Archive for the ‘New Zealand’ Category
Snowbound at Kingston Cafe
16/08/2011More Snow in NZ
16/08/2011Snow Goes Nowhere
14/08/2011OK I Spoke too Soon..
NZ: Where Does the Snow Go?
14/08/2011
A few days after the storm, the snow will melt to the 500-900m level, leaving the lakeside green and lush as if no storm had ever passed this way.
The South Island at 300m does have snowstorms, – we’re in the middle of one now, see the video shot a few moments ago. But in a few days, a week at the most, this scene will probably be a distant memory. There will be green grass and sunny days – like a schizo change from dug-in to hanging out. It’s a little like the western Washington’s winters.
Last month however, we had a good storm, that sent cars skidding off the Queenstown lakeside road and as well as points south to Lumsden. The road in both directions was closed for 24hrs due to the storm, with travelers stuck at our local Kingston store/cafe, reminiscent of a treacherous day I’d had on I-80 west of Laramie, Wyoming, where I ended up waiting it out in a truckstop near Elk Mountain or Rawlins. Maybe this storm will be the same.
I was geared up, mentally, when the last one hit. I was digging in for the long haul and getting wood in near the stove, keeping ahead of the accumulation by shoveling and keep the van cleared off. It was reminding me of New Hampshire, or when I lived in Albion Basin in Alta, Utah. But then it all changed. I was all dressed up and ready for winter, and it all melted, but it didn’t in adjacent higher elevations..
There will be good skiing up high, that’s for sure.
Winter Scenes in Southern New Zealand
30/07/2011I shot most of these images within the last few days, the panorama was shot this afternoon.
Images ©Mountain Spirit Institute
Early Morning Light on Lake Wakatipu Mountains
Early Morning Light Above Queenstown, NZ
AlpenGlow on Lake Wakatipu, NZ
Clouc over the Southern Remarkables, this afternoon.
Light touching the peaks east of Lake Wakatipu
Alpenglow on high peaks, South of Queenstown, NZ
Panorama from Kingston, NZ, taken this afternoon
A NZ Earthquake’s Lightshow
11/07/2011Fishermen See Flashes of Light as Quake Hits Port
Lyttleton, New Zealand,
From: The Press*
By Paul Gorman
Gary Vallance, Photo: Stacy Squires
Light show: While fishing on Lyttelton Harbour on June 13 Gary Vallance saw blue lights flashing in the water at the precise time the magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck.
Flashes of blue light in the deep waters of Lyttelton Harbour mystified the four occupants of a fishing boat on June 13.
Heading back to port after a largely unsuccessful trip in search of groper, Christchurch engineer Gary Vallance and three friends experienced the 2.20pm magnitude-6.3 earthquake from a different perspective in their seven-metre boat.
They did not feel the magnitude-5.6 quake at 1pm, when they were in deeper water near Pigeon Bay.
However, Vallance put their lack of fishing success down to the shake and unexpected swells.
“We were about halfway up the harbour between the heads and Lyttelton when the second one hit,” he said.
“I was looking out the front of the boat and I saw a couple of blue
flashes down in the water
was definitely a flash, a dim blue flash.
“Almost immediately, the boat shuddered and the guy driving it wondered what the bell it was. He thought he’d run into something.
“Then we saw all rocks coming down the hillsides.
“The blue flashes were about 100 metres to the side of the vessel and shot from left to right in a straight line across us. Then the next minute it was like the boat hit something.”
He wondered if the flickering blue light was the result of friction from rocks on the harbour bottom grinding together as the quake struck.
Canterbury University geological sciences professor Jarg Pettinga said what they saw was possibly the effects of the energy of the P-wave (primary wave) moving through the water.
“The shockwave may have released some bubbles of gas from sediment or it may be something to do with the way the light was interfering wiht the water as the seismic wave was coming through.”
* The Press is an excellent newspaper, and their coverage of the earthquake through it all, has been fantastic. If you’d like to keep up on the latest earthquake news please visit their website, or if you’re on the South Island, purchase a copy.
Don’t Buy It
17/06/2011
Selling Success Thru Consuming
A recent full page ad on the inside front cover of New Zealand Alpine Club‘s The Climber* Magazine shows a truly burly shot of climber Alex Honnold in Borneo, doing a dyno move on what looks like a long potential fall on a big wall. Granted the sequence is impressive, (let’s be clear, I can’t do that), but the ad states, “ALEX IS DRY, His Meru Goretex Paclite Jacket allows him to focus on the next move.”
OK, ok, stop the music. Does this make we want to rush right out and buy a Meru Paclite Jacket? Not. But if the Meru Paclite jacket allows him to focus on that dyno, maybe it will allow ME to focus on my next move too, just like the ad in the picture. My criticism is albeit a cliche, nevertheless, I don’t buy it.
Kiwis are known for being a self-depreciating, humble bunch. They seem to buy used whenever possible, plus it blends into the backcountry better. Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t go climbing with someone who has new gear?” This doesn’t mean to avoid climbing and teaching new to the sport, but more it means watching out for a poser.
The Kiwi quietude is making me, in my conditioned Americanism, feel downright goofy. I feel I may be tooting my own horn without even knowing . Mind you, I consider myself on the humble side, but New Zealanders make me look like Donald Trump. I wonder however, how many climbers reading that magazine are taken by the ad. I would suspect a few more of my fellow Yankees stateside might be taken in. What do you think? Comment below.
Don’t buy it – buy used. Even though I’m able to buy on pro-purchase programs, I just bought a pair of Karhu BC skis on Craigslist, and it feels good. Did I even need them in the first place, yes. Maybe a step further, and a pair from the Salvation Army here in Queenstown for $40 would have sufficed. We can always improve.
Buying this Book? Share it.
Nope, I wouldn’t buy a used rope, or even cams, but buying most other stuff used just helps the planet, and you look better in a used jacket anyway. It’s another dirtbag move for the planet. Madison Avenue and the big corps who now own The North Face, (and now Karhu) don’t like guys like us. We’re terrible consumers – Have you joined the crowd?
According to a new book by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers, What’s Mine is Yours, The rise of Collaborative Consumption, the trend is huge – to buy less, buy used and share. I’ll write more about this book after I finish it. So far it’s fascinating.
*This is no way meant to be a slam on The Climber advertising policies, in fact the author encourages readers to support the magazine by supporting its advertisers, appropriately. A tricky one, eh?
By the way, nice move Alex.
Taking Time for the View
15/06/2011
Remarkable Moonrise
I had an hour available on my way home after running some errands in nearby Queenstown, and thought I’d take a quick drive up the access road to the Remarkables Ski Area. Although there’s no snow on the slopes, I thought I’d have a pretty good chance of getting some evening shots. I had missed out on the night before with an incredible red sky on the waters
Alta Basin, The Remarkables, Queenstown, NZ
of Lake Wakatipu, a hue created from the Chile volcano, so thought see what I could find tonight. It doesn’t take much to make a good photo here. Just show up and point the camera, the land and light do the rest.
You might have a busy day, but take the time to get out, bring your camera or better yet, a sketch book or some water colours, or go for a climb, and take a break.
New Zealand Backcountry
28/05/2011
Mt Eyre, NZ Backcountry
I feel a backcountry ski adventure coming on. Last week I ventured out 15 minutes from our house here in Kingston, New Zealand and ended up driving down a farm road, off the nearest side canyon from the main north-south road to NZ’s southern tip. A view similar to this can be seen from the main road, but the closer I got into the back valley, following the Mataura River, I was led to this view of Mt. Eyre. This is not one of the major peaks in the area, by any stretch, but it’s close to our place and what looks like some good backcountry skiing potential. As we near winter down here in the southern hemisphere, I’ll getting my skis sharpened, this may be my a ski area of choice due to its proximity, at least to the trailhead.
Elitism in the Mountains
27/05/2011By R. Richards
The "Lodge" at Routeburn!
Fellow MSI board member Bob Stremba and I recently decided to spend a couple of days on New Zealand’s Routeburn walk, one of the famous tracks in the Southern Alps. We did it last week, during the shoulder season so there were only a handful of people on the trail. But I can imagine the numbers grow exorbitantly during the summer months. Fair enough, that’s how New Zealand has decided to funnel foreign hikers, and showcase tourism into a few of the well-known tramps. Milford Sound not far away is another.
Hi There!
All went well, aside from a bit of rain. We met some nice hikers, one from Ireland, Australia, Switzerland and four from Canada. We stayed at the small Routeburn Flats hut, and the next day proceeded to the Routeburn Falls hut for a quick lunch break . That’s when something seemed out of place. First, the size of the Department of Conservation (DOC) hut was quite impressive, equipped to handle large amounts of hikers. I then noticed above me, and pondered what in the world, could the huge building possibly be that stood above the DOC hut? Since it was the off season, this larger upper building was closed, bit we could peek in the windows . As I approached, a big wooden sign in front of the building called out the “Routeburn Falls Lodge”. I saw a smaller sign behind it, mounted on the wall stating: “Strictly Guided Walkers Only” adding “Independent walkers please continue on to the DOC Hut.”
Private Rooms for the Gentry
The irony of first class and coach system arriving in the mountains struck me immediately with the thought that there should be a sign on the DOC hut stating, “Strictly Independent Walkers, Guided hikers should continue on to the nearest Hilton”. Of course I don’t really feel that way, but it was the first thing that came to mind. Better yet, maybe the cognoscenti should overthrow the highfalutin hut and invite the coach class to join them, (and possibly even have a food fight).
The only site I can remotely remember seeing like this was in the Alps. Of course high living gentiles are still staying in the hotels just below the faces of the Matterhorn and Eiger. The only class arrangement I can remember seeing was in the Alpine Club huts of the Alps where the mountain quide’s quarters, were separated from us chattel climbers. But this, here in New Zealand was a whole other matter. I’m sure Oliver James, author of Affluenza would be proud of most Kiwis who shun this sort of thing in their mountains. I then found my tolerance level further tested with another sign telling “independent hikers” to a) turn around, b) march their little butts down to where they belong c) and stay there, all with the Orwellian salutation of “Hi There!” See the actual text in the image above.
Bob Stremba, overlooking the Backcountry (?)
I hope that “haute couture” in the backcountry stops with this hut. I’m assuming there may be others though. Even though this super-duper hut sits in the heart of the Routeburn, in the real backcountry, we’re still all the same. The problem is, having such a lodge like this goes a long way in destroying the very experience the concession is trying to offer. By its very nature, it removes itself from the backcountry. It brings the virulent virus – the epidemic of affluenza to the doorstep of paradise. Tell us what you think about allowing such multiple uses on government land such as luxury lodges (such as this one run by Ultimate Hikes) Is it a bad idea? Are we missing something about the land use plans of NZ?
If you’re thinking of taking a guided hike, suggest to your guide that he put you up with the rest of us. You’ll find it much more inspiring. Also suggest that they could change their signs to a less snooty sort.
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