Happy New Year to everyone and hope you've managed to get a few rest and play days in between the festivities. It's been amazing weather over the last few weeks in the Wakatipu area, and a beautiful summer in Queenstown means lots of action :
There has been a fair amount of action around the Wakatipu with people sending projects, climbing faces, and new routes:
-Thomas Van den Berg did the 3rd ascent (perhaps 2nd?) of The Hurricane at Eweniverse Wall maybe grade 28/29
-Estelle Poiron climbed her line left of Hawk Wall: three Joly Elves - Grade 23.
-Guillaume Charton put up two new lines right of Admiral Wall and Hidden Wall: Le fait Accompli (17) and The perfect Drug (19)
-G and Estelle also went up Ocean Wall and added up one more pitch to their Exodus.
-Dan Joll climbed up Chinamans Bluff (Ravages of Times) with Merry in 2 hours 53min (from car park to car park). Dan also climbed up some new routes on the West face of the Remarks: Los Indignatos (70m - 19max) and ET Goes Home (140m - 20max).
-Mike Dunn, Martin Hawes and Guillaume climbed up Mount Earnslaw via the North East face and reported little snow for this time of the year.
- Renato climbed up in mid december and loved it!!!
- Mark Austin-Cheval guided clients to Mount Cook and managed to successfuly summit it and witnessed Jane Morris climbing the Caroline Face of Mount Cook and some Italian guides skiing off from the top of Aoraki Mt Cook.
- Thomas Van den Berg also sent his project: Escape to Paradise (26) in Hawk Wall, a tenuous climb!
Wye Creek is getting very popular with lots of national and international climbers enjoying the Schist! and Renato deserves a smilly sticker for walking all the way from Hidden Wall to the toilets for a special delivery :-)
Please send any more news this way!!!!
Also the the 2nd Edition of the Queenstown Rock Ice and Mixed is being written as you are reading this email. There should be hundreds of new routes, some new areas, crags and even mountains! so if you have climbed any new routes please email us: queenstownclimbing(at)gmail.com
The guidebook should be out by late 2012 / start 2013!