Summer Rock 2008
By Gill James
It’s a Tuesday night in early February and the first session of the Summer Rock course at Ferg’s. There are 12 students – Melody, Clare, Catherine, Ralf, Neil, Dawn, Shichang, Gwen, Sarah, Kate, Lou and me (Gill) – most of whom have done a little climbing before. There is a sense of nervous anticipation as we sit around putting on shoes and harnesses and listening to Scott introduce the course and the instructors.
Over the course of the next few Tuesday nights, we learn to climb, belay, abseil, lead climb and tie anchors. At first we spend a bit of time each session on the bouldering wall learning how to use holds for our hands and feet, practising in-lines and diagonals, and then practising on the slab, in my case, using any hold I can reach. Helpful advice comes from the floor: “there is a good hold for your right foot up by your elbow. Can you get your foot there, then get your weight over it and stand up”.
We spend a couple of Tuesdays focusing on abseiling with Blair. He runs through safety issues and how to set up for abseiling with three of us at a time, then each in turn we attach ourselves to the rope, talk through our set up to Blair and the other students and one by one stand up on the ledge, undo our safety sling and step backwards to descend rather slowly to the ground. Then we do it again, and again.
Later in the course, we learn about knots and anchors, and to lead climb out the back at Ferg’s. Clare belays when it is my turn to try lead climbing. We have chosen a climb which is in a corner and has a large fat bulge of an overhang two thirds of the way up. It’s not too difficult at first and I manage to climb and clip the rope into the first three quickdraws relatively easily, then I come to the overhang. I have one foot wedged against a small protrusion on the side wall and the other pushing into a round hold just above the overhang on the main wall. I’m not happy with where my hands are; my right hand is losing its grip on the hold, so I try to adjust it, so that I can use my other hand to clip the rope I have pulled up with me. Before I manage that my left hand starts to slip. Somehow I do a backward flip and suddenly I am face down in sky diving style not very far above Clare’s startled face. The force of my fall has pulled her right off the ground.
Trip to Wharepapa South
Friday night after work the Summer Rock students and instructors meet at Wellington railway station. We are waiting for Blair and Scott to arrive in hired vans to take us to Wharepapa South, somewhere north west of Lake Taupo. This will be our first weekend away.
We pile into the vans; it’s a long drive – 6 hours – and we arrive at Bryce’s backpackers at 1 am.
Next morning we’re to leave Bryce’s at 9 am but somehow it’s 9.30 before the last instructor and student are winkled out of Bryce’s shop. We drive the short distance to Froggatt Edge, park the vans and get ready for the rock.
The instructors set up top ropes on the Slug Wall for warm up climbs. The rock is ignimbrite and pitted with small holes. There is a generous ledge well up the wall, conveniently placed for a rest stop. A couple of climbs and it’s after midday already. It’s scorching and the climbs are in the sun – we go through a lot of sunblock and water.
After lunch we move down to Bring Your Daughter wall and Retour for some practice lead climbing. I am feeling a little nervous so Scott takes me up to a large boulder to practise lead climbing without me having to worry about falling. It’s disconcerting that he only has to walk round the back of the boulder to check my efforts at tying anchors. Encouraged I feel prepared to have a go at a short easy-looking lead climb.
After showers back at Bryce’s, we head into Te Awamutu to the Redoubt for dinner. The Redoubt is full to overflowing; people are standing drinking on the street and the bar itself is crammed and noisy. We stay only long enough to eat and then head back to bed.
Sunday morning a number of people are sporting shiny new gear having got up early to make the most of Bryce’s shop. We are all in the vans by 9.15 and heading back to Froggatt Edge; this time we start off in Animal Biscuit Valley. Scott has some of us tying anchors at the bottom of Retour, while the others revisit the Slug Wall.
Emily belays me while I practise lead climbing on Retour which has a tricky little chimney-like feature that is rather lacking in holds (at least for the vertically challenged). At the top I attach my safety to one of the bolts and call “safe!” And it feels very safe since there is enough room at the top for me to sit comfortably while I prepare to abseil down.
“Off belay?”
“Off belay.” I clip some coils of rope to my harness and untie the rope from the belay loop. I run the end of the rope through the bolts looping it as I pull it through. When I have pulled enough rope through to reach the ground, I throw the loops of rope down.
“Rope!”
The rope now comes up from the ground through the bolts and down to the ground again. I tie my prusik round the double thickness of rope well below the bolts and fasten it to my harness with a carabiner and lock the carabiner, then taking hold of the rope above the prusik I push a loop of rope from each side of the bolts through my belay device and attach all to my safety sling with another carabiner. I lock the carabiner. I lean back to test that this set up will hold me. It does, so I undo my safety from the bolts and stand up with my back to the drop, lean back slowly and start to abseil down.
After lunch I feel sufficiently rested and confident to try something a little harder. This time Catherine belays for me and I attempt Moon Base Alpha as my last climb of the day. It’s tricky as it starts at the edge of a shallow cave but somehow I haul myself up and then it’s almost vertical. At first there are plenty of holds but as I climb higher and my arms start to ache, it becomes more challenging. Almost at the last little ridge I make the mistake of looking down. Sore arms and vertigo decide me on retreat, despite the urging of those below me.
Catherine, though, still has lots of energy; she climbs the slab to the left of the Moon Boulder (which we misread as Superwitch) before it’s time to head home.
Whanganui Bay, Lake Taupo
Another Friday evening departure and drive to Whanganui Bay on the western shore of Lake Taupo. We arrive in the dark and walk from the car park to the camping area carrying our gear and setting up camp by the light of head torches.
Saturday morning after a surprisingly good sleep, Kate and I are last up, but no-one’s rushing so there is time for breakfast and espresso – the latter courtesy of Ralf. About 9.30 we head off along the beach to the Whekenui Cliffs.
At the cliffs, groups of three (two learners with an instructor) prepare for different climbs. Shane has picked out a climb with a crack running up it for Gwen and me to warm up on. Then it’s a two pitch climb with Shane leading, Gwen next attached to the rope with an alpine butterfly, then me last. As I get to the top of the first pitch I get my head above the trees and can see the spectacular view of the valley and the bay. A short distance away I can see Shichang on Tibia.
We abseil down from the top of the second pitch and decide to try 50 Dean Street – the second part of this is a real challenge for me even with Shane belaying me from the top, but I get there in the end to the relief of both of us. To wrap up the day we climb Surrogate.
It’s early evening as we wander back along the beach towards the camp and we can see some figures standing out in the lake. Gwen and I quickly get changed and go in for a swim. By the time we have got out and got dressed, most of the others are sitting around enjoying Scott’s delicious stew, and wine or beer, then out comes the chocolate and licorice.
Next morning we march off to the Plateau to try some different climbs before we have to get back on the road south.
Thanks to all the instructors for a great course and two wonderful weekends – Scott, Blair, Derek, Lou, Siobhan, Callum, Shane, Marcus, Emily and Matt (and to Reuben for his quiet supervision from below).