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A big hello from Wanaka to you!
With 20cm of fresh snow draping our local peaks, we are happy to put behind another successful summer of activities and welcome in the winter snow. Snow in June, change your tune?
Recent climbing trips ... The last trip of the climbing season went to guide Phil Penney who assisted Tony Westcott with a successful ascent of Mt. Aspiring via the NW ridge. This iconic and majestic peak proves to be the perfect year round climb, with its ever changing facades as the seasons evolve.
Whitney and Gavin have just finished up the last of the Mountain Skills courses for the season. The enthusiastic group of mountaineers were based at Centennial hut. By the course close a broad range of memorable experiences were had and there was a marked increase of competency in glacier travel, crevasse extraction and ice climbing.
Did you hear this? “If you’re walking out in the rain then you’ve timed it right.”
“If you’re not eating it, wearing it or sleeping in it, why are you carrying it?”
NZ's most determined mountaineer: Read a interview with Phil Doole.
Comment from the oldest person to climb Mt Aspiring:
Ron Webster had his eye on climbing Mt Aspiring for 60 years!
Julie's dunnit! Check out her Mt Aspiring photos
Holiday time for guides:
After a busy Summer many of the guides like to recharge by doing what they love most…. climbing. Often called New Zealand’s best crag, Mt. Arapiles in western Victoria is a favourite overseas escape. If you bump into Nick, Anthea, Gavin, Mal or Gary, be sure to give them some healthy encouragement if the exposure seems to be getting to them. Marty and Suzanne can be found loitering at the crags of the Blue Mountains. Whitney is currently in Peru to savour the kite surfing possibilities and sip Pisco sour. Nick, Murray and Milo have continued to produce quality rock routes. Stefan was last seen packing his wares to catch some of the late season snow back in Switzerland.
Recommended reading:
Aspiring By Kieran Kelly. Featuring the late Anton Wopereis, Aspiring is a step by step account of climbing Mt. Aspiring from the perspective of a novice and examines the way we overcome our inner demons, as well as our outer fears. We knew Anton quite well, and was surprised by Kelly's take on Anton's personality. We were impressed that Kelly admits later in his book that indeed it was HIS OWN temperament that Wopereis mirrored.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Conditions are looking particularly favourable for the coming winter. Access to routes and huts has been much friendlier than last year. Come and join us ...
Adventurous climbers needed: take some time out this July, smash up some ice!
Know your stuff this winter... Backcountry Awareness Courses for skiers/boarders based at Black Peak hut.
Ski mountaineering tours : Summit to Sea glacier traverse dates have been set from July -September.
NEW TRIPS:
SKI: July/August Pisa Range Tour intro to ski touring 3 days
CLIMB: October to February Summit to Sea glacier ascent/descent on foot 8 days "Franz-tastic"
WILD WALKS: mid-Dec to mid-Mar Mt Aspiring glacier expedition 4 days
If you really have to get FAR away, SAVE $100 on a WORLD EXPEDITIONS trip:
Classic Inca Trail, Peru - 12 days
Everest Base Camp, Nepal - 20 days
Vietnam by bike - 15 days
As one of our favourite people book any of these trips with us and save nz$100. We require only nz$400 deposit per person.
Free desktop photo:
We have some excellent photos to share with you. Just email back with "desktop photo" in the subject line, and we'll email you a photo every 4-6 weeks. If you'd like to share your photo send it to us (less than 1Mb please!) When you receive the photo, it's easy to transfer it to your computer's desktop where you can look at it for inspiration.
Put forth your aspirations, we will convert them to reality ....
The team at Aspiring Guides - climb-trek-ski
Mt Aspiring National Park
w: www.aspiringguides.com
e: action@aspiringguides.com
p: +64 3 443 9422
f: +64 3 443 9540
l: Lake Wanaka, New Zealand |
