Lafayette Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I've got time, and frequent flier miles burning a whole in my pocket. South America? New Zealand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Sell me your FF miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 what do you want to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Don't go to NZ - it blows. It could be good, but the weather is so bad you can't get much done. If you decide to waste your money on NZ, PM me and I can tell you some decent spots to go to avoid the inevitable rain. The Anti-NZ crusader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lafayette Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Ouch, I'm actually a native Kiwi so truly harsh. I lived on the South Island for six months and didn't think it was bad. Wasn't climbing, but got some epic snowboarding in during their winter, and some beach time during their spring/summer. As for Hugh, as much as I can in south america. Likely just the intermediate level slogs, I'm not great with technical ice routes...yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Poulton Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I had a buddy do 7 peaks down there a few years back...he was there for about 2 weeks. He did a Hut traverse system thing...He didn't mention anything about "bad weather" but then again I always climbed with this guy in inclement weather in the North Cascades... "...weather is a deterent, it keeps the riff-raff out..." -Jay Smith (i think on Cerro Torre) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I had a buddy do 7 peaks down there a few years back...he was there for about 2 weeks. He did a Hut traverse system thing...He didn't mention anything about "bad weather" but then again I always climbed with this guy in inclement weather in the North Cascades... "...weather is a deterent, it keeps the riff-raff out..." -Jay Smith (i think on Cerro Torre) holy shit? you can do lots of stuff in good weather in Patagonia? who knew. stupid quotes about bad weather exhibit obliviousness to how bad the weather is. unless you habitually summit rainier in 100mph gusts or enjoy jerking off in a squalid shithole of a tentcamp or snowcave for weeks. the riffraff is sunning on the beach with hotties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Poulton Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I had a buddy do 7 peaks down there a few years back...he was there for about 2 weeks. He did a Hut traverse system thing...He didn't mention anything about "bad weather" but then again I always climbed with this guy in inclement weather in the North Cascades... "...weather is a deterent, it keeps the riff-raff out..." -Jay Smith (i think on Cerro Torre) holy shit? you can do lots of stuff in good weather in Patagonia? who knew. stupid quotes about bad weather exhibit obliviousness to how bad the weather is. unless you habitually summit rainier in 100mph gusts or enjoy jerking off in a squalid shithole of a tentcamp or snowcave for weeks. the riffraff is sunning on the beach with hotties Nice Hugh....but I'm married and enjoy bivys and the beach with my wife. All I was trying to say was that NZ is not a waste of time...if it was...then Patagonia might as well be a waste too. If people picked their destination based on where the Sun was...then less would be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I suspect that EastCoastBastard's vitriol is directly related to his experiences watching it be sunny while he delivers baby cows and raining when he tries to go climbing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I suspect that EastCoastBastard's vitriol is directly related to his experiences watching it be sunny while he delivers baby cows SHEEP! and raining when he tries to go climbing... LOL! ...close but I fixed it for you to be New Zealand style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 (edited) haha - too true Cracker-jack, except it rains then too! Oh the mud and the blood... In fact, it's rained almost every day for about 3 weeks now. Today was glorious in the afternoon though. My point about NZ is that yes, you can get some good stuff done, but the chances of that actually happening are far outweighed by the chances of you sitting in a hut, or a tent for the majority of your stay. In light of that, and in light of the fact that very few of the NZ objectives are world class, (the rock is pretty crappy) in my informed opinion it would be a waste of time and money to come here solely for the purpose of climbing. There is currently a debate (it's not really a debate in my opinion) in the NZ climbing community about why the internal standards of NZ alpine climbing are so low (any good kiwi climbers quickly move overseas, or do the majority of their trips elsewhere). This debate, in all it's infighting glory, can be seen on MountaiNZ under the State of the Nation thread. MountaiNZ is a candle to CC.com's bonfire, but it's growing. Anyway, one of the major factors are weather and difficulty of access. Access can be changed (helicopters, trails, etc...), but weather can't. Another factor that's been brought up is the reluctance of people to go on big domestic expeditions to put up new lines etc... People simply aren't willing to put out so much effort for such a small chance of a positive return. It's far easier, and more productive from a climbing standpoint (and often from a financial standpoint) to simply go elsewhere. Patagonia was brought up - I've never been, but from what I understand, there's amazing rock, stellar lines and bad weather. NZ has decent lines, poor rock and bad weather. Alright, back to the studying - my 4th final exam in a row is tommorow and I'd like to pass (plus 3 more next week...) The Anti-NZ crusader, Graham Edited November 4, 2009 by EastCoastBastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Poulton Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 What about NZ ice and snow routes? Frozen waterfalls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Same sort of story. Waterfall Ice: There is no easily accessible ice on the south island (and the stuff on the north island is too short to be worth mentioning). Or I guess what I think of as easily accessible - Poko style approaches for you east coasters (a 5 minute stumble from the car) or Weeping wall style. The "best", easiest access ice on the south island is Wye creek - about a 2 hour ski in. There's about 10 routes from WI 2 - 5 and it is unique in that it's easy to get in and is high enough (it's accessed via a ski field) to get cold enough temperatures to form consistently. Much of the other waterfall ice on the south island is hard to get to, and so low (elevation wise) that it is subject to wide temperature fluctuations = poor ice conditions. If you get it when it's on, it can be good. It just usually isn't. There is an pdf guidebook for a place called Bush Stream - it looks awesome (pm me if you want me to send it to you). Great routes. Except it's a 4 hour bush bash in, up a roaring stream bed. I've bashed in there 3 times and climbed 1 route. There are other places like Twin Stream that have ice, but that's a 7 hour walk (haven't been there). There's also the Darrans - which has roadside ice sometimes (I guess that's the easiest ice to access), but 90% of it is threatened by avalanche slopes above the climbs, and the ice doesn't form consistently at all. Maybe for 1 week every 2-3 years is enough stuff formed to make a trip down there worthwhile. It's also the rainiest places in NZ. 700cm/year. The thing you have to understand about NZ is it doesn't have seasons the way we north americans think of seasons. In winter, sure it's colder and darker, but you don't get nearly the fluctuation that you'd get almost anywhere north of Mexico. To me it feels like a perpetually wet spring. I guess what I mean by that is that things trend in one direction or the other temperature wise, but anything can happen at any time. And because it's a tiny little island(s) in the middle of the pacific, with warm currents coming down from the north, and cold from the south, nothing stays cold, or warm for very long. If you get a good powder day skiing, get it while it lasts because within 2 or 3 days it will turn to glop. I skied powder so deep and fluffy that I was chest deep in it and my bases were still hitting rocks on one day and the next day it was all glop. Alpine snow/ice routes - this is mostly what I've been talking about in my previous posts. There is very little "alpine rock" climbing, except in the Darrans (which are granite! but it's always raining). If conditions are good, there are some awesome routes, good alpine ice and a maritime snowpack. The weather usually conspires against you though. There are also very few routes that are accessible enough to be able to do in a weekend (unless you flew in, which is cost-prohibitive). Most alpine routes here are big-ish trips. 3-4 days minimum. I'm not NZ-bashing, it's just highly overrated as a climbing destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Lest you think the Bastard is up to making shit up like other folks in spots on this forum, please allow me to offer an image of him climbing as a reference: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Does Graham Climb? or just wade in short shorts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 (edited) This is also me: Shortly after putting up a new route on Mt. Ruapehu (on the north island) last year. A relatively typical day (the weather, not the new route) And this is me too (but not in NZ!). I'm on the left. We got sponsored by a beef company (but they didn't give us any meat!). Alpamayo in july of this year. Edited November 6, 2009 by EastCoastBastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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