🏔️CMC News - July 2024
"The scenery was breathtaking, and the gear felt just right. The excitement was through the roof, and the enjoyment was maximal..."
Your monthly update for the Canterbury Mountaineering Club
What’s been happening in the mountains this July:
💡 Enlightenment on Rome Ridge
🏰 Mt Torlesse - Castle Hill Peak Traverse
👩🦱 An Evening with Lydia Bradey
📽️ NZ Mountain Film Festival
💴 Expedition Grant Applications
🏆 CMC Mountaineer & Volunteer of the Year Awards
And more!
✍️From the Editor
Welcome to the July edition of the CMC News! It’s officially mid-winter, and I have been impressed at the volume of trips that we have to report on this month. It seems that the CMC is only just getting warmed up, with many repeats of the local grade 1-2 classics being lapped out in preparation for some big ascents later this winter and spring.
Our instruction courses have been cranking each weekend in Arthur’s Pass, and the ice at Wye Creek is forming up nicely for our upcoming ice climbing courses. Arthur’s Pass has seen little snow of late, and with that big high, northerlies and now southerly flow, the snowpack is well locked in for fast travel (at least until the next storm arrives).
We have some social events coming up like the Evening with Lydia Bradey, and the NZ Mountain Film Festival, and quite a few club trips on the horizon too.
If you are new here and wondering how to get involved with this great club, it’s time to become a member! Learn more about all the benefits of joining the CMC.
Enjoy this month’s issue - a lot is happening. Read on!
Your CMC News Editor coughing his wee heart out at 6300m on Makalu last year.
💡CMC Crew Aim for Enlightenment on Rome Ridge
Brand new CMC member Gilad Wagner summed up his experience on Rome Ridge and more broadly on why we head up into the mountains:
“It might seem larger than life, but when we stop just dreaming and start acting, we make our dreams come true. And just to be clear, this doesn't come without hard work.
It doesn't happen without taking preparatory courses, without waking up at 4 AM in total darkness, starting to hike with a heavy backpack and a headlamp while it's raining on you. It doesn't come without climbing for four hours, ascending over a thousand meters in the dark, with freezing feet and painful, numb fingers, even with three pairs of gloves.
Without great effort, you can't truly reach these incredible places.
And yes, the moment when the sun rose, transitioning from darkness to light, and you suddenly realize how amazing this world is and how beautiful the place you are in is, it’s incredible. The moment you realize that your crampons are securely attached to your boots, and with two ice axes, you can climb slopes that seem impossible, is extraordinary.
Walking along the ridge to Avalanche Pk, constantly stopping to take off your gloves to take pictures because it's so beautiful, was simply stunning. The trip leader kept asking, "Are you enjoying this?" I told him that I'm not just enjoying it; I'm a level or two above enjoyment. I don't know what to call it, but it was amazing. And yes, it took a lot of hard work to get there.
So, keep dreaming, but more importantly, start acting!”
Gilad Wagner
Thanks Gilad, that was incredible. Thanks also to Simon Binney for organising this most classic of all CMC club trips.
If you would like to join a CMC club trip, or better yet, lead one, please get in touch with our faithful CMC trips organisers, Simon Binney and Ciara Corrigan: trips@cmc.net.nz.
⛷️Two Thumbs Skiing
James Horan got out skiing in the Two Thumbs area in early July and witnessed some intense early winter avalanche activity:
Conditions up the McAuley and Southern Two Thumbs. Lots of walking, not much skiing. Massive 3+ avvy cycle mid storm lee to SW above 2200m. All the head walls were choked with debris or scoured. Otherwise what little snow there was (less than 50cm coverage), was well consolidated.
🧑🏫CMC Instruction Courses
Some exciting opportunities here for those of you who are keen to get on a snow skills course this winter!
I know a lot of people have missed out on spots for our Intro to Mountaineering courses this year so Rob Frost from Mountain Journeys is now offering up significantly discounted places for CMC members on his own courses! Rob has six spaces available on a three day Intro to Mountaineering plus snow camping course from the 27-29th of July at a price of only $690 for CMC members!
Rob is the author of the Aoraki/Mt Cook guidebook, loyal CMC member, and one of NZ’s most experienced transalpinists.
This is a seriously good price and a great opportunity for anyone who missed out on one of our courses and the extra day allows time to practice avalanche rescue skills – something our beginner courses don’t usually teach. Like our own courses, you will need to bring your own food and equipment, although Rob can also rent out some gear at a very affordable price if needed.
Rob also runs a number of other snow skill courses, including two women-only courses. On these courses all food and equipment are provided, and CMC members can sign up to these for $1,150 (normal price is $1,475). No excuses to not get involved this year!
📸Rob Frost
🏰CMC Club Trip: Mt Torlesse - Castle Hill Peak
Gilad Wagner, our local alpine philosopher has once again been pushing himself to new heights on a recent club trip from Mt Torlesse, to the Gap, to Castle Hill Peak; a local must-do excursion. Gilad works in business mentoring, and has been discovering the numerous links between performance in the alpine world to the corporate world. Hear what he has to say…
Last Saturday, I found myself unable to sleep, overwhelmed with excitement. A few hours later, I joined a team of four women and four men I had never met, climbing a mountain at an insane angle, panting heavily. We started in the dark, on flat ground, and after 5 kilometers, the climb became very steep and very long. I found myself constantly battling the freezing cold, trying to figure out how I got into this situation and what I needed to change to turn it around. An hour and a half into the climb, I found myself walking on the top of a beautiful snowy ridge, my whole body felt warm and comfortable. The scenery was breathtaking, and the gear felt just right. The excitement was through the roof, and the enjoyment was maximal.
Suddenly, it hit me—the similarity between the challenge of mountaineering and leading a successful business. When you're climbing in extreme conditions, in severe cold, at high altitudes, in snow and ice, there are many decisions to be made. Many systems need to function properly. There are numerous risks to manage and a lot of gear to choose from. Each type of glove, boot, or ice axe is suited to a specific need or environment. There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all. Just as every system in a business or every employee or manager has their strengths and weaknesses, there's no one manager who's good at everything. The ability to choose which gloves, boots, or coat to use and when is like the ability to choose which people to place where and which systems to install in your organization.
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 - In climbing, as in business, if you don't pay attention for a moment, things can become uncomfortable, even dangerous. Your toes might freeze, or you might lose feeling in your fingers. There's a solution for everything, but you need to be alert to the small clues. When your fingers start to freeze, you need to squeeze them and move or put on another pair of gloves. When your foot starts to hurt, you need to stop and put on a band-aid or tighten the laces, and just before you cross the ridge, chances are the wind will be very strong at the top, so it's worth putting on a protective layer. We have clues around us, but we need to be attentive to them and know the solution. It's the same in business. Not all our systems work perfectly all the time. Everything has a solution, but we need to be alert to the early signs, understand what works and what doesn't, and be ready to invest the resources to fix it in advance, not after a crisis.
𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 - To achieve success, we need to take calculated risks and put in the effort. To climb high peaks, you need the right training, gear, and experience. You can't do it alone, that is too dangerous. The same goes for business. If we want to achieve special, impressive goals, to double, triple, conquer new peaks, we need to acquire the right systems , build the right team, create a strategy, have the tools, and then work hard and execure. There's no way to reach the top of the mountain without effort. (And even if you took a helicopter to get there, the experience is different).
𝗧𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 - One of the unique things about mountain climbing is that snowy, icy conditions and the weather change very quickly and significantly affect the route choice. This is exactly like a strategy that's right at the time it's created, but reality changes, and we sometimes need to make many detours to implement our strategy. While we were walking, there were moments when I was at the front with the leader of the climb, able to help make decisions and influence the direction, pace, etc. But there were also moments when I found myself lagging behind, and then I realized two things: first, when I'm behind, my motivation is much lower. I connect with the difficulty of those around me and focus on the pain or the cold, not on leading and enjoying… And the second thing is that you can't influence (or it's very hard to influence) when you're at the back of the line. To influence, you need to be at the front, at the decision-making table, and be ready to take the risk of making a mistake—but the reward can be the ability to influence.
𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 - At the end of every climb, just like in business, there's a moment of stopping and looking back. The silence up there, while the wind blows and the view stretches out before you, is a time for reflection and understanding of all the decisions, investments, and challenges you've faced along the way. Just as the climb allows you to examine yourself and your abilities, so too in business management, you need to take time to stop, look back, evaluate what worked and what didn’t, learn from the experiences, and plan the next step based on those insights.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲- 𝗴𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱- 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺! When you're climbing a mountain, you're not alone. You have a team, and there's immense value in working together, in mutual support, motivation, safety, abilities and a lot more. It's exactly the same in business—the greatest successes come when there's a strong, cohesive team, where each team member brings their strengths and works together towards a common goal.
The conclusion is clear— to lead and manage successfully, you need the ability to identify challenges in time, listen to the small clues and act accordingly, invest the effort and time needed to solve problems, and always remember it's important to be at the forefront of leaders and be part of a strong and united team.
Amazing insights! Thanks Gilad for sharing, and check out these beautiful pics from the alpine traverse that inspired today’s inspirational message. It’s crazy to think this is all just an hour’s drive away from Christchurch.
📸Butch Gamboa
🗻Temple Basin Arthur’s Pass Meet - CMC Social Trip: August 2-4
Byron Harvey is running a social trip for anyone comfortable climbing grade 2 or higher. If you do not have a partner, we will look to pair people up. We will be camping overnight above Temple Basin to enjoy two full days of climbing.
Date: Friday 2nd August – Sunday 4th August
Itinerary: Depart Christchurch from Yaldhurst McDonalds at 6pm on Friday and head up to Kennedy lodge (Arthur’s Pass). Early Saturday we will head up to Temple Basin and climb all day. We will bring shared food and drink to socialise on Saturday night while camping (away from the ski field). We may look at getting everyone to contribute some cash ($25) for shared food.
Previous experience required: Confidence using ice axe and crampons, avalanche awareness, navigation, etc. Comfortable grade 2 climbing.
Gear required: Must have 2 axes, crampons, rigid boots, helmet, transceiver, harness and share a rope, snow stakes and other trad gear. Bivvy / camping gear.
Questions: If you have any questions about the trip, feel free to contact Bryon Harvey or trips@cmc.net.nz.
Sign up here: https://cmc.net.nz/.../mt-temple-meet-arthurs-pass-11-13.../
👩🦱An Evening with Lydia Bradey - July 26th, 7-9pm
Proceeds go to restoring backcountry huts!
Where: Aurora Centre, Christchurch, Canterbury
When: Friday July 26th, 7-9pm
The CMC is proud to support an upcoming event that all CMC members would be interested in: an evening with Lydia Bradey, interviewed by well known rock climber John Palmer.
Lydia Bradey is a sought-after Mountain Guide and Professional speaker boasting 6 ascents of Mt Everest including the first female ascent without oxygen, 10 ascents over 8000m and over 35 expeditions over 6000m. Lydia is a passionate mountaineer with a story to tell about extreme physical environments and how to overcome insecurity, fear and discomfort by developing a mindset of resilience, and an addiction for experiences.
Guest interviewer John Palmer is also a passionate climber who loves nothing more than a good conversation about climbing. John has climbed all over the world, has co-authored climbing guidebooks, is an internationally published climbing writer and photographer.
An Evening with Lydia Bradey promises to be thought-provoking, entertaining and inspirational event for anyone connected with the outdoors.
All proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Permolat Trust which has a mission to restore Back Country Huts.
🌄Three Tarn Pass - Lewis Pass
Two of our youngest active members, Jenny Bratschi (15) and Nicolas Bratschi (14), have been getting after it in the Lewis Pass area. These energetic siblings from Hamner have no trouble having their parents drive them to attend every CMC and NZAC event out there on school nights, only to climb up a storm on the weekends.
Recently the pair managed to climb to Three Tarn Pass above Ada Pass Hut, and in the near future hope to be back to summit Gloriana Peak. Here’s Jenny:
First half of the climb was a bit of a slog with the ground being pretty swampy. The second half gave way to more technical terrain with there were steeper faces and more compact snow. The snow wasn’t the best and I wouldn’t recommend skiing on it. The tarns were stunning though and it was a nice day for it.
Great work Jenny and Nicolas!
👨👩👧👦CMC Club Trips coming up!
We are heading into the best time of the season for climbing and skiing in Arthur’s Pass, Canterbury and beyond - August and Sendtember.
Keen to join a CMC club trip?
Check the CMC Trips Calendar
Run a trip! Email trips@cmc.net.nz and Simon and Ciara will help you to get the word out.
Join the CMC Newbie Mountaineers Connect chat to see recent conditions, debate gear choices, and join informal trips.
📸Rob Frost
🧗Intro to Mountaineering Course Report
The CMC Instruction course season is in full swing now, and we are hearing some high praise on the courses so far. Despite the lean snowpack, there is plenty of alpine terrain on offer for our courses to learn the deft arts of mountaineering.
Jennifer Tregurtha had a fantastic first mountaineering experience at Temple Basin last weekend:
Last weekend's CMC Intro to Mountaineering course was awesome! Incredible weather across both days. We were lucky to get some decent cramponing conditions and to have the chance to learn a lot of useful skills, including a go at a couple of slightly steeper sections on a top rope and learning how to create some improv belays etc.
Big thanks to the instructors for putting on such a great weekend filled with lots of useful knowledge and skills to help us have the confidence to get out into the mountains in the future.
🍿NZ Mountain Film Festival - Thursday 22nd August
For the next CMC Club night in August, we are hosting a screening of the famous NZ Mountain Film Festival (NZMFF) on Thursday 22 August at Heaton Normal Intermediate School. Please arrive 6pm, films start 6:30pm. This is another great fundraiser for the club to go towards our 100-year centenary project, so please come! Tickets will be on sale next week!
Check out the NZMFF trailer:
🪓CMC July Club Night - How to Start Mountaineering
Our July club night was a massive hit, with over 70 people, novice & experienced, packing out the Pioneer Stadium to hear from 4 speakers sharing topics on starting out in mountaineering. Rob Frost shared classic old quotes extolling transalpinism and provided an interactive session covering all the skills you should learn. Jamie Macallister briefed us on weather, avalanche and other logistics, and Darius fit us out with boots and crampons. Our president Alida gave some deep thoughts on redefining success and failure in the mountains. A really fun and instructive night for everyone!
📸Hugh Logan
💰Expedition Grant Applications
We have received five amazing expedition grant applications!
Have a read and let us know which expedition you think the CMC should support. Of course, we hope all of these incredible trips go ahead. In no particular order…
Rakiura Sea Kayak and Rock Climbing Expedition
Ruari is proposing to travel by sea kayak to Port Pegasus on Rakiura / Stewart Island to attempt new rock route(s) on Gog and Magog each, in the proposed Southern Rakiura Wilderness Area at the Southern, wild end of Rakiura.
Gardens of Eden to Fox Glacier Transalpine Traverse
Emily’s vision is to traverse the Southern Alps from the Garden of Eden to the Fox Glacier. She would like to complete this in approximately 25 days, using navigation, mountaineering and teamwork skills. She and her team are university students and being in the mountains is an important part of their lives.
We will aim aim to spend time enjoying the beauty of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, the Southern Alps, in a way that we don’t have the time to experience during the university year. This will be a challenging journey and we look forward to dealing with the problems that arise along the way as a team. These trips for me are about exploration, doing something that very few have done. Going to those wild, remote and seldom visited places really helps me appreciate the intrinsic value which the natural landscape has. We hope to use our experiences from this trip to teach and inspire other university students in OUTC, and to inform others of the importance of respecting the unique wilderness that we have in Aotearoa.
Aoraki/Mt Cook to Arthur’s Pass Traverse
Louis, inspired by the many great transalpine traverses of current and past generations, has his eyes set on a very unique Southern Alps traverse. He and his expedition partners plan to spend 68 days traversing north from Aoraki/Mt Cook to Arthur’s Pass via some of the most remote & wild waypoints in the Southern Alps: Douglas Neve, La Perouse glacier, Spencer Glacier, Neish Plateau… all finishing out the glorious Waimakariri.
Exploratory climbing in the Tian Shan range
Scott is keen to head abroad to the Tian Shan Range which straddles the border between China and Kyrgyzstan and bisects the ancient territory of Turkistan. They would like to attempt to climb the Northeast Ridge of Muzat I.
Big Wall Free Climbing in Greenland
Sophie’s vision while over in Greenland will be to establish a hard big wall free climb up to difficulties of grade 25. She and her teammates have chosen south Greenland, and specifically the base camp location listed below, due to the sheer variety of excellent climbing that can be had within close proximity. This trip aims to be extremely full on with multiple objectives ranging from technical ridge scrambling to hard big wall like objectives. The team has been training in Yosemite earlier this year, and is confident that they will thrive on the solid granite that Greenland can offer.
Wow! What a line up of daring adventures. Vote below!
🎗️CMC Mountaineer & Volunteer of the Year Awards
CMC presents two awards each year: Mountaineer of the Year and “Mahi Aroha” Volunteer of the Year award. These awards are given to those who have made significant mountaineering contributions, by way of outstanding ascents, or unrivalled service to the club. Who are your heroes? Honour them by nominating them for this year’s CMC Awards.
🧗Climbs Log
CMC Members escaped the city in droves this July, locking in countless summits throughout Canterbury, and better yet, recorded them on the CMC Climbs Log! Here is the hit list:
Nick Robilliard and Jonathan Tye completed the Phipps-Temple Traverse in Arthur’s Pass on an absolute banger of a day.
Hugh Logan climbed Hamilton Peak in the Craigieburns
Tom Hawkins climbed Mount Hutt North Peak, showing the skiers how its done
Ciara Corrigan and David Sheahan climbed Mt Philistine, complete with a summit beer
Dave Laffan, James Thornton and Nina Dickerhof ascended Mt Wakeman
Alex and Wako knocked off Cassidy-Blimit, Aicken, Bealey, Lyell and Avalanche Peak, is that all?
Chris Tipper and Guy McKinnon scaled Backbone Peak from the Dobson Valley
Dom and his friend climbed Castle Hill Peak, with excellent style
Sam Holt climbed Mt Alexander on the West Coast
If you have topped any summits, record them in the CMC Climbs Log!
📖Climbing Accident Analysis
It’s important to learn from mistakes, without blame or judgement. The image below was shared on social media for the climbing community to learn from as it resulted in an injury. The anchor below was constructed at the top of an ice climb and used by a party for top roping and abseiling. Before reading on, think about what is wrong with this anchor, there are at least three problems.
Unfortunately for one climber, after some time of this anchor being in use, the sling unraveled and a climber took a bad fall. Fortunately, the climber survived.
Here is some analysis:
Joining knot. The anchor material is 16mm nylon tubular webbing. This sling has been cut from a reel (rather than a sewn loop) and the ends have been joined with a flat overhand bend (aka. overhand knot). This type of knot/bend is suitable for tying two ropes together for an abseil, but is not an appropriate way to join tubular webbing. The most common method for joining ends of tubular webbing is the Water Knot.
It is known that cyclical loading of a Water Knot can cause the outer strap to work loose, therefore this knot should be tied with long tails, at least 7.5cm, and the knot should be cinched tight to secure it. The tails in the picture above look to be less than 5cm.
Redundancy. Despite this anchor having three ice screws, it is not redundant, because a single failure (the joining knot) caused the entire anchor to fail. The easiest way to make this anchor redundant would have been to tie an overhand knot at the masterpoint, rather than using a sliding X. Another handy method is the girth-hitch masterpoint. While the sliding-X allows the anchor to self equalise, it lacks any redundancy, and would result in large amount of extension if any one piece were to fail. In general, a sliding-X is not recommended for trad anchors.
It’s possible that the anchor builder decided not to tie a masterpoint knot because the sling was too short, tying a knot uses up a lot of material, and would have result in increasing the angle between the outer pieces. It is already 90 degrees which is already increasing vector forces on the outer pieces more than an ideal setup. The “ideal” angle between 2 pieces is 45 degrees, which would result in 54% of the total weight applied to each point (in a two point setup). At 90 degrees, each piece sees 71% of the total weight. The solution here would be to bring the pieces slightly closer together, or use a longer sling, or extend the top piece with an additional short sling.
You may wonder why 45 degrees is a more “ideal” angle than say 0-30 degrees. Angles below 45 degrees achieve only marginally better load distribution to a minimum of 50%, but become much more sensitive to a change in direction of the load, very easily shifting all of the weight onto one of the two pieces.
Top roping on an ice anchor. Ice is a dynamic medium and its strength can change very quickly, especially if the air temperature increases, or there is direct solar radiation. Even on a very cold day, direct solar can loosen the screws and drastically reduce their strength.
The above anchor location looks like a shady spot, but if the sun came round later in the day, the ice could melt quickly directly around the ice screws which conduct heat into the ice. A better setup for repeated top roping on ice would be equalised v-threads (or, rock/bolts/trees if available). Use two opposing (or one triple action) locking carabiners for the rope attachment since it will be unattended.
Anchor material. Nylon sling is OK when used properly, but consider using alternative such as 7mm cordalette or sewn dyneema sling (60/120/240cm) like in the images below.
Note that loaded, frozen knots in dyneema can be very hard to undo, so consider clipping a single snap biner in the knot to help with this.
🧑🎨 Centenary Fundraiser Art Auction
Call out to any artists - we’re looking for art for our Centenary Fundraiser Auction in September. Please send through all art by August 31st to events@cmc.net.nz.
❄️See you next month!
Winter is here! How do you rate your avalanche skills? Have you taken a course yet? The MSC have put together an excellent online course which you can do in the comfort of your own home. Take this Online Avalanche Course before you next launch out to battle the white dragon.
Also, check out earth.nullschool.net to see some cool meteorological models for what is happening with the weather on the grand scale, track the highs and lows to see where the flow of air is coming from, and look at pressure at different elevations. Learning more about how the weather works can massively improve your chances of reaching that elusive summit.
I now leave you with this masterpiece of cinematography, editing and auditory delight from one of our most prolific members, who shall remain anonymous…
ℹ️CMC Information
About CMC News: The CMC News is the official journal of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club: PO Box 2415, Christchurch 8140. All feedback welcome – please email publications@cmc.net.nz.
Meetings: CMC Club nights are held on the third Thursday every month in the Clubroom upstairs at Pioneer Sports Stadium, Lyttelton Street, Spreydon. Turn up 7pm for socialising, 7.30pm start. Beer and other drinks are usually available for the donation of a gold coin. Any suggestions for club nights email clubnights@cmc.net.nz.
Facebook Group: Check out the CMC Facebook Group to see member’s photos and general discussion.
Instagram: Check out what CMC members have been up to on the CMC Instagram.
Website: Head to www.cmc.net.nz for club information: hut payments, membership, trips, climbs log & more.
