Newsletter of the New Zealand Alpine Club - Wellington Section

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Vertigo

View from Yosemite Point (2,114m), across to Half Dome (2,693m), spring 2017 (Peter Laurenson)

No. 806, May 2017

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Section News

New venue / change of night for section nights

As most of you should be aware of, we’ve been searching high and low for a different venue for

our section nights. After a long search we’ve made the call to move our section nights to the

Third Eye Tuatara Brewery at 30 Arthur Street - upstairs. It’s just around the corner from the

Southern Cross. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this venue will provide all that we need

for successful section nights without being interrupted by music.

The downside of the move to the Third Eye is that the venue wasn’t available on the first

Wednesday of the month. We’ve arranged that our standard section nights will, instead, be held

on the last Wednesday of the month. At this stage we’re sticking to a 6pm start but don’t forget

that there’s time to mingle, get a drink, etc before the speaker kicks off, usually around 6:30pm.

Come along and check it out and let the committee know what you think.

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June Section Night – Wednesday 21 June, 6pm

Traditionally we don’t

have a section night in

June due to the clash

with BANFF

screenings. This year

though we’re having a

bonus night where

Aviette is going to

present on Avalanche

Awareness. For all

those heading into

the mountains this is a

brilliant opportunity

to learn about safe

route choice,

avalanche triggers and much more. For this talk there’s a $5 charge for each section member,

$10 charge for non-section members – you’ll need to show us your membership card. Don’t

forget this will take place at the Third Eye Tuatara Brewery. Make sure you pop this into your

calendar and we’ll see you on the night.

Upcoming Section Nights

Wednesday 26 July - we’re lucky enough to have section member Nigel Roberts coming to talk

to us about his Aussie 8 experience – summitting the highest peak in each of the Australian

states and territories.

Wednesday 30 August – section photo competition. For all those budding photographers out

there, it’s time to start sifting through your photos. We’ll have more details in the next Vertigo

on the categories and method of entering etc.

Wednesday 27 September – photography course run by Peter Laurenson. For those who don’t

know Peter, you can see his work at www.occasionalclimber.co.nz . 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. ☺

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Chairs Report May 2017

What does it take to become a mountaineer? Do you need to enrol in the school of hard knocks

or can you sign up for a course and consider yourself trained? The school of hard knocks has it

benefits, mostly in the form of hands on experience. It also has its limitations, mainly that other

climbers (no matter how good) don’t always make the best teachers. On the other hand, while

courses might be good at providing theory based knowledge, they almost always try to cram in

more information than you can absorb and don’t allow enough time for reinforcing the theory

with practice.

So, what’s the solution?

We (Wellington Section) think it involves a combination of all of the above. Short experience-

based courses followed by practical application spread over several years such that each course

provides bite sized learning with participants practically applying what they have learned in each

course over the remainder of the season. Having developed their competency and capability in

shorter steps allows them to progress to the next level and repeat. This gives participants the

opportunity to reinforce what they have learned by gaining valuable experience at the same

time. Unsurprisingly, courses that cram several years of learning and experience into three or

four weeks of intensive training without practical application in the field have lower levels of

retention.

The Wellington section snow craft courses are already full for this year and the waiting list is

growing.

If you have any thoughts or experience on what has worked well for you or have suggestions of

how our courses might be improved further we would be pleased to hear from you.

We are keen to attract and build good instructors. We run instructor development courses,

support our instructors in developing their personal climbing skills and will fund accreditation as

Alpine 1 and 2, Outdoor First Aid and other qualifications if they would like to obtain them. If

you are interested in coming on board as an instructor please let us know.

If you have any comments on what you liked or didn't like send an email to

wellington@alpineclub.org.nz or tweet us @NZACWellington or post a message on our

facebook page www.facebook.com/nzacwellington.

Finally:

“We learn from failure, not from success!”

― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Simon

Chair: NZAC Wellington

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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.

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Upcoming Trips, Courses and Events

Wellington Section Trips, Courses and Events

All our planned South Island 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 email us on

wellington@alpineclub.org.nz.

Also, please contact us if you’re keen to run a trip yourself – the committee can help with

advertising / logistics.

When? Where?

Queen’s Birthday Mt Hopeless, Nelson Lakes

30 May BANFF Programme A – 1st screening, 6pm www.banff.nz

7 June BANFF Programme B – 1st screening, 6pm www.banff.nz

14 June BANFF Programme A – 2nd screening, 6pm www.banff.nz

21 June Avalanche talk by Aviette – 6pm, Third Eye Tuatara Brewery

$10 / head

25 June BANFF Programme B – 2nd screening, 1pm www.banff.nz

30 June – 2 July North Island Ice Climbing Meet, Tukino

21-23 July *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner level Snowcraft course – Mt

Ruapehu

26 July Section night – Aussie 8 by Nigel Roberts – 6pm, Third Eye

Tuatara Brewery

28-30 July *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner level Snowcraft course – Mt

Ruapehu

18-20 August *FULLY BOOKED* Beginner / Intermediate level Snowcraft

course – Mt Ruapehu

25-27 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 – 21-23

October

Paynes Ford rock climbing

November Aspiring Take 2

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BANFF Mountain Film Festival 2017

That time of the year is coming up fast – movies from the BANFF Mountain Film Festival will be

screening at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington in May and June. We have two programmes

of movies to screen and two dates have been set for each programme as follows :

Programme A : 6:00pm Tuesday May 30th

6:00pm Wednesday June 14th

Programme B : 6:00pm Wednesday June 7th

1:00pm Sunday June 25th

See www.banff.nz for more details.

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North Island Ice Climbing Meet

Location: TASC Lodge, Tukino Ski Field, Mt Ruapehu

Date: Weekend of June 30 - July 2 , 2017

Cost: $89 for the weekend (this covers accommodation – Friday and Saturday, breakfast and

lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and Saturday night’s dinner)

This is a climbing meet so you are expected to organize your own climbing partners and

transport to TASC lodge (4WD plus snow chains required!).

To book your place follow these instructions : go to https://tukino.checkfront.com/reserve and

select start date 30 June.

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Select NZAC Events at Tukino, under “NZAC Ice Climbing Meet” select “Book Now”

Make sure you enter Check-in date 30 /6/2017 and Check-out date 2/7/2017.

The event organiser will get an email notifying them of your booking. They will confirm your

booking. Payment instructions will be on the Booking email. Email receipts of payments will be

sent. You will be sent information relating to the meeting by email closer to the weekend.

Check out our Ice Cameras

Margaret’s Leap area http://tukinoalpinesportsclub.org.nz/latest.jpg and Bowl Wobbler Area

http://tukinoalpinesportsclub.org.nz/latest2.jpg

Contact Eric Duggan (021 350 161) or ericduggan@gmail.com for more information.

See http://climbnz.org.nz/nz/ni/tongariro/mt-ruapehu/tukino for information about climbs.

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All photos by Jonathan Cook

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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 2017. 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:

• Risk Management (24-25 June) - $70

• 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

http://www.outdoortraining.nz/courses/courses.php.

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Trips

Two days at Yosemite

Words and pictures – Peter Laurenson

‘Yosemite’. It’s a name I’ve been familiar with since childhood. There were nature programmes

about it on black and white TV. Yosemite was the trail breaker for the American national park

system, which is a world first. Yosemite is the very first wilderness space set aside and protected

for public access and enjoyment. And more recently, since I became interested in climbing,

names like El Capitan and Half Dome are also familiar.

My family and I were in the US on a whirlwind April school holiday trip to Washington DC and

New York on the east coast and San Francisco on the west, with a four hour drive inland from

San Fran to finally (I’d never been) take a quick look at Yosemite – just three nights and two

days in the park. Not much, but better than nothing.

Our log cabin and the view to El Capitan from it

We rented a charming, spacious log cabin off Big Oak Flat Road, inside the park gates, just a ten

minute drive from Yosemite Village. Ten minutes that is if the traffic doesn’t stack up. Being

there in April put us outside the busy summer season, but road works still caused major jams on

the single road tracing the Merced River into Yosemite Valley. I’m not a fan of crowds and, even

in springtime, there were more than enough punters and their vehicles roaming the valley. I

wouldn’t enjoy the congestion that must be part of a summer visit.

Staying inside the park gates is a good way to avoid the traffic, but accommodation is expensive

– the price of fame. To keep costs down there are several camp grounds taking reservations five

months out. Yosemite Valley is at about 1,200 metres though, so camping outside of summer is

a chilly option.

Once in the park it quickly became apparent that there are numerous beautifully formed trails

leading up valley and in all directions up the steep valley walls, accessing the tops a thousand or

so metres above. One of the most expansive view points, Glacier Point, can be reached by road

in summer, but only via a steep climb on foot when the roads are still blocked by snow. This was

the case for us, so we opted for a valley walk up under Half Dome on our first morning, with a

climb to Yosemite Point on day two.

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Beyond Mirror Lake, beneath the west face of Half Dome

While there were lots of people milling about with their cameras near the village, it didn’t take

very long to leave most of them behind on the trails. To get the most from a visit to the park

definitely requires walking, though even in the valley, the views are fabulous. Imagine Milford

Sound, only with a river valley where the ocean is, so you can walk beneath the sheer cliffs

surrounding you. And the further you walk the more you’re rewarded with ever changing

magnificence.

Mirror Lake, from the true right side of Tenaya Creek

On our first morning we headed up beside Tenaya Creek, which passes directly beneath the

imposing western face of Half Dome. A recurring question kept popping into my mind as I

developed an ever more noticeable crick in my neck from looking up – “do people REALLY climb

that”. About half way along this trail we came to the Mirror Lake, reaching the true-left side first

and the far true-right side on the way back. It was completely still and overcast, so the

reflections were mirror perfect. It was lovely, but I think our own Lake Matheson is even more

spectacular.

In the afternoon, after checking out the village visitor centre and the base of Yosemite Fall, we

headed out of the valley and up to a carpark beside a tunnel, named unimaginatively ‘Tunnel

View’. From there an hour’s climb saw us at the slightly more imaginatively named ‘Inspiration

Point’. At about 1,700m we enjoyed a wide vista directly back into Yosemite Valley, taking in El

Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall. I returned to Tunnel View again at dawn on our last

morning, but unfortunately the sunrise was a fizzer.

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The view from Inspiration Point, with a zoom on Half Dome

Of course, there’s more to Yosemite than spectacular views. For the serious rock climber,

Yosemite is a mecca. Just scrambling up through forest to the base of El Capitan on the

afternoon of our second day was enough for me. As you pop out of the trees you’re confronted

with a near vertical wall of granite, soaring straight up for 1,200 metres. Feeling the quality of

the rock, I could see why climbers love to get on these mammoth walls, but the level of skill

required is way beyond me. From where I stood gorking skyward, a twin rope led vertically up to

two climbers fifty or so metres above. Just how they got there I had no idea – the wall was so

sheer and featureless.

A view up from the base of El Capitan

For the less ambitious, from sometime in May a steel cable is installed on the east, least steep

side of Half Dome. It’s an eight or so hour day trip from the valley to then climb to the top – I

guess a bit like climbing an Ayers Rock on steroids. I would like to have done that as, at 2,693m,

Half Dome is the highest point in the park, offering stupendous panoramic views. As it was, we

were a bit early.

While our options were somewhat curtailed in spring, an upside was all the spectacular waterfall

action going on around us. When standing in the village, the most obvious is Yosemite Fall. In

spring this is a thousand metre gushing cascade with a giant step in the middle. Apparently,

some summers it completely dries up.

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Upper Yosemite Fall and Yosemite Point (2,114m)

Yosemite Fall was our focus on the morning of our second day. From the valley floor a stone

staircase zigzags up about 500 metres to a narrow shelf, which leads around to a mist soaked

basin where the upper portion of Yosemite Fall cascades down a sheer wall. Across the valley

are nice views of Half Dome, until the trail cuts up a steep chasm, seeming to almost disappear

behind the Fall. Actually it pops out a little up river from the jaws of death, leading to a

footbridge across Yosemite Creek which, for us, was more a raging torrent.

I’m not sure if ‘Jaws of death’ is the correct name for the point where Yosemite Creek becomes

Yosemite Fall, but the name works for me. People, more than one, have actually been swept

over it – just the thought utterly terrifies me.

Across the foot bridge we found ourselves plugging up through spring snow. Invisible down in

the valley, beyond the valley rim the terrain changes dramatically into rolling, pine clad snow

fields. We soon reached our high point for the day at 2,114m back on the valley rim. Here, to

calm myself after gazing over the sheer edge, I worked a bit more on supersizing myself with

yet another bagel (these were the best sandwich option due to American bread being pumped

full of sugar).

The view from Yosemite Point

On our return we found another side trail just before the foot bridge leading right to the Jaws of

Death. An easily negotiated but, at times, exposed staircase dropped down to a shelf where you

can peer directly down the 500 or so metres of the upper portion of the Fall. Ooooweee.

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Looking down upper Yosemite Fall. Part of the access trail is on the right, far below

Our round trip to Yosemite Point took six and half hours so, back down on the valley floor, our

time at Yosemite was running out. After paying my respects at the base of El Capitan we just

had time to pop over to the base of Bridalveil Fall, another impressive gusher in springtime,

where we got a good drenching.

Two days at Yosemite really is the bare minimum needed to get a feel for this magnificent place.

But because the trails are so numerous, well marked and well formed, it is possible to pack in

quite a few different excursions in a short space of time. We saw enough at least to tell me that I

need to return some day. I’d at least like to get my hands on that cable leading up the back of

Half Dome and catch a sunset around at Glacier Point.

For more - http://www.occasionalclimber.co.nz/?p=12633

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Notices

2017 Remarkables Ice and Mixed Climbing Festival – 17-20 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 www.iceandmixedfestival.co.nz

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 school

holidays). For more information about this fun event, click here.

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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 email us at wellington@alpineclub.org.nz

Position Name Contact Chairperson Simon Williamson 021 054 7684

Co Chair Eric Duggan 021 350 161

Treasurer (Acting) Peter Laurenson

Secretary & Vertigo editor Carolyn Ellis 021 574 287

Patron John Nankervis

Other Committee Members

Elisha Watson

Matt Pemberton

Sandy Britain

Alex Waterford

Rock Drill Overseer Jeremy Tries 027 55 55 893

www.facebook.com/nzacwellington

Twitter @NZACWellington

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