Wye ice is finally on, although still a little thin
Gman and his bella are due back( airport has been closed though)
Welcome home G and Estelle you were missed greatly
Wye creek 2nd July
Here are a few Photo's from Danny Murphy- Thanks Blue velvet ( the 2 near the access line is on and getting traffic). I heard jane soloed it on sunday and another team were on it as well. Dosn't look great on the main lines yet, a bit thin.
Alpine climbing opportunities
The club has offered in recent e mails the chance to do subsidised iceclimbing instruction, as well as an opportunity to be matched up for a day with an experienced mentor up Remarkables for alpine, ice, mixed etc. If you are interested it is time to reply to the club and register your interest.
Up coming Events
1) NZ mountain film fest on from this Friday in Wanaka http://www.mountainfilm.net.nz/
2) Graham Zimmerman talk Revolver Aug 4th 7pm
South Face Aspiring 11/6/11
Rupert Gardiner and Danny Murphy went to try the south face of Aspiring this weekend. Rupert reports:
The face was in great conditions but travel to it was very slow, it took us 6 hours in the dark to get there from French ridge. The quarter deck was in good condition though we got a little lost and had to climb over a serac! When we got the face the wind picked up and clouds started to come in. We had a go at the first couple pitch's of Bruce Haslers route Mixed Aspirations but backed off while trying the second pitch because of really intense spindrift. We then headed for home and decided to check out the break away. It was not quite as filled in as we thought and we had to do one rap to get through it.
It's winter...Honest
Despite the unusually warm temps, and the lack of snow some keen beans have been getting down on the winter climbing Rupert, Dave, Erica, Danny,Daniel That I know of Some pictures from Daniel Joll of 3 New climbs
- Sunset on single Pitch 5 -Daniel
Arapiles
ARAPILES
In May ten club members made a trip over to "New Zealand's best crag" - Mt Arapiles in Australia. A direct Jet Star flight to Melbourne and a 3.5 hour drive west and you arrive at Mt Arapiles National Park, home to thousands of amazing multi pitch trad climbing routes for all levels and abilities. Thanks Celine for inspiring many of us to join you, Mark and Audrey. Fabulous climbing and the craic was mighty.
Photos of Celine on a Pitch 4 of Syrinx, Mark belaying from a comfy block on Siren, Wendy & Phil enjoying climbing at the Organ Pipes, and all the gang heading off climbing for the day.
Melanie
ARAPILESIn May ten club members made a trip over to "New Zealand's best crag" - Mt Arapiles in Australia. A direct Jet Star flight to Melbourne and a 3.5 hour drive west and you arrive at Mt Arapiles National Park, home to thousands of amazing multi pitch trad climbing routes for all levels and abilities. Thanks Celine for inspiring many of us to join you, Mark and Audrey. Fabulous climbing and the craic was mighty. Photos of Celine on a Pitch 4 of Syrinx, Mark belaying from a comfy block on Siren, Wendy & Phil enjoying climbing at the Organ Pipes, and all the gang heading off climbing for the day. Melanie
WYE CREEK TOILETS!
Wye Creek Toilet Installed
On Saturday, Aaron, Niall, Danny and Tom did a fabulous job of installing the Wye Creek long drop at the top of the 4WD track (thanks guys for all your hard work!). Under the circumstances, the top of the 4WD track was the most suitable and cost effective location for the toilet and was agreeable by the Club and the Department of Conservation. This toilet will provide toilet facilities for all recreational users of the Wye Creek area and help minimise the effects recreational users have on this environment. Hopefully all of you will see the benefit of having these facilities in the Wye Creek catchment.
It is important to mention and recognise the support the Queenstown Climbing Club received from the Department of Conservation, Central Lakes Trust, Community Trust of Southland, and of course, our club members. Without this support the project wouldn’t have got off the ground. THANKS!
Melanie and Mike
Some climbing action
Club members Dave Bolger and Rupert Gardiner climbed a new route on the north face of Talbot a few weeks ago. A stunning route on perfect granite all done onsite. 5 solid pitch's of Darren's grade 18, both Rupert and Dave think it's so good it certainly could be worthy of 3 stars!! We named it "walking the dog" completed in a day from Hommer just before the rain set in! Attached is a picture on the second pitch of Rupert.
Guillaume and Estelle's progress
"After 2 months in China, 2 weeks in vietnam and 3 in Greece, our Frog/Kiwi couple is heading to France. Check their website: www.guillaume78.wordpress.com "
PETZL Magazine- Free
It's that time of year again. the Petzl tools and Techniques Magazine is out
This years issue covers
Partner checks:safety checks
Backing off Single pitch : descending and removing gear
Self rescue:ascending to anchor after falling in an overhang
Quick draws and carabiners: placement and Clipping
Crevasse rescue: transferring a partners weight on to the Anchor
Hauling a bag: preparation and Technique
Via ferrata: belaying a child( too light for normal leash)
Night trails: choosing a headlamp
There are full page pictures you could use as posters too!
If you would like one there will be some at the Event Centre Wall or email sally@spelean.co.nz with your name and Postal address . Put magazine in the topic!
You can down load the pdf to save paper athttp://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/catalog
Cheers
Sally
YOUTH OPPORTUNITY
Since we are lucky enough to have a good number of youth members.If you are 15-18 and want to Mountaineer the NZAC has a youth mountaineering course on so Check out their website
Climber weddings
This weekend April 2 is the Wedding of local climbers Christina Correia and Thomas Van den Burg.Also in Melbourne Nick Lindsay to Anai De Jesus Al the best for your special day guys may your lives together be full of joy!
Bon voyage Guillaume and Estelle
G man and Estelle have left the country and are climbing and having fun for 6 months. In the meantime I (Sally)will be looking after the club page. I would like to know about your adventures, events, anouncements, articles, anything of interest. e mail me on the adress below
qtclimbing (at) yahoo.co.nz
Cheers
Sally
Wilding Pine Spraying Action up Queenstown Hill!
Please take note of the following if you are going to Queenstown Hill: Queenstown Hill walking track will be closed this Thursday (20th Jan) from 5am till 5amthe following day (weather dependant), as a wilding spray operation is taking place on the top slopes. Signage will be in place and we will have crew at all public entrances while spraying takes place.
A hand full of fingers...
South Wye Action: South Wye residents: Aaron and Sally have been climbing some new lines up both sides of the valley featuring a mixture of trad and bolt:
The Guntel / 17 / 2 pitch (see picture) Big Mama Crack / 17 / 1 pitch / 20m bold pro (1 bolt) (see picture) They are also working on longer routes on the Main Wall.
Sam and Alison headed to the south facing side of he South Wye valley to climb a two pitch grade 15/16 climb (Entente Cordiale) (see picture)
Wye Creek news:
Niall Muller added a missing hanger that vanished on one of the cruxes of Eat Yourself Fitter (25) on Project Wall.
Aaron and Sally did a link up from Chimney Sweep (Harold's Wall) to Fata Morgan (see picture)
Guillaume and Estelle put up Antipodes (21) on the Upper Tier, above Main Wall (check out the wee video and picture).
Click on the Video: Antipodes wye creek
Remarks mission:
Keith and Reese did a new route on the west face of remarks on the first day of the year. It is on a new wall it is the prominate triangle wall down and right from wall of the eveining light. It was done ground up and with no bolts. Defo a adventure all around. Decend the gully from the shadow saddle for close to an hour aiming for a prominate tussuck spur on the left. weave on tussock and snowgrass around drops in the gully move left to tussock saddle, and scramble on side of wall down to nearly the lowest part of wall. look for the weakness, some serious adventure awaits. climb the weakness to the top over 200ms rock, tussock (Adventure right...) and more rock. Rock quality is exciting on the bottom pitch but improves after that. once the top is gained follow ridge and ledges around gerndarmes. We are callin it Up In Smoke (16). By no means three star but super fun adventure that takes you to some pretty unlikly places in the remarks.
Kingston...not in Jamaica...although...
Joyeux Noel on Christmas wall saw some re-bolting action and 1 extra (much needed!) bolt was added to the first pitch and 2 to the second pitch. It is now a much less cheese grater climb and quite user friendly. (see picture).
Club News: there are about 80 members in the club! Climbing Wall: The climbing wall will be closed from the 25th Jan – 30th Jan, resuming as usual from Monday 31st, due to 2 events back to back.
If you notice any routes with spinning nuts or hangers hanging on just a few threads please send us an email with the name of the route and which bolt. You may need to tighten the nut with a spanner and use your discretion to climb or not climb the route (check picture underneath taken by Sal/Aaron).
Mountaineering above the Dart
On the third week of December Matt Mcleod, Ken McIntyre and Jo Martindale had a 7 day trip to access the Olivine Ice Plateau via the Dart Valley.
The three 'mousquetaires' had spent two days of pleasant snow travel followed by an in depth native bush experience.
Check out the map underneath and a few pictures related to their mission. All pictures courtesy of Matt McLeod
Video:
Climbing in Wye Creek: Upper Harold's Wall / Lost in translation.
Click the link underneath:
Karearea - The New Zealand Falcon
Karearea – New Zealand Falcon
Kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek…..Huston we have a human target at 6 o’clock !!! even better it’s a clumsy climber…impact in 5 seconds…full throttle requested to reach top speed of 200km/h to deliver final stroke with little chance of survival !
Commencing count-down: 5-4-3-2-1 and .... impact ! Bingo ! climber’s down…I repeat : climber’s down !
Yes ! Falcons are part of our landscape here around the Lake Wakatipu and even in town you could sometimes hear their screams around Gorge Road.
This fearless predator nest on cliffs edges and forests and with its near perfect eyesight can fly up to 230km/h thanks to its lightweight body and excellent flying skills. Note that the male (300gms) being more agile and fierce is the one more likely to hunt.
During breeding season: from mid spring to start of summer these birds of prey will become even more territorial. The falcons will tolerate nobody hundred of metres from their nest and will attack animals much bigger till death to defend their territory. The trademark of this hunter is the ‘stoop’ or most commonly know as the ‘dive-bomb’.
Check this link on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuFcWk
So far falcons have been reported by climbers around the Remarkables Range, the Dart Valley, Southern tip of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown Hill…so about everywhere!
Next time that you hear the piercing scream of terror coming from the sky that just means that someone is getting irritated…
Not to mention that they are protected birds and although they may harm you more than you may harm them you should keep away from them.
From a falcon paranoid clumsy climber….
Young Climbers scaling their heights in Queenstown.
Thursday 16 December, 9am: 5 keen young climbers aged from 13 to 15 years old (Whitney, Megan, Stephen, Jared and Andres) met at Gorge Road commercial park to later on climb on Gorge Road Crag. For most of them this was their first ever outdoor climbing experience and thanks to Mike, Rupert, Henrique and Guillaume they scale about 5 routes each within just a few hours. Rupert gave the students some sound instructions about tying a double figure eight knot, belaying and safety.An excellent and very promising first outdoor climbing experience for these climbing enthusiasts~ Bravo!
On Thursday 16th December around 7pm, Josh Greer showed us what he got up to this year: an impressive mission to travel by motorbike from Alaska to Patagonia. Cheers to him, his anecdotal stories and cool pictures which impressed everyone throughout his slideshow.
You could check his website: www.ridefortheirlives.co.nz
A priceless thank you to Josh!
Climbing Tip of the Week by Rupert Gardiner: Belaying a top rope.
In this short video Rupert explains how to belay safely a top roping climber. P-BUS: Pull Break Under Slide Belay Top Rope Video
Hot summer rock!
The rock is getting hot this start of summer with long sunny spells!
This Thursday 16th December we will gather at Revolver at 6:30pm to check out what Josh Greer has been up to this year through a talk/slideshow: going from Alaska to Patagonia on his motorbike. So all welcome to share a drink and this great adventure!
There has been lots lots of keen rockers out there enjoying the schist around Lake Wakatipu.
Reese Doyle reported:
'Trans pacific alien from squamish lurking under the telecom towers!!! from the third pitch of indian summer (the ledge) instead of heading right into the corner system look to the ovious steep sexy crack on the left. climb to the base and let the battle begin. steep hands finish on bouldery moves to more hands. the meat is probably about 15-20 meter and is well worth the attention of anyone in the area. Maybe it has been climbed, maybe not, but i'm certain one thing more people should. If it is nameless i reckon to call it seduction crack, 22, three stars a superb finish to indian summer.
Dave McLeod (a.k.a Spoon) did a few new routes on the left of the upper tier of Arawata Terrace Crag so go and check them out!
Aaron Ford spent his spare time up South Wye....more info soon!
Stanley Costa and Danny Murphy (Dart hermits) had quite a few days up Mount Chaos and are getting slowly but surely up this massive face:-)
136 students spent the last twelve days up Branches station with Wakatipu High School learning about the outdoors through kayaking, rafting, tramping up to Lake Lochnagar and Abseiling/climbing. Here are a few pics of this outdoor experience.
Be aware of fire danger as the bush/grass is very dry.
Please email info to our club email address and many thanks for the great comments!
Gman.