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treyfrancisclimbs
Apr 25, 2005, 8:31 AM
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Registered: May 30, 2004
Posts: 170
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If someone told me a year ago I would climb anywhere outside of the USA I would have told them to go bite wind. If someone told me I would be bouldering in New Zealand I would have asked them what they were smoking and how much they paid for it. If someone said I would be getting paid while I was climbing in.......aw, screw it. Let's just say I have an amazing job that has given me the opportunity to see many wonderful and beautiful places, the latest of which is the mind blowing boulders of Quantum Field.
Driving south from Auckland to Wellington I was desperately searching for two things. The first being somewhere to get out of the car and grapple with some local stone, and the second being any sign of hobbits, ring wraiths, wizards, or orcs. In preparation for this trip I had already contacted Gary (socialclimber) and asked him for any advice about climbing on the north island because, sadly, I was not going to be able to make it to the south island and my goal of the Castle Hill Basin. Since Gary lives in Christchurch on the south island he could offer little personal advice on the bouldering up north apart from giving me a website to check for the airstrip. Feeling dejected and resigned to hoping to get in some time at a climbing gym, I continued my search for those hairy footed midgets.
But oh the wonders of luck and cunning! As I met up with a fellow employee in Hamilton, I managed to finagle the trip he was supposed to be taking to Christchurch the next day in exchange for him being able to go work on a site near Hobbiton. I felt a little sad I would not see the Shire, but the joy I felt at being able to convince him to cancel a non-refundable plane ticket, and have my boss approve it, just so I could go to the south island, was inexpressible.
As I made my way farther south I often thought of the article about Castle Hill bouldering in Rock and Ice a few months ago. I also thought about how much traveling I had done in the past few months with the chances of climbing coming few and far between. So, after cruising the streets of Wellington and settling for pictures of the spot where Frodo hid from the black rider, I was off to Christchurch. I had contacted Gary a few days earlier with the news of my trip, and being the great guy he is, he took Friday off work just to go and show me around the rocks.
Since my company was paying for it, I rented the biggest SUV I could find, just to make sure we could fit the pad and people in. Friday morning dawned with me feeling a bit nervous about getting to the rock and forgetting how to climb. Gary told me he was bouldering around the v3/v4 range so I felt a little better, but all I had heard of the sloper madness that was about to ensue had me hoping I would somehow gain gecko like abilities to suction my hands to rock. This was also the first time I would be going climbing with someone I had met over the Internet, so I was really hoping they wouldn't get there and blow me off as a wienie noob that didn't know how to climb. I was climbing sloper, smeary, slabby, slick limestone in my Sportiva Venoms for crying out loud!
We met up without a hitch and soon made it to the basin. Gary had brought along a guy by the name of Seth who is from Chicago and was going to school there in Christchurch. Seth, who had been strictly a gym boulderer before coming there, told me that the reason he was going to school there was for the bouldering in Castle Hill. I thought he was a bit crazy at first, but I was mistaken. I would move my family to the side of the road at the parking pullout if it was feasible, and climb there every day. The rocks looked like they had been taken out of a lava lamp and solidified into limestone. There were so many different boulders that for a while all i could do was wander around and feel them and wander and feel. Like I couldn't figure out where to start.
Instead of warming up we decided to jump directly onto a v3 that soundly spanked me and sent me off to the corner with my tail between my legs. Despite my fears and concerns, Gary and Seth gave me a little encouragement, excellent spotting, and a little time to warm up and get use to the style of climbing which consisted of a repeated slapping sound on almost every problem. Most of the topouts consisted of what could have been a sloping, rounded counter top without any features, that required a good solid slap and then some tricky balancing and a lot of trust in non-existent feet in order to mantle over and up. After flopping around on some easy warm ups and finally figuring out how to climb this rock, we headed to a little chunk of lime that had two v3's and a v'2 on it. I was the first to nail the 2 since my height allowed me to skip some of the little crimpers and go straight to the good holds. Up next was a v3 that Gary thinks he may have the FA of that he calls Spantastic. After he showed us how it was done, I spanned out to the two side pulls and started smearing my way up. Everything except the two start holds and one little crimper were opposing, bear-hugging slopers that spit me off two moves before the top. On my third attempt I stuck the topout that left me sucking wind like an asthmatic smoker after a 10k, but I nailed my first v3 at Quantum. I was a little relieved when both Seth and Gary huffed and puffed their way up. After a little more action on a v3 arete we headed to a new boulder to check out a killer diagonal v4 dyno. On his first attempt, Gary misplaced the pad, caught the pocket, swung into a horizontal position, and proceeded to fall onto his side from about 5 feet up and 2 feet past the pad. The beauty thing about this fall was that he landed on some soft grassy tussocks. That was one of the coolest things about this place, the landings are all grass, and most of them are flat. This place rocks! So Gary put the pad in the right spot and stuck the dyno and topped it out. I hit it next, tearing a huge hole in my middle finger, but hanging on and topping out. Right next to the dyno there was a semi-tall line called topheavy that went at v3. This is a really sweet line that laybacks a crack up to a funky mantle where you have to trust all of your weight to a quarter inch edge for your left foot. I actually got it on my first try. I was starting to feel okay about this climbing here, and was really enjoying climbing with these guys.
While we were at this boulder a guy named Allen? showed up, having planned to meet Gary beforehand. He was criss-crossing the whole basin, trying to make a list of all the problems that were there in order to have a complete guide made available. I think I heard it said that he had 6000 problems listed, and was only halfway done. Yeah, this place rocks. The last serious problem we would attempt was a v4 named the Black Cauldron. This problem was wicked bad. It consisted of one good palm hold to start with, leading up through smearing on smooth, featureless walls while stemming, to an overhanging lip that was baby-butt smooth on top. Finally, a chance to use my legs to my advantage. I was the only one that could spread my legs far enough to get the best stem, and finally managed to beached whale my way over the mantle at the lip. I felt good. I came expecting to get spanked in every way from Sunday, and had managed to climb as hard as I do at my local bouldering spot. I didn't even feel too bad about not being able to do any of the real mantley problems that made me realize just how much long legs and a heavy ass are detrimental to heel hook, chest scraping, humping your way over mantles. We messed around on some easy stuff and shot many photos and headed back to the car. I was feeling pretty good. My forearms weren't even pumped! Seth and I made arrangements to meet up at the gym that night to do a little route work, but after getting back to my hotel I realized what a thorough ass whooping the basin had given me. I was wrecked. The next morning nearly the only place I wasn't sore was my forearms.
I had received an e-mail from my climbing gym about a clinic that Ben Moon was to be putting on that night. For a minute I was a little pissed that I was going to miss it, and then I stopped and thought. None of the folks there at the Quarry had just gotten paid a ridiculous amount of money to go climbing at one of the craziest, gnarliest, most amazing bouldering spots in the world. I guess I'll be okay.
Mad props to Gary and Seth. Thanks much for the awesome day. If anyone needs to go there and climb, pm Gary. He will hook you up.
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treyfrancisclimbs
Apr 27, 2005, 4:46 AM
Post #2 of 9
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Registered: May 30, 2004
Posts: 170
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geez, was this TR so bad that it doesn't even deserve a response? even a negative one?
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bobbyd
Apr 27, 2005, 7:36 AM
Post #3 of 9
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Registered: Oct 12, 2004
Posts: 1
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dang, i wish i could go climb there
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kpj240789
Apr 27, 2005, 11:49 AM
Post #4 of 9
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Registered: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 232
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In reply to: geez, was this TR so bad that it doesn't even deserve a response? even a negative one?
No just so long no one gets to the bottom.
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pinnaclechick
Apr 27, 2005, 1:21 PM
Post #5 of 9
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Registered: Aug 7, 2002
Posts: 1890
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"Ohhhh
I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die.."
I thought it was good. I especially liked the part about the orcs.
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pawilkes
Apr 27, 2005, 4:30 PM
Post #6 of 9
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Registered: Jul 10, 2003
Posts: 275
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to be honest i thought the TR was a bit to detailed, it seemed to just drag on a bit. i am only saying that b/c you seemed to want some form of response, not because i like being a prick. it was interesting and useful to read though, i'm leaving for NZ on christmas day for ~3 months and am hoping to get to Castle Hill for a couple days of bouldering as well as some crags (Frogett, Paynes).
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iltripp
Apr 27, 2005, 4:37 PM
Post #7 of 9
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Registered: Oct 6, 2003
Posts: 1607
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I thought it was interesting overall.
It may have dragged on a little bit too long. I would eliminate some of the more boring details (stuff about trading the trip with your coworker and what-not).
The Lord of the Rings references were amusing. A good TR should tell a story. You started to that a bit, but you also slipped into pedantic details that took away from it overall.
By the way, what was your job.
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treyfrancisclimbs
May 1, 2005, 7:13 AM
Post #8 of 9
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Registered: May 30, 2004
Posts: 170
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Sorry about all the needless stuff. This is my first TR on here and it has been a while since English class. My best excuse though, is that it was 3 in the morning and I wanted to make sure I got some of the details down before they all blended into the many flights and days spent working afterward. Thanks for the constructive critrisism.
Randy
P.S.
I work for a satelite telecommunications company. I am the lackey that travels around installing and repointing dishes for broadcast, voice over ip, and internet.
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socialclimber
May 2, 2005, 12:22 PM
Post #9 of 9
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Registered: Nov 18, 2001
Posts: 1163
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Well, I thought it was a cracking good yarn!
In reply to: Instead of warming up we decided to jump directly onto a v3
Mate, that problem had holds. It was the warm up :D
In reply to: ... but after getting back to my hotel I realized what a thorough ass whooping the basin had given me. I was wrecked. The next morning nearly the only place I wasn't sore was my forearms.
The "whacked on the back with a baseball bat" feeling is not uncommon. Even among locals.
We know we have something special here but I never tire of taking someone new to the place and seeing it through fresh eyes. It's also entertaining to watch forigen climbers try not to fall off everything.
You are welcome back anytime Randy.
Cheers,
Gary.
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