The fun had already started before we even left Wellington for (what is becoming) our annual November trip to Paine’s Ford. Jetstar very kindly decided to stop regional flights, which meant that our climbers could get to Nelson, but not back to Wellington. Undeterred, our 22 climbers rebooked on Air NZ, jumped on a plane to Nelson and piled into vans to take us over Takaka Hill. Having chosen dates that wouldn’t collide with Canterbury Anniversary Weekend, we were treated to quiet campgrounds (until we showed up) and empty crags (again…until we showed up). What followed was a complete and thorough Globe Wall takeover and a battle for the best Weekend Whipper. Also, the Fergs climbers in the group got to know how it feels to watch the Dynomites warm up on your projects. With ‘Electrocorp Productions’, ‘Send a Gorilla’, and ‘Red lining to the max’ on a few peoples’ tick lists, we had a steady stream of punters waiting to have a shot at the pump-fest. Cue our first big whip of the weekend; Sam, going for that fifth bolt on ‘Send a Gorilla’, he sent his tiny belayer Naomi straight up to first bolt, shooting past Sam (luckily avoiding a mid-air collision), who stopped very close to the ground. A heavier belayer was quickly subbed in. Globe Wall was littered with drawers left up on climbs waiting for sends, with Kieran, Eric, and Wim all chasing glory on the 25s in the middle of the wall. ‘Red lining to the max’ saw a constant stream of climbers, with plenty of folks sitting up in the cheap seats watching the multiple ways everyone was getting up that climb. We had our tallest and our shortest all getting in on the ‘Red lining’ action, which brings us to our second big whip of the weekend! Rosie, who is not the biggest fan of big falls, found herself feet way above the bolt and shooting for the jug of all jugs just below the anchor. She hit the jug…but failed to stick it, resulting in a fall that was at least 5 Rosie lengths, before colliding with Naomi. Camera-man extraordinaire Derek managed to capture the fall (and the cackling that followed) and the peer pressure to submit it to Rock and Ice’s ‘Weekend Whipper’ began. The Dynomites, after being sandbagged into trying the climbs at ‘Fish Wall’ were after an easy win and lined up to get in on the action. Lindsay got a quick flash, and Alex showed that, no matter how much heckling you throw at him (there was a lot of heckling), he’ll still get it done. Bella and Mic dispatched it very soon after. The send train left the station with them and the other punters who had managed the ‘Red lining’ send the day before. Kieran leading Overkill (25) at Globe Wall Photo: Stacey Wong The final weekend whipper was our smallest fall but provided the biggest PSA. With rain looming, a small team decided to tackle the climbs out at ‘Bo Peep Slab’. The normally gritty and glorious jugs were turned into spoogey and slippery jugs of sadness. Because Naomi and Stacey had already started up the only real warm-up on the wall (‘Status Anxiety’), Janella was left to warm up on a 22 (like the badass that she is). Three bolts up, hanging off spoogey slopers and unable to clip the fourth, Janella took a fall; her knee found the perfect knee breaking hold jutting out on the wall and it was game over. A frustrating end to a climbing season that was just starting. So here it is, your PSA: Wear helmets, give soft catches (though a long catch is better than a hard one), have a first aid kit, know where the closest hospital is and have a plan on how you’d get out if someone got hurt. We were lucky that we had picked the only wall that had a 20-metre walk in and cell phone reception. The fun didn’t end there either, remember those Jetstar flights that got cancelled and rebooked on Air NZ? Yeah, they got cancelled too…Thanks Air NZ. Lastly, Rosie did succumb to the peer pressure and submitted her whipper to Rock and Ice and well… you can see it for yourself here. Alex lowering from 1080 and the Letter G (23) Photo: Mic Domaneschi Bella leading at Globe Wall Photo: Mic Domaneschi Lindsay leading at Globe Wall Photo: Mic Domaneschi « NZAC Wellington takeover of the Hang Dog Bunk House Photo: Rosie Percival Powered by volunteers We’re always thankful for volunteers and members stepping forward to help the section run smoothly. A lot goes on to keep our club going, virtually all powered by volunteers. On the back page is our “Club on a page” summary. It gives an at a glance description of all the things we do, how and why. Feel free to print a copy and pass it on to anyone who might be interested in becoming a member or volunteer. And if you’d like to learn more about how you could get involved, please email us at wellington@alpineclub.org.nz. Role Name
