I've had a great time in New Zealand, spending time with family and spending time in the mountains. Wonderful weather, new friends, and exploring some new places.
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| Christchurch in the Distance from the Top of Castle Hill Peak |
The first part of my outdoor adventures included joining the New Zealand Alpine Club "Summer Camp". This year the camp was up at the Broken River Ski Field Lodges, near Arthur's Pass. This is a great location for basing all kinds of hikes and climbs from.
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| Approach Up the Otira River Valley to Mt. Rolleston |
This was an attempt to climb Mt. Rolleston via the Otira scree. We expected that the weather was not going to be great, but were prepared to climb if the weather did clear. At the head of the valley the rain became continuous and the clouds moved in making the decision to not attempted the scree climb easy. Still a nice hike in this beautiful region.
Click here for the photo gallery.
Since the weather was looking not very favorable for the next day or so, my new climbing partner, Nate, and I decided to regroup in Christchurch, planning to go to Mt. Sommers for some
trad climbing. The approach, rated 'easy' by the brochure, was a sweaty, exhausting climb for myself with 38lb pack.
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Climbing Opportunities on the Side of Mt. Sommers
(the Pinnacles Hut is at the right side of the picture)
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Nate and I really climbed some great pitches over the few days. Great weather, fantastic crag (despite using my alpine boots), and nice area (despite a hut at capacity). The best trad crack climbing is found on the remains of the ancient rhyolite dome of Mt. Sommers. Side note: Active Kiwi families are something, as the Pinnacles hut was full of families and kids as young as age 3. Impressive.
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