shot on subject, or should it be in a different category 2. Technical competence/excellence is the shot exposed well right balance of dark and light, no burn out. Is depth of field used well/is the shot appropriately focused 3. Creativity what is different about the shot. Does an idea/story come through in the shot. Does it draw the viewer in/have emotional impact. What makes it more than just a pretty snap - unusual angle, choice of exposure settings, inclusion (or exclusion) of person or object to give context 4. Difficulty to shoot dawn/dusk, challenging light, difficult to reach angle Page 3

4 1 and 2 are essential just to be accepted in category. 3 is what will define a winner, unless there are 2 winners, in which case 4, while not essential, might be the decider. Prizes will be awarded to the best photo in each category. Image Specifications: All images must have been taken by the competitor and be his or her property, but need not have been processed by him or her. Images need not necessarily have been taken in New Zealand. Entries are permitted in digital format only. Files must be JPEG format between 500KB and 5MB (at least 2000 pixels on the long side) will be accepted. Digital processing should be mostly restricted to dust removal, cropping, resizing, global exposure and tonal adjustments. HDR, and exposure, focus or sequence blending are permitted. Cloning or removing parts of an image (except in the case of the above) are not permitted. Obvious modification of images is not in keeping with the objectives of this competition and may result in disqualification. Images not meeting these specifications will not be judged. Images must be submitted by ing to peter.laurenson@clear.net.nz along with a caption, the category, who the photographer is and where and when the image was taken. Please ensure you have permission from people in your photos that their image can be used and possibly published in Vertigo. The closing date for the competition is the 6th August and the winners will be announced at the section night on Wednesday 30th August. Peter Laurenson photographer profile Peter has been a judge for the Wellington Section Photo competition for the last 3 years. Since leaving New Zealand for his OE in 1988, Peter and his camera have been drawn to many mountain places, in particular in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Tibet; and back home in New Zealand s beautiful high country; but to a few other interesting places too. From hiking and trekking beginnings he joined the NZAC in 2002 and has since become an occasional climber. Since 2004 he has won several Wellington Section and National NZAC annual photo competition awards, including the Overall winner (John Harrison memorial trophy) in To mark turning 50, in 2012 he climbed Aoraki Mount Cook with Guide Gary Dickson and then published a photographic book, Occasional Climber a journey to Mount Clarity. He has since built a website where you can view his thousands of images (presented in region and route-based slideshows). Page 4

5 September Section Night, Wednesday 27 September, 6pm Photography presentation Peter Laurenson will be running this presentation and answering photography-related questions. For those who don t know Peter, you can see his work at Peter has put together a course aimed at photographers who rely on the auto or programme settings on their camera, but who are ready to invest more headspace into their photography and who want to know what s really possible with outdoor photography. Please don t forget the koha for section night there ll be an ice bucket at the entry door for that purpose. Page 5

6 Chairs Report June 2017 Well, it s that time of year again when we all, at least those that pine for the cold wet white stuff, religiously scan the weather reports desperately hoping for a decent dump of snow and a long stint of sub zero temperatures to provide enough ice to get a pick into. Included in the weather watchers are our NZAC snow craft instructors and course participants. Yet again all our courses are full this year and wait lists are even longer than last year. We would run more courses but to do so we need more instructors. If you are interested in becoming an instructor the section will cover the cost of your education right through to Alpine 2. NZAC run an annual Instructor Development Course (IDC) at Temple Basin which any member wishing to become an NZAC instructor can apply for. For those of you who have completed our snow craft courses and are prepared to assist on at least two courses a year, NZAC will cover all your travel and accommodation costs, provide instructor discounts for gear and a gear allowance as well as cover the cost of attending the annual Temple Basin IDC. In addition, if you instruct on at least two courses a year for three years NZAC Wellington Section will sponsor you to attend either the NZAC High Alpine Skills Course or the NZAC Peak Performance Course as well as assessment costs involved in attaining Alpine 1 and Alpine 2. The quid pro quo is that you make yourself available to volunteer instruct on at least two courses a year. If you do, you will be reimbursed for the costs of attending the courses. Similarly you will also be reimbursed for completing outdoor first aid and other prerequisite courses for attaining Alpine 1. In other news, we have had our first event at the Third Eye where Aviette ran our annual Avalanche Awareness evening. Feedback was all positive. A dedicated space, all the equipment works, there is good parking, no competition from other acts and a bar and snacks available. I d be interested to know what others think of it and if you haven t been yet, come to our next section night (now on the last Wednesday of the month) at the Third Eye where Nigel Roberts will be telling us about his Aussie 8 (no, that isn t 8 meters). If you have any comments on what you liked or didn't like send an to wellington@alpineclub.org.nz or tweet or post a message on our facebook page Finally: You can t delegate thinking, de Crespigny told me. Computers fail, checklists fail, everything can fail. But people can t. We have to make decisions, and that includes deciding what deserves our attention. The key is forcing yourself to think. As long as you re thinking, you re halfway home. Charles Duhigg, Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business Simon Chair: NZAC Wellington Page 6

7 For quick access to the section s page on the NZAC website, scan the below QR code. Gear Hire Don t forget the section has gear for hire : avalanche transceivers, ice axes, shovels, stakes, hammers, helmets, crampons, probes and PLBs. If you re keen to hire some gear please fill in the form here. Each item costs $5 per week with the exception of PLBs PLBs are free but require a deposit of $50 refundable on its return. The section is continuing to upgrade gear with new avalanche transceivers and more crampons among the more recent purchases. A little bit of advance notice would be appreciated as gear often needs to be retrieved from the gear store in Lower Hutt. Gear collections and drop-offs are usually available in the city during the working day or at section night. Page 7

8 Upcoming Trips, Courses and Events Wellington Section Trips, Courses and Events All our planned South Island section trips come with the added bonus that rental vehicle costs are covered for section members by the section. If you re uncertain about the skill level required with any of the trips, would like to register your interest or know more us on Also, please contact us if you re keen to run a trip yourself the committee can help with advertising / logistics. When? Where? July *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner level Snowcraft course Mt Ruapehu 26 July Section night Aussie 8 by Nigel Roberts 6pm, Third Eye Tuatara Brewery July *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner level Snowcraft course Mt Ruapehu August *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner / Intermediate level Snowcraft course Mt Ruapehu August *FULLY BOOKED* Intermediate / Advanced level Snowcraft course Mt Ruapehu 30 August Section night section photo competition 6pm, Third Eye Tuatara Brewery 27 September Section night photography course 6pm, Third Eye Tuatara Brewery 6-8 October North Island Ski Touring Meet, Tukino Labour Weekend Paynes Ford rock climbing October Labour Weekend South Island alpine climbing trip possibly Arthurs Pass October area or Mt Travers in Nelson Lakes area. November Aspiring Take 2 Page 8

9 North Island Ski Touring Meet The ski touring meet will take place at Tukino Ski Field, Mt Ruapehu on the weekend of 6-8 October Further details will be made available on the national website here and on Facebook. Outdoor Training NZ Courses OTNZ Wellington are running training courses as follows: Advanced Bushcraft (2-3 September) Intermediate Bushcraft (16-17 September) Navigation (6 and 11 November) River Safety (3 December) More information on these courses and how to book your place can be found on Page 9

10 Trips Instructor Development Course Temple Basin By Carolyn Ellis Friday 23 June saw 6 Wellington section alpine instructors heading down to Temple Basin for the NZAC Instructor Development Course. This weekend is held to bring NZAC alpine instructors from across the country together with the primary aim to develop their instruction skills ready for the winter season. An added bonus is the opportunity to network with instructors from other sections and a number of professional guides. The forecast for the weekend wasn t particularly inspiring and the lack of snow on the skifield was a little depressing too. Nonetheless, Friday saw a steady stream of people arriving in Arthurs Pass and heading out to drop off gear at the bottom of the goods lift before heading up the track to the skifield a nice wander up with a height gain of just under 400 metres. Saturday dawned with a bit of cloud drifting around and signs that bad weather was probably on its way. A group of four kea kept those who ventured out first thing in the morning entertained. After some introductory chatter the instructors were split into five groups each led by a professional guide. Given the distinct absence of snow, the guides were put under a bit of pressure to figure out how to cover off key syllabus items with their groups. Some Looking down to the lodge on Temple Basin skifield groups chose to cover off a bit of theory before kitting up and heading upwards in search of areas that would work for some skill development. Page 10

11 Late Saturday afternoon saw the groups heading back to the lodge for group debriefs before dinner. Of course, post-dinner saw diehard rugby fans trying to get the Lions / All Blacks test match streaming not overly successful but the result was all that mattered I guess. Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny and some of the guides presented lessons to the whole group. This part of the weekend was all about how to teach rather than what to teach. It s all very well having the climbing skills but our instructors need to know how to impart that knowledge to course participants. The guides then gathered their students together and got back to work on a mix of theory sessions and getting out in the sun for some more practical application of skills. Some of us headed back to Wellington on Sunday evening while others had the good fortune (and better planning skills than the rest of us) to stay on for an extra day covering off other topics such as avalanche awareness. Family of kea on Temple Basin skifield photo by Alex Waterworth Page 11

12 Tararua range near Mt Hector in the wintertime Photos from Mike Thompson Page 12

13 NZAC Wellington section trip to Mt Hopeless 3-5 June 2017 By Eric Skea (Canterbury/ Westland section) A few members of the Canterbury/Westland section got wind of a trip that Carolyn and Simon from the Wellington section were running to Mt Hopeless at Queen's Birthday weekend. Thanks Carolyn for including three from Christchurch - Elizabeth, Jonathan and Eric. We all arrived at Kerr Bay Campground in St Arnaud at different times on Friday night, where we had booked the Rotoiti water taxi to Lakehead for 8 am. Sunrise on Lake Rotoiti We met up with the 6th person, Kieran, at Lakehead Hut, and Simon (the trip leader) went over the plan for the weekend with us, before setting off for a pleasant tramp under clear blue skies up to Hopeless Hut. This is a 6 bunk hut with a good stove, built by NZAC members in After settling into the hut we did a quick recce up tomorrow's route as far as the bushline, where the track had been cut recently - kudos to whoever did that! Page 13

14 Hopeless Hut (photo by Eric Skea) Sunday was an early start and by sunrise we were near the head of a stream at around 1800m. A little further uphill we gained the basin to the East of Mt Hopeless, where we put on crampons. Soon after that, we had to choose between going to the col that overlooks Hopeless Couloir, and climbing from there, or turning right and gaining an outlier peak 200m NE of the top of Hopeless. The latter looked easier. We walked up snow slopes to the ridge, and from then on we were mainly scrambling on bare rock with some snow patches, along the NE ridge. "A summer route in June", was how Carolyn described it. There were some steep exposed sections but noone felt the need for any pitched climbing or rappelling, so the ropes stayed in our packs. We reached the top around 11 am, just in time to catch a glimpse of Rotoroa before cloud and snow closed in and a Southerly breeze picked up. Page 14

15 Obligatory summit photo Retreating down the ridge (photo by Eric Skea) After retracing our steps to the basin we encountered another party still on their way up. They chose to turn back due to the falling snow and reduced visibility, so we had been lucky with our timing and the weather. The steep snowgrass and other vegetation with fresh snow on it was exceptionally slippery - arguably just as risky as the ridge scramble! Most people were still using their ice axes right down to the bushline. Jonathan went ahead and had a good fire going in the hut by the time everyone got back. Page 15

16 On Monday morning the blue skies had returned and a covering of fresh snow extended almost down to the hut. View from Hopeless Hut The Rotoiti ferry provided a welcome shortcut for all except Kieran, who was more dedicated and walked back round to Kerr Bay. A superb trip to a beautiful part of Nelson Lakes National Park - thanks Carolyn and Simon for leading it! Page 16

17 North Island Ice Climbing Meet By Carolyn Ellis The weather forecast for the North Island Ice Climbing Meet looked grim but that didn t stop a bunch of keen climbers from Auckland, Wellington and various points in between descending on Tukino. The first challenge of the weekend was getting to the lodge with thick fog of the road slowing progress down a bit while a car full of Aucklanders had fun floundering in the mud at the beginning of the skifield road. All got to the TASC lodge safely. The view from the lodge on Saturday morning was of a lot of rock but there were tales of there being ice about so several groups headed out to see what they could find. The weather wasn t brilliant wind, a bit of rain and sleet provided the intrepid climbers with some challenge. Luckily the TASC lodge has a brilliant fire to welcome cold climbers and it wasn t long before all were warm and a hearty meal was being consumed. Sunday morning dawned with pretty dodgy looking weather again but several climbers headed out for a climb. Margaret s Leap was the destination for two groups where top ropes were put in and climbing got underway. What ice was there was pretty solid but the routes were limited if you didn t fancy getting wet. Felix (14) on Margaret's Leap Thanks to Eric Duggan for getting the event organised and to TASC lodge for the warmth and comfort. No thanks to the weather gods for the unseasonably warm conditions. Page 17

18 Notices 2017 Remarkables Ice and Mixed Climbing Festival August The Remarkables Ice and Mixed Climbing Festival is the annual climbing meet of the Expedition Climbers Club Incorporated. This festival : Brings together a huge cross section of climbers from around NZ and the world. Beginners get to rub shoulders and share the rope with the top winter alpine climbers in NZ. Offers clinics, competitions, races and social gatherings to advance and promote modern mixed climbing. Showcases the new and existing route potential on NZ s most accessible multi-pitch winter training area, the Remarkables. Shares local knowledge and forms new climbing partnerships. Fundraises for the ECC Expedition Capital Fund. You need to be a club member to attend this event. Those who wish to join can visit the registration page of this website. You can join the club and register for a clinic all on one simple form. Information on the event can be found at Fluoro Block Party in New Plymouth 9 July The YMCA Taranaki and The Crux Climbing Gym are running New Zealand s first Black Light Pump Fest Style Bouldering Competition on Sunday 9 July (first weekend of the sch ool holidays). For more information about this fun event, click here. Page 18

19 Trip Report BMC International Climbing Meet, Cornwall Feature photo by Stephen Farrugia from Malta of Rick at Bosigran Page 19

20 Alice Thompson and Rick McGregor attended the BMC International Climbing Meet as NZAC members in Cornwall this past May. See below Rick s report on the meet: Photo by Scott Titt of Rick and Alice I had a great time at the British Mountaineering Council s International Climbing Meet at Bosigran in Cornwall in mid-may. The weather was a bit mixed, with three and a half fine days out of the six, but we got to do some good climbing on a range of the crags and rock types on offer within striking distance of the Climbers Club s hut, The Count House, at Bosigran (about 12 km from Penzance). Some of the 25 international climbers and as many British host climbers climbed even on the wet days, some took the opportunity to go surfing at Sennen Beach, while others were content to try out the Cornish cream teas at nearby Rosemergy Farm! Alice Thompson and I from New Zealand would have been from furthest away, if she wasn t living in the UK and me in Sweden. As it was, there was one participant from South Africa and two from Japan, and a good number of European countries were represented. Some of the international guests had only done a little bit of trad climbing (ALL the climbing on the Cornish sea cliffs was trad ), so they got a crash course in British belay techniques and the need to wiggle in a lot of wires on some of the routes! We were paired up with host climbers for two days at a time, so over the course of the meet we each got to climb with three different partners. Coming off a Swedish winter with lots of snow, my form wasn t the greatest, but I enjoyed climbing on such granite crags as Chair Ladder, Sennen and Bosigran, as well as on Killas slate at Kenidjack, making the most of the fine weather at the end of the week to climb Thin Wall Special, a three-pitch E1 5b on Bosigran, just a 10-minute walk down the hill from the hut (no, don t ask me about the British gradings, I still don t understand them). Alice was on much better form, starting with Kafoozalem (E3 6a) at Bosigran on the first day and climbing a number of other hard routes during the week. Page 20

21 Photo by Sandra Mazeikiene from Lithuania of Alice at Kenidjack The climbing in Cornwall may not be the greatest I ve ever done, but the place and the people make it somewhere I would be keen to go back to, and if this meet was at all representative, I would certainly recommend attending one of the BMC s international meets it was excellent! Thanks to the NZAC for nominating me for the meet! Page 21

22 Potton and Burton 10% discount to NZAC members As new publications are released, specific titles will be made available to NZAC members at a 10% discount. The current offer and time limit to redeem the offer are detailed below. Information on the books content may be found on the Potton and Burton website below. Current Applicable title: Caves by Thomas and Neil Silverwood ISBN RRP $79.99 Publisher: Whio Publishing Discount and discount code: 10% off RRP by quoting Discount Code (viewable when logged in) Free Freight within New Zealand Dates available: 1 July December 2017 Title information and to purchase (apply code at checkout): Caves Potton and Burton Website Page 22

23 Banff Film Festival 2017 Grand Prize Winner Announced From over 8,000 entries across 23 screenings in 12 cities this year we have a winner of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour NZ Grand Prize draw! A big congratulations to Ali Ward who attended one of our Christchurch screenings and scored the following awesome prize pack: A Cycle NZ Tour with Adventure South NZ OR Trek Nepal Tour with World Expeditions the choice is yours A Macpac Ascent 70 Pack Alpine Series The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council have provided A Licence to Chill Chill 11 Season Pass valued at $ and gives you access to 11 different ski areas A New Zealand Alpine Club Grand Prize Voucher of $ to use towards courses, publications, hut passes, and membership Thanks to everyone who came along to Banff this year, to all our NZAC volunteers and to all our sponsors for the great prizes. We look forward to bringing you more awesome mountain and adventure films in May & June 2018! Page 23

24 2017 Best of the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival National Tour coming to Wellington The best of the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival National Tour is coming back to Wellington and this time we have a double feature! The festival started in 2002 and is internationally recognised as one of the world s premier mountain film festival events. It's NZ s original mountain film festival with an international adventure film maker s competition, as well as a highly regarded NZ made a division. Wellington will be screening both the best of the festival and award winning kiwi made films. The Victoria University of Wellington Tramping Club, Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club and the Tararua Tramping Club are sponsoring the film tour in Wellington. The films will be screened at the Victoria University Memorial Theatre. The theatre seats just over 300 and our goal is a sell-out. All profits will be donated back to the clubs. Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 WTMC, VUWTC and TTC club members and $10 student with ID. Best of the NZ Mountain Film Festival The Best of the Festival films include speed-wing and wingsuits in formation, towing whitewater kayaks over 1000 kilometres of the Greenland Ice Cap to reach the most northern river ever paddled, solo unsupported Jenny Tough running across Kyrgyzstan, and four attempts to climb the Link Sar in Pakistan. Date: Monday 24 July 2017 Time: Doors open at 6pm, films start at 6:30pm Tickets: Follow the Facebook event page for updates: Kiwi Made Kiwi-made award winning films either made in NZ or films made by New Zealanders include BASE jumping in the wild backcountry behind Wanaka; Tanya The Hut Warden; 300km Page 24

25 unsupported journey involving bike-packing and pack-rafting through NZ s backcountry; The Mannering, Harper and Ross Challenge; exploration of Mt Scott; the Coast to Coast race; one man s journey to save the environment and skiing on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. Date: Thursday 27 July 2017 Time: Doors open at 6pm, films start at 6:30pm Tickets: Follow the Facebook event page for updates: Page 25

26 Wellington Section 2017 contacts list We are always thankful for volunteers and members stepping forward to help the section run smoothly. If you d like to learn more about how you could get involved, please us at wellington@alpineclub.org.nz Position Name Contact Chairperson Simon Williamson Co Chair Eric Duggan Treasurer (Acting) Peter Laurenson Secretary & Vertigo editor Carolyn Ellis Patron Other Committee Members John Nankervis Elisha Watson Matt Pemberton Sandy Britain Alex Waterford Rock Drill Overseer Jeremy Tries Page 26

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