Ruahine Grand Traverse Ruahine Grand Traverse - New Zealand ...

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over with. Indeed, it was 11.15ambefore we covered this short distanceto bag our 4th summit. By this stage wewere beginning to feel tired. This sectionhad really messed with our heads,and the thought of the upcoming cratertraverse (which I hadn’t done either),not to mention all the other peaks yet tocome, was beginning to take it’s toll.We descended the ridge towards Pareand dropped further down to the warmshores of the lake itself, where weenjoyed the intoxicating aroma of freshsulpur, before bagging L Peak at 11.45am.The plan from here was to continuealong the knife edge ridge to Pyramidaround the back of the lake. The exposurewas quite exciting, and there wassome apprehension amongst our partyabout this bit (myself included!). Upongetting onto the ridge itself it becameapparent that the conditions were verysoft and far from ideal. If it could bedone at all, it would take a long time. Itwas decided that we’d circumnavigatethe crater instead. It signalled a longerwalk than planned, although I don’tthink it would actually have taken muchmore time in the end.It was 1.05 pm when we summitedPyramid and we were only half waythrough - we still had another 6 summitsto go! It was at this point that bothCraig and I really started to feel tired.By the time we had grovelled our wayto near the base of Cathedral Rockswe were both having doubts aboutwhether or not we were going to beable to do this. I was seriously thinkingabout bailing - after all, Te Heuheu wasso much further away again before wecould even think about turning around.Scott by this point was beginning tocome right, after going through a lowearlier, but it didn’t help when he casuallymentioned that he’d completely runout of water! Craig and I only had half alitre each left. Would it be wise to continueon with only 1 litre between thethree of us, especially in our sorry stateand with another 6 summits still to go?After much indecision and fence sitting,I decided it was time to pull out thedrugs. I’d bought along a Pocket V totry in case of an emergency like this,and I dished out some panadeine toCraig and Scott to help with their ‘pain’.After the caffeine hit I felt much better- it was back on! Cathedral was mucheasier than I remembered and we summitedthat at 2.05 pm.We followed Scott’s lead across thePlateau and knocked off Tukino surprisinglyquickly at 2.50 pm, and TeHeuheu a satisfying 10 minutes later.We had now turned around and wereon our way home! This was a hugepsychological boost and after stoppingfor a quick feed, we found ourselves onGlacier Knob at 3.35 pm.The clouds were now beginning tobuild and starting to close in nearby.With this in mind, and with the end insight, Scott set off again across thePlateau leaving me desperately tryingto stretch my legs far enough to use hissteps (take smaller steps when you’vegot midgets trying to keep up with youScott!). We were on Dome 20 minuteslater and now felt very confident withonly one more peak to go.Craig took the lead up Pare and wewere very happy to knock off this finalsummit half an hour later at 4.25 pm.A congratulatory handshake all aroundand then we were pleased to headMap showing route undertaken.down....down...such a long way down!Back to the once again deserted carparkat 5.45 pm just on dark, and justas the winds picked up and the cloudsrolled in - perfect timing. And still with aswig of water to spare!It was a 13.5 hour day. We coveredroughly 23 kms with 2600 metre totalascent. The stats don’t sound thatmuch, but I guess it feels so muchharder because a lot of the challengeis not so much what your body is doingbut what is going on in your head.Climbing peak after peak demandscontinual concentration, and of coursethe inevitable mind games start to playtheir part too!For me, this has been a much anticipatedand most satisfying challenge tofinally tick off. Many thanks Craig andScott for sharing it.CNI NewsWharepapa Crag ClosurePopular Wharepapa Rock, more commonlyknown as CastleRock is closeduntil further notice.With the proposed new rules foradventure tourism CastleRock hasundertaken to add a third anchor to allthe climbs on the Lower Tier. The flyingfox and abseil site will be auditedat the same time.New signage will eventually bedisplayed informing users of theirresponsibilities etc.Bouldering @ BrycesBryces Cafe at Wharepapa South,Tuesdays and Thursdays from4.30pm. $5 entry - first visit free.A great little wall with loads of problemsto suit all levels.Phone: 07 872 2533Advance Notice -Lead Climbing InstructionWeekend at KinlochThe CNI Section is planning a leadclimbing instruction weekend at Kinlochin November or December.This will feature an introduction tosport and trad multi-pitch climbing in afantastic outdoor setting.More details to follow.2010 Reel Rock Film Tour16th October at The Edge ClimbingWall, Events Centre Taupo.Open from 6pm with films starting at7.30. Spot prizes, gear trials etcMore information on page 6.4
National OfficeFree 6 month MembershipExtensionEach month a special 6 month membershipextension will be given to alucky member who pays their renewalwithin 14 days of them being mailedout.A name will be drawn at random fromthe renewals received and a replacementcard will be sent to the luckymember showing their new expirydate. This will apply to any individual,or additional member. So when yourrenewal comes up, get it back to usquick smart to be in the draw.CongratulationsThe first winner of our free 6 monthmembership extension is AustralianClub member simon Locke. Congratulationsto Simon, a member of 6 yearsstanding, we value your continuedsupport of our Club.NZAC Hut BookingsMembers please note that bookingsfor Arthur’s Pass, Ruapehu and PorterLodge are handled through theNational Office in Christchurch.These huts all have a keypad andthe office holds the codes for these.Please DO NOT contact section memberslooking for the key codes.The office is manned Monday toFriday until 5pm. Call Margaret inthe first instance for bookings +64(0)3 377 7595 or email margaret@alpineclub.org.nz if you don’t requirean instant reply.AGM and DebateThis will be on October 15th in theYMCA conference room. The debatewill be on ‘whether to rename theSouth Ridge of Aoraki Mt Cook theHillary Ridge’ Come along and voiceyour opinion loudly.Summer Climbing CampInformation and registration detailsare now available for the camp on;http://alpineclub.org.nz/default/377The camp is to be based from theBroken River Ski Field. Activities foreveryone and families welcome.Centenary of Freda Du Faur’sHistoric Climb of Aoraki Mt CookThere will be a celebration of the eventat Mt Cook village on Dec 4th. This willinvolve lots of food, guest speakersand open discussion.Check the website for more details.Reel Rock Film Tour – Taupo – New Zealand16th October 2010 – 6.00pm Opening – Film Starting at 7.30pmAdults $18 – Kids (Under 15) $14Tickets for the Taupo Show of the Reel Rock Film Tour provide:Free Climbing on the night of the EventOne off deal – get two, 3 month membership’s with TheEdge Climbing Wall, Taupo, for the cost of one ($80 – can be redeemedanytime before the 30th October 2010 with proof of eventticket)Chance of winning spot prizes (provided by local sponsors)Cheap food/snacks and drink (beer and wine included)available for purchase at the venue.Gear trials and discounted products available on the nightfrom local businesses (try out some Scarpa shoes on the wall beforebuying them at a good price).For more information or any other queries please contact either:Ben RohdeMike RendallEvent CoordinatorCommunity Programmes Coordinator027 6127 381 Rockwall Taupo Events CentreBen.rohde@opus.co.nzE: mrendall@taupovenues.co.nzP: 07 376 0350 extn. 78425
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Page 6 and 7: By Mark SmithThe Blue Ice MiceStrik
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Ruahine Grand Traverse Ruahine Grand Traverse - New Zealand ...

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