NZOIA Assessment #2

Just had a great few days. On friday I climbed the Otira slide before the weekend crowed could get on it. On Saturday and Sunday I went as a model student on a NZOIA 2 Alpine Assessment weekend. We climbed five pitches up mt Temple and looked at various skills including horozontal handlines and avalanche transiever searches. On Monday, Tuesday I assissted Lincoln College Outdoor Ed. with rigging and running sessions on Rapaki Rock. And yesterday I took a client up Camp saddle and ascended pt 1550 before descending the ridge to the car at the bridge.
The above photos are from the various trips. Now I must turn my attentions to work and cleaning and sorting gear, as the house is looking like a disaster zone.

NZOIA Assessment

Mountain Climbing at Arthur's Pass

Today we went mountain Climbing at The Otira Valley. We took our own track. We named it Ruby's Chute. We walked up a long way in the snow and it was hard work. We had stops and we went to the top and Nick and Finn climbed up the rock on a rope. They also went down on the rope. Finn got his fingers very cold and cried. And we slid all the way back down until we got to the track. This was my second time mountain climbing, but my first time without the rain! Finn was the fastest. Nick carried the most stuff and I was the youngest and had the slidiest pants!!!!!!!(Blog by Ruby Bodkin Oien 8 years).

NZAC Trip to Mt Somers

I just had a lovely weekend away with the NZAC crew. On Saturday afternoon we walked into Pinnicals hut which took about three and a half hours in heavy snow. It was quite cold, but the group worked extremely well together to make a fire, collect water and get the tea on. The group were Helena and Andy, John and Robyn and Josh plus myself.

Today we ascended Mt Somers from the saddle above pinnicals. Conditions were perfect all day with excellent views all the way to Mt Cook. The Ryolite rock was inviting and we were soon doing a bit of rock scrambling. Especially Josh and Helena who were both rock climbers. We then ascended to the summit and had some lunch on the top.

Coming down we couldn't resist a bit of ice climbing in a shady gully, just to test out some gear and to develop skills and confidence. This was followed by a longish walk out to the carpark.

I really enjoyed the trip and hope to take part in many more!

The photos are on the summit(there was still almost 2m of snow) and descending the ridge.

Rescue on Avalanche Peak

Today I awoke to the sound of a helicopter landing on the LZ near home. Due to the early hour it could only mean a rescue, so I headed down.

Turns out a young overseas tramper slipped off the summit of avalanche peak about 150m down the slope to a basin and spent the night there. The only thing he did in his favour was set off the distress beacon he was carrying. When the heli picked him up he had travelled 350m from his pack, and on arrival at rescue HQ mentioned that he would quite like his pack and gear back!

As the Heli was returning to Greymouth, we had to walk up and retrieve the left behind gear.

The victims inexperience was obvious as the gear was spread in a large area suggestive of an agitated, or hypothermic state. I noted the victim had no obvious waterproof jacket, one of the first items he left behind in is wake was his woolly hat - so he had spent the night without those two very important items. There was a compas, but no map. He had dehydrated meals, but no snack food to keep him going. None of his gear was sealed in plastic bags, and was mostly cotton damp geans etc. He didn't have gloves, and lacerated his hands as a result of the fall.

Why did this guy persist in climbing a mountain without proper exquipment or experience - shear ignorance is all I can think.

His saving grace was the fact that the staff member at DoC spotted him as a DMW (dead man walking) and insisted on issuing him with a distress beacon, and in so doing probably saved his life. Secondly he didn't get too far from civilization before falling, so rescue was expedient and didn't require an extensive search. I understand the young man is going to have the fear of God put into him by our local cop, which is one of our cop's many talents!

No photos this time sorry.

Mt Temple Climb

We had a bluebird day here in AP. My group went off to visit a West Coast attraction leaving me free to climb for the day, so I took the opportunity to do a little climb to the top of Mt Temple 1913m.

I walked up the track to Temple basin ski field, then skinned up to Temple col, where I changed to crampons, and headed up the ridge to the summit. The guide book says that you need to siddle west towards the skifield, but the snow was supportive over the Mingha side so I did that instead. The route required some interspursed rock and snow climbing, but generally flowed well at an easily manageble grade. Towards the top in the shade was very hard ice, so crampons only just bit in, but the exposure was only momentary. It was beautiful on the summit, with a straight forward descent.From the summit I skied out of the two obvious coliours; firstly, coming directly off the summit next to the large buttress, and then secondly, siddling left, down a wide chute running directly to the downhill lift shed. I had lunch there and then headed back up towards the summit of B'limit, but bailed near the summit, due to cloud cover coming in from the west.

The snow is disappearing at an alarming rate, as it always does in the warn NW rains that we have had earlier this week. I hope I get a chance to do the Phipps - Temple Travers, while it is still supportive!

Above are the usual photos of the day. Enjoy! I certainly did!

RedBull - Backcountry???

I've put a link on my video list to the Redbull Backcountry Kicker Film- What the hell? You may ask yourself? Lets just think about this now. Oh! Now I get it - we're competing in the DARWIN AWARDS! But not only that, lets build a 30m kicker. Why? Cause we got a 30m sign that says redbull, oh and a helicopter too, and a snow mobile, oh, and a GROOMER! If the slopes is groomed can you still call it the "Backcountry' - er NO!

Lets not mention the RedBull mission to ski down Mt Cook, which they actually did, but then when they got in their helicopter to go home they put their TWENTY bags of rubbish out the door of the hut. Nice one. I wonder if RedBull have ever heard of leave no trace - I'm thinking a fat 'no' on that one.

My favourite part of the film is where Travis Rice says : 'I'm here, it's here, we gotta make this thing happen'.And then he lands on his ass - sums the whole show up for me. yup.