Rock climbing
- TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Rock climbing, bouldering
- TRIP NAME/LOCATION- Castle Hill, Charleston, Punakaiki
- DURATION- 4 days
- GRADES OF ACTIVITY- grade 15-19, V 1-4
- NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS- 16
- ACCOMMODATION- Personal, one night tenting
- VARIATION IN DAILY CONDITIONS- n/a
WEATHER CONDITIONS- Generally fine - INCIDENTS/ INJURIES - n/a
As the road to Arthur’s Pass starts winding onwards and upwards the blue skies against the majestic peaks is our sign that the weather gods are with us as we make our way to the world class Castle Hill. No harnesses, prussicks, ropes or carabiners, our usually full packs are rather light. With our lunch, shoes and a bouldering mat slung over our shoulders, we make our way towards the lunar landscape of Castle Hill. The acronym SLED is our introduction to bouldering, Spotting, Landing, Exposure, Descending this is somewhat the full extent of safety for bouldering. Movement is the essence of bouldering where each move is calculated and performed with poise as every fall is a fall to the ground guided by your spotters. The initial nerves start to fade after a few falls, and my climbing improves on holds that previously I wouldn’t have even considered become fundamental in the problem. The forearms start to swell and the pump is starting to set in as lunchtime arrives. After lunch whilst exploring the boulder field we come across a complex problem, an overhang with a solid jug, however to complete the problem it required dynoing to the next jug. Approximately an hour later after multiple falls and close attempts, I finally drive off with my right leg and reach with my left arm the almighty jug and complete the problem (see random photos for the sequence), a great finish to a great day.
Day two and three were at the now familiar Charleston crag. The days were consumed of building anchors and climbing off them, with the mileage we were becoming more and more effective climbers, previous difficult climbs were starting to get climbed with somewhat ease. Top rescues were also on the agenda, this involved the fellow climber to climb to a height and then becoming a patient. Tie off with a solid slippery hitch, attach a waist prussic with a classic knot and attach it to your harness with a caribiner, then a leg prussic, to drive upwards with. Then came the task of ascending the rope in a somewhat caterpillar like fashion, stopping only to re-tie your slippery hitch to prevent you from hitting the ground if your prussic was to fail. On arriving to your patient you would have to slightly climb pass them re-tie the slippery hitch, and un-jam your waist prussic, attach your shortened cowstail to the patient and place them in a workable manoeuvrable position, un-tie the slippery hitch and slowly descend all the whilst keeping your patient calm and relaxed. The shoulders and arms were definitely starting to fatigue by the end of day three at Charleston.
Day four was the much anticipated Punakaiki, lead roping outdoors on bolts. Punakaiki is a limestone crag, awesome holds, however being limestone it is susceptible to being pulled off really easily, helmets were vital. An awesome day with multiple climbs, abseiling and putting everything we had learnt into practise in the gym to the climbing on outdoor bolts. From day one of climbing feeling so apprehensive to now being able to lead climb a high 16 outdoors, has a very clear feeling of self satisfaction of the clear progression that has been made. Haha I wanna go climbing!!!
check out random photos for more Castle Hill pictures.
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Rockclimbing
- TYPE OF ACTIVITY- Rockckimbing
- TRIP NAME/LOCATION- Charleston sea cliffs, Greymouth Rec centre
- DURATION- 4 days
- GRADES OF ACTIVITY- 13-19
- NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS- 15
ACCOMMODATION- personal and tents - VARIATION IN DAILY CONDITIONS- n/a
- WEATHER CONDITIONS- fine
- INCIDENTS/ INJURIES - n/a
Heights not being my thing I was quite apprehensive for this upcoming week of climbing. Monday we were briefed by Paula, and our gear collected and signed out- Racks, harness, slings, ropes, it all looked the part but buggered if I knew how to use it, all in due time I was told. It was all very exciting we were told to meet at the climbing wall for day one, to learn all the basics before we start climbing on natural pro.
Here we arrived at Greymouth Recreational centre, with a tall 12 metre wall with climbs ranging from a simple slab through to a gnarly lead climb overhang. Learning our first knot, the re-threaded figure eight, tying into the harness, I was free to climb. A rather simple 14, up I went in my stella new climbing shoes, got to the top not necessarily gracefully but nonetheless I got there. Swapping between belaying and climbing, this is when I learnt about the ‘pump’ were your forearms feel as though they are about to explode and the simple dexterity of your fingers are lost. A movement lesson was given, this is when I learnt why I needed these fancy shoes, feet, feet, feet was drummed into us. Use your feet and guide with your arms, Dave Williams summed it up- to be like a ninja on the wall not a brute like Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger. With this simple new plan, my climbing improved markedly and my forearms were ever so grateful. All morning we had been top rope climbing we were then introduced to lead rope climbing with ATC belay device something totally foreign to me. The rope clips into a quick-draws, and when you fall, you fall to the last point where you clipped into, the stakes all of suddenly were raised. The very simple climbs then became very interesting, first climb was a success all the way to the top ye ha! The second climb not so successful about to clip into the next quick-draw, at about 10 meters up slip and fall. 3 meters down, unscaved everything worked, not to bad I think to myself my confidence in this new discipline increases slightly with this now tried equipment. The day is wound up and off to Charleston tomorrow to climb on the sea cliffs.
A stunning day, good climbing to be had we are told. We arrive in awe of these massive waves smashing into the huge cliffs, salty spray filling the air. We then gear up, and head to our first lesson with all this foreign gear in our possession. We learn about cams, wires, good cracks, bad cracks and how to best place this equipment for safe climbing. We then spend the next few hours best placing this equipment in bomb proof fashion, getting them checked by our tutors and then hanging of them (at a very low altitude). Lunch is shared, whilst the tutors set up top ropes for the afternoons climbing. Jacob and I team up, of we head to tackle our first climb. The climb was the closest to the sea and required us to clip into a safety line whilst belaying as when some set and rogue waves got reasonably close. Me first, up I went steadily using my feet as best I can, holding on with what I could, sticking my hands in cracks, all the way to the top first climb on rock and a success. Trading with Jacob, on belay I witness Jacobs smooth climbing I have a bit to learn I think to myself. On we continue for the rest of the afternoon, climbing until we succumb to the pump, trading, have a break and then climb some more. Day one over and a lot of information processed, knots to learn, we retire to do it all again and more tomorrow.
The third day began with knots and a movement session, given by the well refined and skilled tutor Jamie. Footwork and picking lines is definitely the theme. I start the day climbing a climb called ‘blah blah blah’ a pretty tricky climb that requires very sharp footwork and with a slight overhang, I couldn’t quite master it however, it taught me some more technical moves that I hadn’t yet encountered. On Tui and I moved to a different face, the tallest climb. Tui flew up it graceful as ever. Off I started with the recent climb fresh in my mind, smoother foot work and I made good progress then came the last quarter, the hand holds started turning into small little crimp holds, and it was all about using the feet. Finally I touched the caribiner at the top, called ‘hold’ to Tui, took in the slack and gave a huge fist pump, at last it felt as though it was all starting to come together. Lunch followed. It was time to bring everything we had learnt with knots and applying cams, wires and slings, and to build our own anchors on natural pro. Jacob and I built our own anchor using a sling on a solid bollard, wire and cam, all within sixty degree’s, rigged it up, with the fulcrum in a good position. We dropped the rope over the edge, hiked around to the base and top rope climbed on our own natural pro, a very satisfying experience. We built a few more anchors in different locations, all being carefully scrutinised by the tutors. We finished in the early evening learning how to use prussicks and the theory behind them, and refined our knot making skills. 
The fourth and final day of rock was back in the gym, as the great weather didn’t continue, rain. Wet rock isn’t very fun or allows safe climbing. So with a warm-up climb in the gym, the improvement in climbing skills was clearly evident. Then came our lesson from the previous night and we learnt how to ascend and descend using our prussicks. Abseiling was the subject of the day, the progression from the previous day of building anchors to then learn to abseil from them with ATC belay devices with using our short prussicks as a backup if our ATC was to fail. Then came the final challenge, to lead climb to the top with Phil belaying, use our cow tails to support our weight while we set up our abseiling set-ups. Then feed the rope through till it touches the ground on both sides, attach our ATC, knot on our prussic, check that it holds, remove our cow tail, then the moment of truth- abseil down, when we were two metres above the ground we let go and my prussic engaged quickly and effectively, mission accomplished. Everything that I had learnt over the week had come together in a final technical successful climb.
