Alpine Strategy NZAC presentation
Above is the powerpoint from the talk I did for the NZAC Canterbury Westland section on 13th May 2021
Ice Climbing
Further reading Here are some links for further reading, as mentioned in my talk for the NZ Alpine Club ice climbing course: "Tips & Trick for Technical Ice Climbing". The links cover some of the content I would typically teach on the NZAC’s ice climbing course: "Leading on technical ice". It's not an exhaustive list by any means but attempts…
Locked down in Wanaka
Lockdown: in Wanaka the most obvious change is the noise. It’s super quiet, eerie everybody says, and there is not as much hustle and bustle. No planes, tourist buses or minivans. No construction or “progress” either - economic progress that is. Everything’s been put on hold. Lots more bird life around in urban areas especially Fantails. Here in Wanaka and…
Escape to the mountains
All trips and tours are off. It’s an interesting time for me to think about why I go into the mountains, and why my clients will pay to go with me. Usually when you talk to people about why they want to get into the “hills” as you call it, it’s to get away or escape. For me it was…
Alone on the Matterhorn
When people ask me “When is the best time for the Matterhorn?” I always answer "it's impossible to say". Spring can be too snowy on the Hörnli ridge and you get snow storms into the start of summer. Mid-summer has frequent thunderstorms which are quite unpredictable and are extremely hazardous on the Matterhorn, so you have to get up and…