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Sunday 29th April 2012: Planting Day in Wye Creek

The Queenstown Climbing Club is officially taking part of Project Gold (Kowhai) investigated by DOC - (attached the latest newsletter from DOC). We have 30 native shrubs ready to be planted at Wye Creek, below the Main Wall (just past the dam). Owen Hale representing DOC will be there on the day to guide us through the planting process. We just need KEEN, ENERGIC and FIT members! Due to the steepness and exposure of the area we will need to follow some safety procedures.

Please bring STEADY SHOES, HELMET, GLOVES, (bring also a harness; we will provide safety slings if necessary). Bring ANY SUITABLE GARDENING TOOLS (such shovel..) Let me know if you’re coming before 26th of April Please by answering to this email via one of those: celine.austincheval@gmail.com or 442-9290 or 0211636961

Not enough spare time to stay the whole day? Prefer climbing instead of digging (fair enough)? We still need your help to carry up gear and plants. This will save a few return trips and will be make a good warm-up before you climb.

2012 Wye Creek Climbing Marathon: 1st of its kind in Queenstown

Saturday 17th March 2012: a fun Climbing Marathon in Wye Creek There were about 40 people who gathered in Wye Creek last saturday to socialise and climb on the different crags on offer in this area. Comp started at 10am with Estelle giving away forms to teams then people climbed as many existing routes and discovered new ones too.

Sam and Estelle gave away prizes around 5:30pm and a yummy bbq got everyone chatting by the Wye Creek mouth on the shore of Lake Wakatipu till 8pm.

Cheers to Sam and Estelle for their work on this excellent event, to the sponsors: Events Centre, Small planet, Refuel cafe, Queenstown Osteopathy, Tin Goose Cafe, Petzl.

Wye Creek Climbing Marathon Rules - This Saturday!

At great effort here's a bunch of rules for this weekend's 'Into The Wye' climbing marathon.  Yup, there's rules, but it's all to keep it above board, keep the fun and make it more open for every level of climbing...whether you flap around, or glide up with moves as slick as a ballet dancer.  You can also download a copy of the rules as a PDF by clicking Wye Creek Climbing Marathon Rules

INTO THE WYE

The Rules

Time and location

  • Climbing starts no earlier than  11am and finishes at the latest by 5pm
  • Parking is limited so we are aiming to carpool at the bottom car park at 10am
  • Wye Creek is 13.8km from the Kawarau Falls Bridge. There is a Doc sign on the gate on the left. The lower car park is 200 meters up the dirt road –accessible by 2WD vehicles
  • Camping is not allowed

Food and drink

  • This will not be provided until the BBQ , which is scheduled for after the event – you must let us know beforehand if you want to attend ($10 charge)

Toilets/rubbish

  • No littering PLEASE. There is a toilet at the top car park, please us this as we are on DOC/private land

Weather

  • Reserve day Sunday 18th March - if it is raining. If both days are wet, we have the option to hold a mini marathon indoors. Please keep an eye on the website for updates.

Aim of the Day

  • This is a fun event for all levels. You can climb as much as you want.
  • Your aim is to get as many team points as you can. The concept does not necessarily favor the hard core climber, as climbs will be scored according to the following – difficulty, height, top-rope/leading and location.  That’s right, the further the climb from the upper car park, the greater the points
  • You need to plan your day - how much can you do, what grades can you successfully climb and should you top-rope or lead? If your team prefers to walk a little further to climb some easier routes, where more points can be gained go for it. If you think you can climb a few harder routes all day, go for that. The aim is to optimize your score in the best way possible, and work as a team.  Most of all have fun.

Climbing rules

  • You must sign the waiver and collect your score card before starting at the upper car park.
  • You must be competent at belaying and leading (unless you are top-roping only). If you want to top rope, you can follow up after a leader on a top rope they have put up.
  • You must supply your own gear (or be in a team with gear) - including a rope (a 50m will do for most climbs), 12-15 draws, harness, shoes and a helmet are recommended.
  • Your team will be given a score card and a pen before 11am. You cannot leave the upper car park until 11am. Do not lose your card and we are relying on HONESTY when filling it in.
  • You must climb as a team of two or three - we have allowed this for the more inexperienced climbers or those not wanting to lead to join up with others. If you are coming on your own we will do our best to team you up with an experienced pair, remember this is a fun event, but not instructional. YOU MUST BE COMPETENT AT BELAYING if top- roping.  If you are more experienced and want to help a less experienced climber out, that would be great
  • You will be scored as a team, although we will be looking for the individual who scores the most points.
  • Each person in the team can climb any number of routes in the allocated 6 hours, but only once (you are only allowed on the route once), either on lead or top rope. Your scores will be added together at the completion of the day.
  • If you are leading, you must clip the chains and have climbed the route without hauling on any draws or the rope to deem it a success.
  • You must us all the hangers.
  • You can have as many attempts while on the climb, including resting, working and falling on the route, but it must be climbed fully to be a success. Once back on the ground you cannot climb it again. Remember the longer you spend on a climb, the less time to do others and get those valuable points
  • You are responsible for cleaning your own route and retrieving your gear.
  • If you are top-roping you must touch the chains but cannot be hauled. You can rest as often as you like but are only allowed on the climb once.  Please note that if another climber is waiting to do the route, be respectful of this
  • Once you have successfully climbed the route, you are not permitted to climb it again, so choose carefully and pace yourself. You are responsible for cleaning your own route and retrieving your gear.
  • There will be no multi-pitching or natural pro routes

Scoring:

  • All 50 climbs included in the event will be marked (at the bottom) with a number, which will correspond to those on the score card.
  • The scorecard will give you information about the following
    • Degree of difficulty (NZ grade)
      • Easy – 17 and under
      • Moderate 18-20
      • Harder 21-23
      • Difficult 24-27
      • Location of climb via a topo map
      • Number of draws on climb (always take extra)
      • Climbs score (top-rope and lead)
      • If you require a 60m rope (routes will be marked with an * on your card).
  • Scoring will be based on these elements as well as, its length and exposure factor
  • If a climb is unmarked, it is not in the event and will not contribute to your score
  • Please note that this is a fun event and you may not agree with how some climbs have been scored. We want everyone to have a great day and to achieve their goal, so we have based this on the abovementioned elements, rather than just difficulty alone….rogaine style for something a little different.

 Prizes

The major and minor (after 5pm) spot prizes will be drawn at the end of the day. You must be present to be eligible.

Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you up there on Saturday.

You can download a PDF copy of these rules by clicking the following link :

Wye Creek Climbing Marathon Rules

Jardines Treasure Hunt Report

Jardines Treasure Hunt

On Sunday the 19th the club organised a Treasure Hunt at Jardines boulders after kind approval by the owners.

Aiden, Sorcha, Conrad, Tyler, Tama, Thomas, Oli, Seb & Josh came along with their parents. They were all very excited about running through wet thistles and climbing onto the rocks to stamp their cards! Some were very fast to finish!
The morning was very relaxed and everyone left with a little present. Feedback was "must do it again". I don't know about your child, but Celine's was asleep as soon as she hit the road, so must have been a fun morning!
Thank you all for coming, and Celine and Sally for organising it and setting it up.

Note that Jardines remain closed due to fire restrictions until further notice and thanks again to their owners for letting us have access and introduce the youngsters to climbing.

 

Queenstown Climbing 2012 Photo Competition

After a long time planning and prepping we would like to announce the 2012 Queenstown Climbing Club Alpine Photo Competition. All the details are in the posters below, with the small print to follow soon on a dedicated webpage.  There are 4 categories : Alpine World, Alpine Pursuit, Climbing and Portrait.

Note this competition is open to all and is not just restricted to climbing club members - it is a community initiative to promote the outdoors and encourage everyone to get involved.

The closing date is 30th June so get your cameras out and get clicking.  We have a full line up of respected judges from outside of the club who have gratefully volunteered their time, and we would like to thank all the local sponsors : Creative Queenstown, R&R Sports, Small Planet Sports, Queenstown Cameras, and the Post Office Cafe for hosting the ceremony and auction.

Please spread the word on the competition and check back soon for the full details.

 

Working Bee at Wye Success

New Stile at Wye Creek

Queenstown Climbing Club members and DOC track maintenance guru (Owen Hale) headed to Wye Creek on Saturday 11th February. Up there the party of ten spent time on installing a stile next to the newly built toilet and several hours maintaining the track. A sign and heavy posts together with digging gear were taken all the way to the bush line of the Wye Creek north branch to indicate walking times.

Following this good deed, helpers gathered and had a barbecue to celebrate this great cooperation between DOC and the Queenstown Climbing Club.
Thank you to Celine  Austin-Cheval and Owen Hale for organizing this working bee and to all of those who spent their saturday digging and carrying heavy tools up the Wye Creek track.

Remote toilet cleaning

Kids Treasure Hunt : Jardines Sun 19th Feb

Queenstown Climbing Club is organising a Treasure Hunt at Jardines Boulders (this is a private property and will be opened only for this event) for our children from 2 to 8 years old. When: Sunday the 19th of February – from 10.30am to 12.30pm

The plan: a Treasure Hunt will be organised for about 1 hour, children will have to climb up and down boulders, with sometimes a little bottom push in order to find the stamps needed to fill up their cards.

Healthy Food and drinks will be provided. Awards will be given to all participants!!

What to bring? hiking/running shoes, sunhat, sunscreen, warm clothes if needed, extra food if needed.

Children need to be accompanied. I hope to hear from all mums and dads from the Queenstown Climbing Club! no excuses ! Pass the word around... as friends of members who have children and are interested to join up can do so too:-)

Please register BEFORE THURSDAY the 16th of February by email celine.austincheval (at) gmail.com or by phone Celine 0211636961 or 442-9290, so I can organise the Goodies – Goodies... Any questions, give me a shout!

NB: Jardines Boulders will be closed again straight after the event due to fire restrictions until further notice.

Remember to register before 17th Feb otherwise there's a risk this will be cancelled if there's not enough numbers - take your kids along for a fun intro to climbing and bouldering!

Volunteers Required : Working Bee at Wye : Sat 11th Feb

SATURDAY 11TH OF FEBRUARY - 9.30AM – for as long as you canWe are looking for volunteers to donate some of your time to assist with climbing access on Wye Creek.  As you know maintaining good relationships with other parties in the region is important for our climbing and it's time to give a little love back if you can. Meet at Frankton car park, opposite Video Easy, we will then carpool (petrol will be refunded by the club).  Owen Hale from DOC will bring the required tools and tell us what to do, so we can have a better track!  We will also install a style by the toilets and a sign.

Please bring food, water, sunscreen and gardening gloves if you have! (will try to bake cookies to feed the troops…)

WE NEED YOU !!! this is a great opportunity to work with DOC and to improve the access to the climbing.

Please call Celine to register interest before 6th of February.

Celine tel : 0211636961 celine.austincheval -at- gmail.com

We’re also working with DOC on the Project Gold to enhance Kowhai at the Wye Creek area. More information to come soon.

There's been a couple of new posts in the last few days so don't forget to read the offers below!

Instruction Discounts, T-Shirts and World Bar Discounts

There's a triple decker of discounts for you today for members of the Queenstown Climbing Club.....

  • Climbing instructions at a special rate for QCC members with Rock and Rambles:- 2 Day of Alpine Rock Climbing Course for a bargain member's rate of only $140 in the week end of the 25th and 26th February. Locals Day  Sunday 12th February for just $60 If you are interested, or for further info and contact Rupert: climb (at) rockandrambles.co.nz or phone 0277219119.  I went on the ice climbing course earlier this year with Rupert so know these are bound to be great sessions.
  • World Bar QCC Cards: go to the World Bar on Shotover Street with your QCC card to get your World Bar Card then you can use your card to get drinks at half price!!!!
  • Queenstown Climbing Club T-Shirts are out.
    Order them straight from the club.
    Email us know your size(s) + shirt(s) color(s) + quantity (you can check colors at Fetch in shotover street, just remember the writing is in white)
    Price per T-Shirt: $20 (all proceeds to club)
    Pay through direct payment on club account which you can get from queenstownclimbing (AT) gmail.com Make sure you get your order in this week as there's a few of us just waiting to get our hands on them once the order is complete!

Hope that's enough to get your wallet out.  Someone once told me you have to spend money to save money but you won't need much excuse to grab up the deals above.

I hope you're getting out on the rock.....anyone get any mixed climbing in over the last few days?  ;-)

 

Jardines Closed due to Fire Risk

Please note that Jardines is closed due to the high fire risk in the area at the moment.  There is a sign at the entrance so please respect the area and go and bag some other areas in the meantime. If you're based here you'll know the weather has been pretty awesome recently so it will likely take a few days of rain to change the situation.  We'll let you know when we find out.  There is a fire ban in the entire area just now so remember don't be tempted if you go camping!

Happy Holidays - New Climbs and Books

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!

Merry Festive Period

Hi All, A great time was had by all on the summer solstice gathering at Wye Creek yesterday, with some even staying and having a late 10pm dinner under Proud Monkey Roof!

We'll get some pics online inbetween some festive cheer and sparkling beverages....

Here's to all of you around Queenstown and around the world, wishing you a great festive period, and a wonderful upcoming 2012!

When you're out and about, remember to take your cameras and grab some special moments....there may be some reward for some good shots in the New Year - more news on that soon.....

Have a great time everyone, and thanks for your support through 2011 - especially to club members, sponsors, committee members and everyone involved in their hard work on projects and events for the club.

Mid Summer Social : Wye Creek Thurs 22nd Dec (longest day)

All club members are invited to a mid summer social at Wye Creek to celebrate the middle of summer.  A social afternoon and evening with a little climbing, a picnic and watching the sun go down with good company. This is the turning point of the year (already!) and the days get shorter from this point on.

When:Thursday 22nd December (Mid summer's day)

Fom mid afternoon onwards, so just come up after work or spend the day up there - your choice.
Where: Wye Creek, Main Cliff
Bring: Climbing gear if you fancy a social climb, 
     Head torch to get back down the track after sun down, 
     something to share in the picnic, a drink if you fancy one 
     and warm clothes ready for the temperature drop.
Please car pool if going to drive to top car park as there is only space for a few vehicles.
Hope to see you there!

Tonight's Talk - Skiing the Long White Cloud

With a fresh dusting of snow on the hills around Queenstown today, what better a reminder of Erik Bradshaw's talk tonight at the Events Centre - a talk and pictures about his recent ski traverse of the Southern Alps.  This should be a great talk, full of stories and adventures. 7-9pm at Events Centre, upstairs, gold coin donation and a cash bar.

See you there.

Kingston Trip Report : Mixing Social time and climbing

What a good time on the Kingston rock with lots of climbers and climbs done. People met in Frankton (usual spot) on Saturday then zoomed south to reach Kingston at 10am. Fifteen people got together and in between a chat and a feed managed to climb some of the single and multi pitches that there are on offer on the Kingston crag.
The day concluded with a nice drink in the local train station. Cheers to all of you for coming along!  As you can see from the photos below - another great Queenstown climbing spot.