fight snowball snowcraft
Transcription
fight snowball snowcraft
CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB ❄ WINTER newsletter 2000 no. 3 Newsletter 2000 number 3, July 2000. A publication of Canterbury University Tramping Club c/o- UCSA, Private Bag 4800, Chriustchurch Club members may submit items for publication in the newsletter! ❄ Items may include news, open letters, pictures and photos, details of upcoming events, safety warnings, route suggestions, incriminating paparazzi shots of open nakedness, rumours, gossip and wild speculation about club members, beer and “get out of jail free” cards. ❄ Electronic submission is preferred! Via email to [email protected] or on 3.5" disk. Text should be submitted in plain text or MS Word format. Photos should be scanned at 150 dpi and saved as compressed TIFF or JPEG. Do not send photos with file sizes larger than 1MB, scale them down to less than 1MB first. Editor: Philip Lamb; [email protected] P.O. Box 25-252, Victoria St, Chch. McLean Falls, Catlins - Phil Lamb ❄ The submission deadline is one week before the start of each term. Captains’ comment: Well folks, welcome back. Hopefully you re well rested after last term s trips (and exams) and ready to get up and going again. This term the club will get you out of hibernation and onto the slopes. We re sure to have some great weather after the dismal weather of last term. So start sharpening those crampons, because although standing on the top of a mountain is always a great feeling, it is even better when the surrounding peaks are covered in snow. Hopefully the break allowed people to recover from some of the more exciting moments that happened last term. Weekend after weekend, bad weather affected club trips, turning easy trips into epics. It was great to see club members coping extremely well on such occasions. This proves that we re not just a hill walking club at all! The rock climbing courses in the first weekend showed starkly how variable NZ weather can be. The Saturday course was a cruisy day, learning to climb the slopes and pockets of Castle Hill. The Sunday course was a completely different story. We d barely put on our harnesses when the weather packed in. Full credit must go to all those hardy souls who had a climb in the torrential downpour. You ve all earned your first star for alpine climbing. The next Sunday, when we had another go at instruction, the weather was still rather unpleasant. Clare had biked all the back to university before her toes started to thaw! Few of you who went up Mt Manakau are going to forget that trip in a hurry. However you might disagree with me, whether being stuck in a tent for 36 hours is exciting. If you believe David s description of the experience, that might depend on who you get stuck lying next to! When things looked like they could only get better a tent pole broke, and the fly ripped. Well done Greig, NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 Sharon and Holly for staying calm for during the night. I think your debrief at Spagalimis was well earned! The bad weather struck still more times during the holidays, causing the Avoca Hut T.L.C. Weekend to be postponed and our Safety Officer to get into a spot of (very) cold water! On this occasion the only consequences where arriving out a day late, and a few exams being missed. While a little bit of a scare such as this can be a positive experience if you re well prepared, it s important to remember that hypothermia kills trampers every year. This was all too well demonstrated in the holidays by the death of two trampers in the North Island who died only 25 minutes walk from the start of the track. We strongly recommend you to carry a rescue blanket, a small torch, and if possible a first aid kit, on EVERY trip including day trips. On a more positive note, TWALK went awesomely this year. It was great to see so many of you dressed in ridiculous costumes, getting right into the swing of walking (or was it drinking?) for a full twenty four hours. Congratulations to the few among our ranks who did the keen thing and went the full twenty-four hours without touching a drop. You guys are so hard! Congratulations also to our crazy club captain, and his wacky social sidekick took away the costume award for their chicken wire, kitchen implement and aluminium foil impressions of Daleks from Dr Who. How they could walk in those things, let alone climb hills we ll never know. Over the last term the tramping club has again been performing it s romance-enhancing role, and we ve spied some new couples, and with this the committee has lost another eligible bachelor. We heard a story at TWALK about someone s parents who got together at TWALK in 1969, now that is awesome! Who 3 knows, maybe Gerry and Greta will keep the tradition alive! The other awesome even last term was the pub crawl that happened the second weekend of term. The small but dedicated bunch of hard core enthusiasts left on Saturday morning to discover the intricacies and delights (were we really that drunk??) of the pubs on the road to the Sylvia Flats hot pools. On the ride back Stewart practised flying, Cynthia found some good friends in Culverden, and we all discovered why Waikari isn t a happenin place on Saturday night. The taller club captain also found a rather nice spot on the road to . (although he swears it wasn t the drink) and we found out that Fred is really, really, REALLY ticklish. Of course for those of you how didn t go, you ll never really know what happened! If you missed out, you ll have to wait for next year s pub-crawl, to try a trip- 4 graded extreme. Remember team, it s the halfyear already. If you haven t done much to date then this is the time to make up for lost ground. With no exams, the start of new courses and an awesome term coming up there s absolutely nothing to stop you going out and having a primo time. It s the heart of winter- this means that it s time to learn a few essentials about tramping in the winter. We re hoping that this year there s going to be plenty of snow making for great trips, and plenty of snowball fights. It s important that everybody goes on a basic snowcraft course this term, as most of the trips this term will require walking over some of the wonderful white stuff. On these courses you ll learn how to use crampons and ice axes without injuring yourself. This will expand the range of trips you can do and open up the opportunities for some great scenery. While it is vital for those who have not gone on such a course before, the old farts among us can also do with a few reminders about cramponing, self-arresting and the likes. Later there will hopefully be an intermediate snowcraft course that covers ropework, and anchors for the really serious mountains. If you want to do this course, you ll need to go on a few trips in the snow to really perfect your technique with the tools. See the Instruction Officer Stewart Hardie if you re interested. CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB This term also sees the most mindblowing event of all: Bush Ball 2000. That s right team, with the start of a new millennium we are going to make this the best bush ball ever. The weekend includes a little tramping (hopefully), drinking galore, music, Rene s infamous dancing (and yours also), not to forget the bestowing of the coveted Toilet Seat Award. The location is still a mystery, as we do not know ourselves, but the theme is medieval. So get your gear together, and get ready for a really funky weekend. It s a strictly no polypro policy affair, so be warned. Anything vaguely resembling polypro will be thrown in the river (including the wearer). . We will also be having another gear sale at Bivouac Outdoors on Thursday 20th July. If you need to update your winter wardrobe this will be the perfect time to do it. Remember that you can never have too many warm clothes in winter. The meetings will be a chance to get out of the cold, and come warm yourself inside. This term will include a talk on avalanche safety — really important if you are going to head backcountry in winter. Snowcraft will teach you the skills to climb mountains in winter, but that doesn t mean you should There have been calls for another climb every mountain. Sometimes rubber chicken events, as last term the avalanche risk is just too high. was a bit quiet in this respect. So This evening will teach you about get hyped up for a moonlit walk the dangers. There will also be along foggy peak — no werewolves some great social activities includallowed. It s all planned out, all we ing a games night, and a trip to the have to do is wait for a full moon, ice skating rink. Last but not least beautiful weather and we re away. will be the now famous CUTC We ll keep you posted on this one. Photo Competition. This year the categories will be portraits (indi- vidual), group, landscape and humour. So team, bring your entries and be in to win some really choice prizes. At this point we would like to say a big thanks to our beloved committee for having put in such a big effort over the last half year, and for making the club an awesome place to be. There are too many to thank but cheers. So folks it s time to get out and about, don t be put off by cold dark days, instead visualise the beautiful snow clad mountains, the crunch of snow under your feet, or the fun of having your thighs ripped apart by snow monsters and your shorts eaten by ice goblins. We ll see you out in the snow, cheers Ren and Clare ❏ CUTC committee members For issues concerning the operation of the club and its activities, these are the people to contact! Co-Presidents Jonno Benjamin Club Captains Clare Rene Treasurer Lauretta Assistant Treasurer Emily Secretary David Membership Demelza Publicity Clare Trips Greig Instruction Stewart Safety Ian Newsletter Phillip Gear Locker Greig Ian Social Phil Suz Gerry TROG David Cynthia Enviromental Fred Trudy NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 Hill Franzmayr McLennan Borsboom Smith Tuffley Bones George-Franzmayr Scott Hamilton Hardie Buunk Lamb Hamilton Buunk Barclay Cleary Craig Bones Bishop de Zwart Geoghegan 341 1250 322 6209 / 021 2975714 348 3707 377 8388 365 2967 351 9233 332 4296 322 6209 343 4386 338 2497 359 8820 357 1220 377 8773 / 021 605564 338 2497 357 1220 357 0911 351 4494 3435010 332 4296 359 7872 365 0559 356 0449 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 5 Presidents’ report Friends, roamer s, country-loving people (to be PC), lend me your ears. But only if they re nice ears, not silly pointy ones, or any with really big dangly bits hanging off them, and no earwax, definitely no earwax. And while I think of it, can I also borrow a woolly hat, cause it s getting pretty bloody cold again. That s right folks, time to start thinking about winter tramping, and all that it promises. For those of you who are new to the sport, winter is considered by many of us to be one of the best times of year, in fact, it s up there with summer and spring, and is almost as good as autumn. It s a good time of year for tramping for several reasons, including the spectacular alpine scenery, a characteristic lack of pests (namely sandflies and other trampers), and the glorious fact that the hot pools are still hot!!! As far as Of ficial and Presidential news goes, the only thing worth mentioning is that the club s grant applications were looked upon favourably again this year (he must be a gener- ous guy, that Grant). Every year the Hillary Commission and the UCSA give us some money, and this year we have secured around two thousand dollars. Can you say Snowcraft ? Yep, snowcraft is gonna crank again - thanks to this money we can continue the long and proud tradition of these fun and educational courses (see kids, learning doesn t have to be boring). Last year we had excellent participation - just as much for social as for educational reasons - and this year should be no different, so get in early if you re keen, because places will probably be limited. That s about all I want to say, except for a quick thankyou to the committee for their selfless contributions towards the running of the club. I know that this sort of stuff is supposed to come at the end of the year, but I don t want their efforts to go unrecognised by club members until then. Many of you may not realise how much blood, sweat and tears (to echo the title of a cinematic classic) are shed by the committee in endless hours of toil. To be working with such a selfless group of people, sacrificing so much and expecting nothing in return is, well, it s a deeply moving and heart warming experience. Their motto is Givin it back to the people , and they run the club with an almost cultlike fervour, meeting every afternoon for hours at a time to plan the most minute details regarding the functioning of the club. So what can I do? , you will no doubt be asking yourselves. Well, you can show your gratitude for our (slightly exaggerated) efforts by always bringing a good vibe to the club, and getting involved whenever you can. After all, it s ultimately the members that make the club what it is, and most of us are just as interested in the company of good people as we are in seeing some beautiful scenery. And, of course, it is beautiful (insert National Anthem here). Cheers Jonno Co-President Search and Rescue Personal Locator Beacons With generous support from the Hillary Commission, the club has been able to obtain at reduced cost three personal locator beacons (PLBs) which club members may take on trips at no cost. A PLB is a walkmansized device that transmits a distress signal that can be picked up by satellite and aircraft. Search and Rescue HQ in Wellington are notified immediately and can decide what action is appropriate. In the case of an overdue or injured tramper, the use of a PLB can save time, money, and potentially, lives. There are some cautions that need to be noted though. PLBs are for emergency use only. Activation of a PLB in a situation that does not constitute 6 an emergency can land the user with a substantial bill for the Search and Rescue callout, Secondly, PLBs cannot make up for lack of skills or equipment. Good preparation is still absolutely essential. Thirdly, PLBs offer no safety net in the case of Avalanches. SAR action is typically a helicopter callout, and this may take hours or days depending on accessibility and weather, whereas someone buried in an avalanche requires help within minutes. The only effective avalanche safety device is an avalanche transceiver on every member of the climbing party. The club has considered purchasing avalanche transceivers but their cost is prohibitive. Club members wanting ava- lanche transceivers are highly recommended to hire them from a mountain equipment supplier. Finally, PLBs should not be relied upon. Like any piece of equipment they can break and malfunction. Equally well, if the PLB is in your pack and your pack gets lost or swept away in a river, you d better have some other survival skills up your sleeve. Anyone planning a trip off the beaten track is highly recommended to carry a PLB. Please contact one of the gearfreakish gear-locker officers Greig or Ian to arrange for their use. PL CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 7 Trips for Term 3 Most of the trips that are going away this term are day trips that require snow skills. So I recommend that you do a basic snowcraft course. These courses not only teach you how to use ice axes and crampons they are also heaps of fun and very CHEAP. To do a basic snowcraft course as good as what the club offers would normally cost you at least $100. We charge less than half this. Next term there will be at least one intermediate snowcraft where you can learn about roped climbing, snow anchors, glacier travel and crevasse rescue. This will allow you to climb just about anything in New Zealand. Last year a group climbed Mt Aspiring after doing this course and had a great time doing it. But if you want to do this course then the best thing to do is to go out as much as you can this term and get really good at using an ice axe, crampons and helmet. That way when it comes time to go on intermediate snowcraft you won t be thinking about things like how do I hold the ice axe, or how to put the crampons on correctly. There is nothing better than being on top of a peak with friends enjoying the view of countless snow covered hills. 12 July Meeting 1 Phil Novis starts off the term with some slides of a winter expedition to the higher places of the North Island.. Phil s a bit of guru when it comes to snow, and his slides are usually some of the best, so it should be a great evening. You ll also get an idea of some of the places that Basic Snowcraft skills will take you. Also the t-shirts are ready and look really great, so come and get one if you ordered it. 8 15-16 July Mt Purple —This is a nice trip up the hill on the far side of the Lake Pearson, giving impressive views of the surrounding snow covered peaks. Grade: Easy Duration: Day Trip Mt Cheeseman — Mt Izard—This trip involves a traverse of two of the peaks on the craigeburn range. The views will be spectacular! Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium Duration: Day Trip Edwards River — If you dont like the idea of heading up onto the peaks then why not this trip. Head up the Edwards River to Edwards hut then go for a stroll up towards the head of the valley if you so desire, otherwise spend the afternoon relaxing around the hut and preparing a gourmet dinner. Grade: Easy Duration: Overnight 19 July Meeting 2 20 July Gear Sale It s the night of the second great gear sale so come along to Bivouac in the City Mall for great specials. From 6:30pm. 22-23 July Basic Snowcraft —This is the first of the three basic snowcraft courses that will be run this year. I highly recommend the course as you will learn most of the basic techniques for climbing and tramping in winter. The course teaches you how to walk on snow and ice, how to hold an ice axe, how to self-arrest if you fall over and also about avalanche awareness. The first snowcraft is the best one to go on because you can do more trips into the snow afterwards. The snowcraft instruction courses are subsidised too. If you want more information contact: Stewart Hardie ph 359-8820 Grade: Easy Duration: Overnight Wharfedale Track —A trip close to home. Near Mt Oxford and only 1hrs drive from Christchurch. Good if you want a nice relaxing weekend and don t want to go into the snow. Grade: Easy Duration: Overnight Waimak Col — For the more adventurous people who have already done a snowcraft then here is the trip for you. This trip heads up the Waimak staying at the Waimak Falls hut or camping out if you re brave. Then on Sunday heading over Waimak Col. This trip will give people good views and it s always amazing to be out tramping when everything is covered in wonderful snow. Snow skills required. Grade: Hard Duration: Overnight 26 July Avalanche Awareness, come and hear about the dangers of avalanches, and Meeting 3 how to avoid them. This is vital information if you want to play in the To get you folks into the swing of snow this winter. CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB things for bush ball we are having a games night. This should be a real hoot, so make sure you come along. It s also your last chance to purchase tickets to the social event of the year! 29-30 July Bushball —This is the club s annual trip away where everyone dresses up in medieval clothing and then dances the night away in the middle of nowhere. Costume possibilities are endless —Witches, Goblins, Kings & Queens, Robin Hood be inventive and the best characters will be suitably rewarded!! In the past Bushball has been a very social occasion with several people finding themselves a partner during the evening. If you already have a partner and don t want/ need a second one then you could always make an attempt for the toilet bowl award. This is given to the person who can t handle their drinking very well. (Note: You have to clean up your own mess) Grade: Easy NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 Duration: Overnight courses that will be run this year. If you want to know more then read Mt Aicken — For those people who about the first snowcraft course want to practice their newly learnt above. snow skills more than going to a rag- Grade: Easy ing party then this maybe the trip for Duration: Overnight you. A nice walking starting at Arthurs Pass and climbing up the Mt Cassidy — Blimit — Temple Baother side of the valley from Ava- sin —This trip will give you lots of lanche peak. Snow skills will be re- practice in the snow. You get to anquired for this trip. noy the skiers at Temple Basin too. J Grade: Medium Snow skills will be required for this Duration: Day Trip trip. Grade: Hard Duration: Day Trip 2 August Meeting 4 ICE SKATING! Whoopee, come along and enjoy another winter sport. First stop is the Upper Common Room to quickly organise this weekend, and then we ll breeze along to the skating rink. 5-6 August Basic Snowcraft —This is the second of the three basic snowcraft Castle Hill Peak —This trip is really close to Christchurch and it still provides great views. It s almost 2000m (only 1999m) too. So if you just want to tell people that you ve been to 2000m then you could jump really high or pile up a whole heap of snow and you might make it. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium Duration: Day Trip 9 Mt Torlesse —This trip is also really close to Christchurch. Providing great snow skills practice. You might even be able to wave to the group on Castle Hill Peak if you go on the same day. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium/Hard Duration: Day Trip 9 August famous event is going to be even bigger and more beautiful than the last time. This year the categories are going to be portrait, group, scenery and humour. So make what you will of each category and bring along your very best photos from the year. You can vote for your own photos or maybe someone else s. There s bound to be plenty of discussion about composition, aperture, light, and how silly everyone is looking. So get clicking! Meeting 5 19-20 August (End of Term 3) Trampers Trivial Pursuit Night. This is the night to test those skills you ve been building all year. There ll be plenty of questions, and hopefully you lot will give us a few answers. It should be a fun night, as we promise some entertaining questions, as well as the curly ones. If you do well enough, you might even win a prize. Mt Cloudesley — Mt Enys—Yet another trip into the Cragieburn range. Lots more snow skills practice. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium Duration: Day Trip 12-13 August One Day Basic Snowcraft —This is the final basic snowcraft course of the year. It s only one day but don t let this put you off, you can still pack a lot of stuff into a single day. So if you haven t been on one yet and want to then this is the one for you. For more info refer above to the first basic snowcraft. Grade: Easy Duration: Day Trip . Mt Philistine —This peak will require a bit more skill than some of the other trips this week but it s worth it. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Hard Duration: Day Trip Hamilton Peak — MtWall —Another traverse of two peaks in the cragieburn range. Again this is a good trip to practice your newly learnt snow skills. Grade: Medium Duration: Day Trip Avalanche Peak — Cr ow River — One of the few over night trips that s going away this term. You get to climb a peak on the first day and then go down the other side to Crow Hut. Since you are sleeping in a hut it won t be as cold as if you were camping. I can highly recommend this trip. I did it in winter and had an awesome time. Nothing beats waking up and having snow on the door step. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium Duration: Overnight 16 August Holiday Trips Three Passes —This is one of the classic back country trips. It goes from the Waimak river over three alpine passes and into the west coast. This trip will really live up to your expectations. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium Duration: 4-5 days Mt Adams —This trip will be awe-inspiring. It s on the west coast for a start and is right next to the coast. So the views will be great being able to see Mt Cook and maybe Australia. (well maybe not too) Camping high on the mountain will be a good experience too. I promise the weather will be better than Mt Manaku. J For those of you only interested in the height it s about 2200m. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium/Hard Duration: 2 - 3 days Mt Rolleston —A nice day trip up to the low peak of Mt Rolleston. This is a trip for those of you who don t have much time to spare. Views down the crow valley and out to Mt Murchson. Snow skills will be required for this trip. Grade: Medium/Hard Duration: 2 - 3 days Other Possible Trips Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku St James Walkway A trip into Fiordland A trip into the South West of the West Coast If you have any ideas talk to me or email me on [email protected]. I m always keen to hear peoples ideas for trips. Meeting 6 The CUTC Photo Competition, that s right folks, this now 10 Greig Hamilton CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB From the mailbag… ✐ Another letter! ✐ The Federated Mountain Clubs AGM came and went on June 10th in Wellington. All CUTC members are FMC members, so you may be interested in the goings-on in our national body (NOT the goings-on inside your fellow CUTC members’ bodies!) David Bones, our beautiful secwetwawy has a copy of the FMC Bulletin and Annual Report if you want to see ‘em. ✐ Occupational Safety and Health sent an information brochure highlighting the law change removing farmers’ liability in the case of trampers etc. using or crossing their land. Landowners now have only a simple duty to WARN visitors of any extraordinary work-related hazards on their property. (Its also worth noting that property owners do not have to warn of natural hazards on private property unless they charge for use or access.) ✐ Tourism Resource Consultants sent information on their two-day, 250 Fijian Eco-treks. I sure hope they don’t go out of business with all the natives running amok. Also, Active Travel sent info on their Asian/Himalayan tours and expeditions. If you’re looking forward to some international travel, see David for a copy. ✐ Otago Polytechnic sent information on their 2000 avalanche safety management courses. Highly recommended for those planning on taking themselves and others into the mountains. Also, Sport Development Canterbury sent information on their training programmes for both sports coaches and club administrators. Dear Sir, You big bunch of namby-pamby mummy’s boys and daddy’s girls wouldn’t know a mountain if it fell on you. My mother climbs harder that you and she’s got no legs! When I go climbing I eat SNOW for lunch and ICE for tea, and I don’t have any breakfast!! I’m so tough tha The above letter just goes on and on like this interminably. I think it was from someone in the climbing club. A “sport” climber perhaps?– Ed. ✐ Wow! Three letters!! Dear Sir, As secretary of the International Federation of Poodle Fanciers (IPOOF) I wish to complain about the cartoon published on page 21 of your publication which features the abhorrent subject matter of “Avalanche Poodles”. It has so upset our members that we sat around and had a group cry. We’re going to tell our Mummy’s on you. Yours abhorrently, Wodewick, Wodger, and Waynette. IPOOF Wait till you see what I’ve got in store for NEXT time! It’ll perm your hair for free. –Ed. ✐ A letter! Dear Sir, Some time ago, on a distant tramping track, I met a lovely flaxen-haired boy with a big smile and a bigger… The next morning when I woke he was gone. I only remember that he said he was a member of C-UTC. I am writing in the hope that I might be reunited with his image, since it was truly godlike. Yours, etc. Q.T. Tram-Pette. Could he be the boy on page 23? –Ed. NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 Letters from Club members and any interested public, and replies to such letters, are welcomed. ❄ Send letters via email to [email protected] or via snail mail to: Philip Lamb P. O. Box 25-252 Victoria Street Christchurch ❄ Contributions should not generally exceed 300 words. ❄ The editor reserves the right to decline to publish or abridge any contribution. So there. 11 Out and about Term 2 Fun Page Pub crawl Ahh.. Sylvia Flats hotpools TWALK Not too much unlike the original Dr. Who eh.. - Stewart For more pictures see the club web site gallery: www.cutc.canterbury.ac.nz/gallery/ Please scan your pictures for the gallery too! Billies (pots, pans etc) come in a huge variety of shapes sizes and brands, so choosing the one that suits your needs can be a little overwhelming. Luckily we re here to help. There are three main materials used in the construction of billies, these are stainless steel, aluminium and titanium. Each of these has its own unique characteristics that may or may not be attractive to the purchaser. Stainless is, from a cook s point of view, quite good. It is easy to clean, difficult to bend out of shape and is a reasonable conductor of heat (although those with copper bases are far better at spreading the heat evenly). Another advantage is that they can be bought relatively cheaply. But from a carrier s perspective they are far less attractive in that they are much heavier than the alternatives (especially those with decent copper bases). Don t be surprised to pay $90 at least for one of these beauties. Why would anyone pay so much for a billy? Well the short answer is weight. They weigh slightly less than an aluminium billy of the same size but will not bend and don t have the health risks. Most importantly they have the advantage of being incredibly posey. The one drawback I have found (and yes I do have one, and yes I am cool) is that because they are so thin (and thereby light) they don t spread the heat evenly and food has a tendency to stick on the bottom unless you are careful. Due to this tendency they are probably more suited to alpine activities where weight is at a premium and melting snow is the order of the day or to caffiends who need to boil water every twenty minutes to get their fix. The other main concerns when choosing a billy are size and shape. These depend on what you usually cook and The next type is probably the most for how many people. 1 to 1.5 litres commonly used in the New Zealand is a good size for one person while outdoors. Aluminium is popular for a 1.75 to 2.5 litres is preferable for two good reason: it is both light and af- to three people. 3 to 4 litres is good fordable. However it does have its for larger parties but if you need more drawbacks in that it is easily bent out volume than that you are probably of shape and studies have shown that better off with more billies rather than there are health problems associated larger ones as they become increaswith cooking in aluminium. ingly difficult to pack. There are two extremes of shapes in billy design and There has been at least one attempt most lie somewhere in the mid to bring together the best qualities of ground. The first are wide and shalstainless and aluminium in Trangia s low - good for frying and easy to clean DUOSSAL range. It is a hybrid bebut notoriously unstable when using tween the two with stainless on the the standard wire loop handle. The inside and aluminium on the outside second extreme are tall and narrow — its exciting, its new and it really good for soups and pasta, much more does suck. That s right folks it is just stable when hanging but tricky to as heavy as stainless with an inflated clean or fry in. I would suggest some price tag and I have heard stories thing in the middle with a diameter about the two layers coming apart. approximately two and a half times Speaking of large price tags the third the height. and most exotic material, titanium, As with all good things one has to certainly costs the most. accessorise with one s billy. Many 14 billies come with lids while others like mine do not. I would suggest even if yours does to leave it at home and instead take a disposable aluminium pie plate, they are lighter and easier to pack (and on occasion come in handy when fixing your dodgy 30 year old cooker). Most billies come with the standard wire loop handle and some people like these. Personally, I cut them off my billies and instead use a billy lifter , a simple aluminium device that clips securely onto the rolled lip of the billy and is used like a pot handle. These don t heat up (unless you leave them on the billy while cooking) and are more stable. They are available at all good outdoor stores but beware — all billy lifters are not created equal. Trangia make a good one that is very light and won t bend, so that s the brand I would stick with. We have a range of billies from 1 to 20 litres available for hire and the gear locker officers are only too happy to advise you on all your gear needs. ❏ CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB In a strange mix of fanatiscism, Zen and tall-poppy dreams, trampers compete on the website http://ultralight-hiking.com for the ultimate in ultra light weight tramping gear. Their target: 15lb on equipment & 10 lb on consumables & 2 lb on worn, = 25lb pack & 2lb worn. Here it is, provided for your planning pleasure, and courtesy of Stewart Hardie and Phil Lamb. The item weights, to scale. Note that the five heaviest make up over 50%! Item TOTAL EQUIPMENT Sleeping Bag (incl.bag) Bivy Shelter Backpack Pad Pullover (Wind) Jacket Umbrella Stove Shell Pants Tee Shirt Long Sleeve Camera Tights Sleeping Bag Liner Hat (sombrero) Cooking Pot 0.85lit Medical kit Water filter/bottle Water Bag Fuel Bottle Tripod Radio Rope 2 x Film & Envelopes Journal, pen, maps Flashlight Soap Bowl / Cup / Scoop Brief Toilet Paper Space Blanket Water bottle Knife Towel Matches&Wood&Candle Socks (2pair) Bandana Monocular Sunglasses ToothPowder Storm Whistle Lighter Battery (spare) Head Net Toothbrush Spoon Spare Light TOTAL CONSUMABLES Food (5days) Water Fuel Salt & Spices TOTAL PACK WEIGHT WORN Shoes (running) T-Shirt Shorts Brief Socks Watch Weight (kg) Weight (lbs) Price (US$) 7.061 kg 15 9/16 $1,612.19 6$ 960.0 g 33.86 oz $155.00 900.0 g 31.75 oz $170.00 670.0 g 23.63 oz $50.00 434.0 g 15.31 oz $45.00 400.0 g 14.11 oz $30.00 370.0 g 13.05 oz $90.00 303.0 g 10.69 oz $10.00 270.0 g 9.52 oz $25.00 250.0 g 8.82 oz $30.00 240.0 g 8.47 oz $16.00 170.4 g 6.01 oz $120.00 170.0 g 6.00 oz $12.00 140.0 g 4.94 oz $60.00 127.5 g 4.50 oz $32.00 118.0 g 4.16 oz $45.00 100.0 g 3.53 oz $30.00 95.0 g 3.35 oz $25.00 90.0 g 3.17 oz $10.00 84.0 g 2.96 oz $8.00 80.0 g 2.82 oz $20.00 80.0 g 2.82 oz $70.00 80.0 g 2.82 oz $5.00 75.0 g 2.65 oz $10.00 75.0 g 2.65 oz $5.00 70.0 g 2.47 oz $30.00 68.0 g 2.40 oz $1.59 61.3 g 2.16 oz $10.00 61.0 g 2.15 oz $10.00 60.0 g 2.12 oz $2.00 51.0 g 1.80 oz $5.00 50.0 g 1.76 oz $6.00 48.1 g 1.70 oz $35.00 42.0 g 1.48 oz $5.50 40.0 g 1.41 oz $1.00 36.4 g 1.28 oz $3.00 28.4 g 1.00 oz $1.60 25.4 g 0.90 oz $90.00 20.4 g 0.72 oz $25.00 20.0 g 0.71 oz $3.00 20.0 g 0.71 oz $6.00 20.0 g 0.71 oz $1.50 16.7 g 0.59 oz $4.00 14.0 g 0.49 oz $5.00 10.0 g 0.35 oz $1.00 9.0 g 0.32 oz $2.50 7.0 g 0.25 oz $16.00 6.800 kg 15 4.350 kg 9 9/16 2.000 kg 4 7/16 0.400 kg 14.1 oz 0.050 kg 1.8 oz $3.00 13.86 kg 30 9/16 1.004 kg 2 3/16 0.600 kg 21.2 oz $50.00 0.182 kg 6.4 oz $13.00 0.090 kg 3.2 oz $30.00 0.057 kg 2.0 oz $7.00 0.040 kg 1.4 oz $1.50 0.035 kg 1.2 oz $170.00 Make & Model Remarks NorthFace, Tourlight3D R Polarguard 3D OR, GoreTex Jansport Cirque 2100 in3 modified: originally 910g Thermarest Ultralight2 _ self-inflating Acrylic/Polyester LOWE Alpine Adrenaline Jacket modified from 14.5oz to 10.7oz Mini-Trangia #28 alcohol, modified, no simmer ring nylon sprayed with silicone DuoFold, CoolMax Olympus Stylus Epic polypropylene Silk OR Seattle Sombrero Gore-Texr Rain Hat MSR Titanium (wow!) home made 18oz PurLife Bottle with filter cap 2.5 gal MSR 0.325 lit, alu AM/FM, Earphones 50 ft nylon Kodak 100 Gold Light Wave 2000 Travel Soap 2 oz. Tube SALEWA DuoFold, CoolMax 2 bags (biodegradable) with 3 x “AA” lithium Biodegradable plastic Platypus Beretta Airlight Pack Towel Wind/Waterproof thin nylon (2 pair) Cotton Bandana Zeiss MiniQuick 2.5 liters 30% serrated, Zytel 27" x 10" 24" x 22" 5 x 10 Plastic 1 x “CR123A” No-See-Um GSI Photon Micro Light lexan blue H2O alcohol 2 liters (~2 quarts) 0.4 lit (not including clothes worn) CoolMax CoolMax Nylon incl. compass, altimeter, thermometer Club Co-President Ben Franzmayr sends word on… The Hazards of Climbing The following story is from last years. Antics (Otago University Tramping Club s equivalent to T rog ) The story represents some of the environmental hazards that may be encountered while out climbing. Hopefully after reading this people will have a greater awareness for the dangers of climbing. You are in good hands, Roy! Almost forty meters of rope had gone already, and the small light was close to the top. Go Roy , still five meters, you can do it! — a chorus of voices screaming in the night to incite the mad climber. By Danilo Hegg What s going on down there? asked a female voice coming from a car with red and blue lights on the roof. Silence. But she understood it by herself. Climber: Roy Johnston Belayer: Paddy Dwyer Witnesses: Bean, Ewan, Danilo, Karan, Elisabeth, Julia, Stefan, Norbert, Sean, Terry and a policewoman. Ewan: Oh, we were just watching how far he can get. But he is on his way down, he is almost down — in the meanwhile, the light on the tree disappeared not more than ten meters, don t worry. The music was real crap, but dancing was getting wild at Roy s flat warming as people started jumping on sofas and armchairs. Roy suddenly stepped into the room holding an ice axe in his hand. I thought this would be to dissuade people from smashing his furniture, or to tell them it was time to go home. The cop stepped out of her car and joined Paddy at the bottom of the tree. The beam of light of her torch looked for the face of a drunken man between the branches of the cedar, but she couldn t see anything. You clever girl, how do you think you can see through forty meters of branches, by night? Just go to the other side of the green, and you will see where he is! There was no point in hiding, anyway. Roy s Tree 25 April 1999, 3AM There is a tree out there which hasn t been climbed yet. What tree? I understood it soon. One of those four awesome trees growing together at the NW corner of the intersection of Arthur St. and Rattray St., close to the obelisk erected in memory of the early Otago settlers, and just three meters from the swings in the playground. Cedars — according to the botanist Bean, but he isnt sure, as this is a very Exotic species of red tussock. So, shortly after 3AM, Roy was standing there at the bottom of the South face of the biggest tree, the crampons on his feet, two tools in his hands, and quite a big number of beers in his brain. Paddy belayed on the swings. The sharp tools cut deep wounds in the wood of the poor plant, and more than once we got the impression that the beaks of the ice axes would be stuck in there forever. Roy soon disappeared from our view, and we had to go fifty meters far away to see the light of his Petzl rising high on the trunk. Despite the altitude and the exposure, our vice-president was pretty safe. In fact his belayer Paddy was totally sober and in full possession of his mental capabilities. Danilo: Paddy , you can t lower Roy on the rope once he is over the 25 meters mark. Paddy: Yes, of course I can. Once he is over half way he can t abseil, but I can still lower him. Danilo: How can you lower him? Paddy, after a while: Yeah, I can still lower him, but not properly, I mean, he will have to climb down, and I will just have to make sure that he doesn t fall all the way to the ground. 16 Roy , you can turn your lamp on again! And there he was, right at the op, 45 meters over the ground, his Petzl like a star on a Christmas tree. Not more than ten meters from the ground, eh? Policewoman: How long will it take him to get down? Not longer then fifteen minutes. It was about ten minutes to go up . Another lie, as it took him far longer than twenty minutes. OK, in fifteen minutes I will be back and check that he is down. Did he drink? She would have liked to test him, but luckily she wasn t able to climb that high Ewan: Oh, just a couple of beers. But if he isn t down in fifteen minutes, will you call the fire-men with a big ladder? Policewoman: Sure I will, and we will get him down. After fifteen minutes Roy hadn t reached the ground yet, but the only cars we could see with lights on their roof were taxis. Bean and Ewan tried to convince Roy to wait for the cops on the tree. The police-chick is awesome. And she wants to meet you! But Roy made it to the ground safely, thus missing the chance of his life. Ewan: How small is the truck at the top? CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB The one event not to be missed this term is the annual CUTC Bushball. BUSHBALL ? Following traditional university ball style there promises to be music, dancing and loads of drunken debauchery, but with a unique CUTC twist — the ball is held in a hut amidst the flora and fauna of Aotearoa! Every year brave lads and lasses take on the challenge of bushball (consumption of copious amounts of alcoholic beverages) in an effort to win the coveted toilet seat award. You could be next! All participation requires is: a cruisy tramp to the chosen destination, a quick change into costume and then PARTY PARTY PARTY till dawn. We re telling you, it s the most action that the huts have seen in ages. Past participants rave about the fun they ve had at bushball, but don t take our word for it, here are a few unrehearsed testimonials Bob It was great, more fun than the sheep out at Lincoln Jo So much fun and excitement, I danced and laughed so hard that I wet my pants! year s medieval theme, what better excuse for you boys out there to dress up as Queens? Wizards, witches, goblins, trolls, executioners the possibilities are endless — go on, we know it s term time, but use your imagination!!! Plenty of time to get a costume and win the best-dressed award, you have been forewarned!! But that s not all! You get the opportunity to fine tune those dance moves and pickup lines (be careful what you pickup though!) in a night of absolute hilarity and tomfoolery that will have you begging for more! Be there or feel the wrath of the CUTC social committee (and we can be really scary) TICKETS ON SALE IN JULY! Don t miss out, tickets are limited - reserve yours NOW, phone 0800 BUSHBALL*, or come along to Wednesday meetings and see Gerry, Phil or Suz and we ll look after your every desire**. If you reserve your ticket early we ll even throw in a FREE bottle of champagne!*** What are you waiting for? Ian Its cool, man. Get into Bushball 2000! But wait there s more! It s a great opportunity to meet people — the combination of crazy trampers and alcohol is bound to be a sight well worth watching, don t be shy — join in, nobody will remember your antics anyway!!! And with this *just kidding, do you really think we d waste good money on an 0800 number when we could be spending it on more refreshments? **we lie again, although Phil B. is available ***SUCKERS!!! This is it, the prize you're playing for – the coveted toilet seat Continued…/ Roy: Small Ewan: As small as my knob? Roy: Smaller than that Ewan: Oh, then it must be really small! The highest peak in Arthur St. has been conquered. From now on it will be labeled by Roy s name on all the maps. But the three low peaks of the cedar are still virgin. There are still three vacant places in the album of glory, just a NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 few meters underneath Roy s name. Who is going to be so foolish to pick up the challenge? Roy is now OUTC s president. Perhaps our presidents or club captains could make the journey and claim one of the other virgin peaks. ❏ 17 ❄ Winter motoring ❄ It ain’t just penguins you’ve got to watch out for! By Kylie Hills. Winter is upon us, and you only need to take a quick peek west at the mountains to see a whole bunch of snow if you need proof. While this fabulous season presents huge tramping and backcountry opportunities for us with spectacular snow capped scenery and new types of challenges and experiences, it also presents a whole bunch of potential hazards and problems. For many of us images of avalanches, hypothermia and Captain Oates ducking out for a pizza come to mind. But what about your poor ol car eh? Many of us just expect them to go when we turn the key and pull the choke a little - or in some cases after we perform strange rituals involving just a little gas , three hits to the dash and a small sacrifice to the gods of internal combustion. When we go tramping we make sure we are properly prepared and equipped for most eventualities, but when it comes to our cars, lets face it, we suck! In winter the usual rules don t apply; sub-zero nights, snow, fords and the high rainfall in the back country can screw over even something as reliable as a Citroen. The AA man isn t much use when the nearest phone is eight hours walk away! What follows is a few hints and tips for safe winter driving and a few ideas to avoid emergencies scrounged from old episodes of Macgyver and The Dukes of Hazard. vious I know but people do forget and regret it later. When you check the oil, always do it after your car has been sitting a while. If you do it just after the motors been running the dipstick will incorrectly read low. Funny how they ask you about oil just when you pull into a garage isn t it... Water / Coolant, without water in your radiator your car will die, trust me I ve been there. Whip the lid off your ra- Things To Bring When you go bush bring along a simple first aid kit for your car. This doesn t have to be a support truck for the Paris to Dakar but like any first aid kit a few items can be handy and do make sure you can actually use the stuff in it. Compulsory • Tire changing stuff. I.e. a wheel brace and jack. • A torch — the one in your pack isn t much use if you can t find it in the dark. • Shovel or spade (something to dig you out of the snow). • 2L bottle of water, don t put anti freeze in this though — you may want to drink it! Not compulsory but diator (when the engine and cap are cold) and look inside. If you see empty space you have troubles — get the hose and fill it up! If you still can t see water find where its coming out so you can look clever in front of your mechanic. Once you can see water in the radiator have a look at its colour, if its bright green (about the shade of Kermit the frog) things are looking good. If its brown, clear or only slightly green you need anti freeze, find the manual or someone in the know to learn how to get the old waPre-race Pit Stop ter out so you can get the anti-freeze As they say its all in the preparation, in. Anti-freeze is great stuff without before you leave make sure you have it the water in your engine will freeze enough gas. oil and air in the tires — when it gets cold. As we all know wadon t forget to check the spare! Ob- ter expands when it freezes so you can 18 expect to find burst hoses and radiators after a cold day or night if you re not running with anti-freeze. bloody useful • Snowchains (essential if you re heading that way), check the forecast — old Jim on Friday nights is normally pretty good for snow warnings. Make sure they fit and you know how to put them on. You can hire snowchains at most ski hire shops. • Ice scraper for windscreen. • A tow rope. Get a static nonstretchy one, remember if you re being towed try to keep the rope under tension at all times and don t brake suddenly. • Jumper leads. Real handy things to have but often expensive so don t buy em unless you really want them. Otherwise connect positive to positive and negative to negative, and CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB remember to have the car with the good battery running when you try and start the other. Don t turn either off till both leads have been disconnected! • CRC 9.96 — this stuf f is cool and fixes 90% of breakdowns. On The Track OK we re all grown ups here but I ll still do this. OBEY THE ROAD RULES!!! Especially the ones about driving after five jugs at the Bealey and speeding — passengers dont be shy to abuse your driver for being a try-hard boy racer and feel free to hide their keys if you see them drinking. I just need to get something out the boot, can I have the keys? works every time. Right then — driving in snow or on potentially icy roads — take it easy . I ve driven from the Bealey to Springfield without exceeding 50kph because there was ice all over the shit show! If you do see ice don t drive over it, but if you really have to do so very slowly and carefully, if you hit black ice at speed pray because steering and braking aren t going to help you! If you do get into snow - put your snow chains on and take it nice and steady. Remember the two-second rule? It s now four, you can t stop very well so be prepared! In the event of a skid DON T STAND ON THE BRAKES! Simply depress the clutch and turn into the skid. If you break hard you will lock up your wheels and slide off into the sunset. The textbooks say brake gently. Finally if it all goes to custard do what any good mountain biker or skier does and look for a nice place to crash and keep looking at it. Odds are you ll somehow wind up here and not that big rock or power pole you might otherwise have been looking at. Finally never trust ABS brakes on ice and snow since they don t always work. If you have an automatic ignore the clutch part and keep it in one of the lower settings while driving on snow. If you have to start in snow put it in 1 if you have it. Otherwise go for the lowest number you ve got. Let the engine spool up then slowly give it gas — you have no clutch so it is a lot harder to stop the wheels breaking traction and start spinning without going anywhere. Snowchains • • • Front wheel drives — Front tyres Rear wheel drives — Rear tyres Four wheel drives — Front tyres (or all four if you have that many!) Finally I ll put a quick note for flooded roads, NEWSLETTER 2000 NO. 3 19 Winter Motoring continued… fords and dodgy puddles. These can happen quite often in winter especially after heavy rain. If you have any doubts the driver should walk through the hazard to make sure it s not too deep or swift (they do this a lot in the army), otherwise stop and weigh up your options, do you really have to cross? If the water is up to your thighs be concerned — you will probably find your air intake will be very near or below the water line and you re going to do a Titanic. Should you cross remember to get everything off the floor and take it slowly when you first enter the water — you dont want to drown the engine with a big wave — then trundle through at a nice steady pace. If you do stall try to restart the engine, otherwise you ll need a tow or just have to get out and push. My Car Won t Start! If your car doesn t start after a lot of attempts or crossing a water hazard you pretty much need someone who knows their shit to get it going again. 20 However it may just be wet or fuelflooded so try again in five minutes. Otherwise the following may be helpful. bit and hold the metal bit a few millimetres from the metal of the engine. When your mate turns over the engine you should see a little spark jump across to the engine. If there s no Engine overheating. Hopefully you spark, check all the spark plug leads just need water. Let it cool for a while are plugged into the distributor propthen top up the water. If you can see a erly and aren t wet. If it still won t leak in a hose seal it up with some spark you ll need help or a can of tape from your first aid kit. Finally CRC. If you have CRC take the cap drive with the heater on full; this is a off the distributor and liberally blast great way to give your engine extra everything under it with the can, then cooling power. pull off the leads and give them a blast Engine won t turn over or does so too. This will remove any water or very slowly. Odds are your battery is crap that s causing the problem. Alflat — use jumper leads if you have ways put all the leads back in the same em, otherwise you will have to push socket! If you have a high voltage or start it. Note: You can t push start an electronic ignition system don t try any of this lack of spark stuff, it won t automatic. be the problem. Engine turns over but still won t start. Do you have gas? Platypus drinking There is a spark or the engine occasionally catches then dies. Probably tubes make good siphoning tools. water in the fuel keep trying. If it still Engine still won t start or even catch. won t start take the lid off your air Do you have spark? Pull one of the filter (the round or rectangular box on leads off a spark plug, peel back the top of the engine). Have a look for insulation so you can see the metal signs of water and give the metal thing CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB Winter Motoring continued… in the bottom of it (the carburettor) a blast with CRC. Still won t go. Say bugger! and start making alternate plans. If you know your car is a bit dodgy put an old jersey or blanket over the engine, especially the leads and distributor, while you re off tramping. This will protect it from moisture and may make getting the car started much easier, just remember to take it off before you start the engine! If your car doesn t go at worst your base contact will raise the alarm when you re overdue and someone will come and find you. Just remember if you spend the night in a car DON T USE A BURNER IN IT. A few years ago four guys had to spend the night in their car up in Arthurs Pass due to snow, they cooked a meal and ran the burner for a while to warm themselves. In the morning their bodies were found in the car by road crews they had died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Well I ve rambled enough so good luck out there folks, winter is a great time for tramping and with a few precautions you and your cars will be fine. So for godsake get out there and enjoy it! Cheers Kylie Overdue! A sample to whet your appetite… “Little did we know that it would take us the best part of two days the reach the hut and no more food (except chocolate) would be had until then. And now it's intermission, and some time to reflect on some "famous last words" uttered on that Saturday. "The Weather's going to be crap all weekend. I'm not sleeping in a tent. Lets leave them here" – before leaving the UCSA. "There's a hut about 'Halfway' up the valley. We can always go to that one" – That is if there wasn't the 10 metre wide wall of water between it and us. "Al, you know that tent you carried. There's no fly" – a certain gear-locker guy was closer to death than he knew that night, and he wasn't even there. "The track starts about one more kilometre up river, once we get there it should only take another hour" – unfortunately this was at about 10pm and we never made it to the track: when we did, the next day, the track didn't exist and it took us 4 hours…” Read all about it in TROG 2000!!! Write up your stories now and receive a king-size bar of finest Cadbury’s! 22 CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY TRAMPING CLUB The Gerry Tribute! Our beloved friend, social officer and all-round nice guy… It just about takes a belt-sander to wipe the smile off this guy’s face!
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