Wānaka Climbing Club

Way back in simpler times climbers would regularly rumble past the dark cliffs at the head of Lake Wānaka on the dusty corrugated Matukituki Valley road; preoccupied, no doubt, with the spectacular snowy peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park.

Sometime in the 1970s Owen Cambridge and Grant Gillespie pulled over and parked at Hospital Flat, with their eyes on a distinctive rock pinnacle. In a short two weeks they aid-climbed a moss-filled weakness to the virgin summit of the iconic Tombstone boulder, to give us The Crack. The glorious age of aid would be short lived however. A precocious Dave Fearnley promptly free-climbed the Crack at grade 17. At the nearby Main Cliff the venerable local mountain guide Geoff Wyatt flashed Big Corner (14). 

In 1983 Bryan Dyson looked further up the road and found the charmingly named Aspiring Arseholes (16) at what would become Roadside Attraction. Later, in 1985 Dave McNulty and Paul Scaife added Judges Wine (16). That same year Wolfgang Gullich established Punks in the Gym (32) at Mt Arapiles. Arapiles was cool. So were Whanganui Bay and Castle Hill and lycra tights. Cars full of mountaineers, skiers, tourists and sheep just kept on rumbling past.

Towards the end of the eighties Guy Cotter discovered and almost single-handedly developed Phoebe Creek, an immaculate, steep, black wall deeper into the Matukituki. Placing terrier bolts on lead with one hand is not easy, but Guy prevailed, creating the fantastic run out 50 metre pitch Cleansing the Stone (21) along with other instant classics. 

It became apparent to would-be developers that if the compact schist was going to amount to much they would need bolts - lots of bolts - and power drills.

In 1990 Guy, Nick Cradock, Paul Aubrey, Glen Einam and Clinton Beavan formed the nucleus of the Wānaka Rock Climbing Club (WCC), purchased a battery hammer drill, and Wānaka sport climbing was born.

Paul immediately created Arêtenaphobia (20), possibly the most convenient and popular line in the valley. Guy climbed Falcon Steep (22), in the shade of The Cutting - probably still the best of its grade in Wānaka. 

In 1992 Allan Uren, Clinton and Glen pioneered a dark slab in the shrubbery above Diamond Lake. Naked on the Névé (20) is a delicate and sustained piece de résistance.

Attracted by all the commotion, Guy and Nick rapped down a steeper wall to the left. Ever the mountaineer, Nick announced 'I'm going to name this wall after me.' Guy agreed, and it's been known as Pencil Dick Wall ever since.

Glen tackled the shady walls of The Cutting to produce long, moderate classics such as Happy Fat Men (18), a route that even fleshy heli-ski guides could climb. On the other side of the road a short but intense wall baked in the sun. Lionel Clay, spoilt rotten by European limestone, pronounced it 'a pile of choss that would never have a decent route.' Unconvinced, Glen served up the crimpy classic Mental as Anything (25) and Sunnyside became the perfect winter venue.

In 1993 the understated Sheffield cellar dweller Chris Plant gifted the Wānaka scene its first 30; the powerful and seldom repeated Humble at Trackside on Rocky Mountain. It was five grades harder than anything the locals had managed thus far! Unfortunately this would be the way of things. The hopelessly distractible local crew would enfeeble themselves with altitude, surfing, skiing and other poor lifestyle choices, leaving many last great problems prey to out-of-towners. Ti Timatanga (30) Engage (29) and Onion (29) all being examples of local projects plundered by outsiders. 

Two great crags from this period, Motatpu and Jimmy Cliff, shone briefly then sadly faded on account of access issues and the tyranny of distance. 

1995 arrived along with opportunists Simon Middlemass and Phil Marsh. With Ed Nepia, they established the first routes at Riverside. Not only was the climbing awesome, there was the added bonus of a swimming hole and ambient picnic spot. In the resulting stampede one of Wānaka's favourite crags was born along with feisty uber-classics such as Ed's Zoot Alors (24), Clinton's Lollapalooza (25) and David Hiddleston's exciting Jack be Nimble (23). These were halcyon days and with the likes of Dave Vass, Hugh Barnard and Rachel Musgrave a party-like atmosphere pervaded. New routing reached a frenetic pace with Al Cove, Far Side, Kai Whaka Pai (a purpose-built-fully-sponsored-community-sporting-facility) materialising in quick succession.

The first edition of a Wānaka guide book was published at the end of 1996 and would become a pragmatic source of funding for equipment and improvements - a kind of quasi-socialist collective distributing free bolts tot the people ...l or at least to whoever could get their hands on them first. There was even a community drill (and free beer at well attended AGMs!).

The rest of the decade would continue apace with yet more crags popping up like magic mushrooms in May. Pearly Gates, Toad Hall and Live Wire were developed bringing the total to over 30 separate crags. The obvious, and sometimes less obvious, blank bits on the topos were rapidly couloured in. Glen even developed the summit rocks of Treble Cone - ski accessed sport climbing, or an altitudinous utopia for a scorching mid summer day. Do the seven-star Green Gates Revisited (17).

Y2K passed and the world carried on. The local population was now better armed than Texas and static ropes adorned every nook and cranny. Another edition of the guidebook was launched in 2001 to purchase yet more hardware. Wānaka climbing was as robustly developed as the fat Hereford steers that grazed on the flats below the crags.

But more is more; the relentlessly productive team of Nick and Glen, joined by Murray Ball, turned out a slew of good long face climbs at Sharon Stone and Rock Hudson on the cool flanks of Rocky Mountain ad with Mark and Jon Sedon, Glen and others retooled the rejuvenated the High Side area. The cheeky Doing the World a Favour (22). and a link up of Pocket Edition into Fur Breath (22) are worthy distractions.

At about the time everyone gave up expecting more surprises, the redoubtable Guy Cotter discovered Mount Iron, a small mountain range int the middle of town, that had hitherto lain unnoticed. Initially it was pretty uninviting real estate, heavily guarded by dense and prickly vegetation and with a veneer of dust and semi attached tombstones of all sizes. AP32 (22) is named for a grade of gravel.

However with a great deal of hard work, Guy, Ed, Jon, Bryan Moore, Bruce Dowrick, Greg Johnston and other poor souls bludgeoned back the layers to reveal steep athletic sport climbing that, like the best smelly cheese, got better with age. Long pumpers of the Iron Curtain such as The Good Bastard (27) and Mezzanine (25); the Middle Curtain's pleasurably steep AP32 (22) and Ironside's family favourite Iron Maiden (22) now keep the suburban working class trim and taut on mid week evenings.

Approaching the middle of the decade, and with a couple of new editions of the guidebook gone by, Guy and Ed revealed the beast that they'd been working on for the better part of a decade. Doggedly, and with just a few days a year of boys-own time out from family responsibilities, they'd rigged and freed the 220m, 9 pitch monster Taniwha (24) on the huge black wall of Hell's Gate.

It's a unique and airy day out. Nearby, Glen also added some great multi-pitch sport climbing with routes at Wishbone Falls. Including the 4 pitch 23 Stone Street (23).

In 2005 the guidebook took a step up with spiral binding, a coulour cover and photo topos; quite flash for a small provincial not-for-profit. Of course all families have their little battles from time to time. A particular roue at The Crackhouse had bolts added and chopped several times and two of the local bigger personalities got a bit pushy-pushy until the UN intervened. In the end populist utilitarianism triumphed over sentimental idealism and Critic's Choice (20) is a rather good climb.

Serendipitously the High Country lease holders who controlled most of the land upon which we climbed underwent Tenure Review at about this time. Climbers had mostly enjoyed a cordial relationship with the farmers. This was no doubt furthered by a daring rescue of a dog and some sheep and some high angle fencing by the likes of Dave Vass and other members of the 'High Country Rescue' TV series.

In exchange for freehold title to the bits that cows, sheep and swedes prefer, the high country farmers would give up the bits that tourists, skinks, kea and climbers prefer. These new Conservation and Recreation Areas would be managed by DoC and the future of rock climbing was assured. This also meant tracks, toilets, informative signs and a new status for the WCC as a stakeholder and as a recognised recreational group. This was all very grown up.

Sometime in 2008 Al Ritchie managed to convince Bruce to rap off a dodgy warratah and check out the searing wall that would soon become Al Cap With a fine nose for quality crimping Jon was quick to join the fray. Impossibly strong Australian Scott Standen came on the scene and was in need of something a little chewier, while Czech hotshot, Zdenek Racuk cleaned up the leftovers. The result was extraordinarily sustained technical face climbing, with the authoritative Kester Brown even suggesting Continuous Play (27) as the best route on schist. Scott's Vasoconstrictor (31), Jon's Tormentum Vigilae and Zdenek's Mainlining (both 30) remain some of the region's best and hardest routes.

Interestingly, even those with formidable reputations and psychopathic alpinist tendencies, such as Guy, Nick, the two Als and various Daves, were capable of established perfectly sane, well bolted sport climbs. All the more surprising that Al Ritchie, who had survived numerous audacious onsight solos and hairy adventures, should land in hospital falling off his own high grade consumer sport route Righteous (27) into a tree.

The now well weathered, but seldom out of breath, posse of Nick, Glen and Murray unveiled the results of all their shenanigans up at the long time secret Rumour Mill. This is a crag with dramatic architecture and many great climbs. Nick's Pearl (21) is a treasure. 

By 2009 the Club realised it had become distracted somewhat with actually climbing and was neglecting its duties such as printing guidebooks and drinking beer together in the same place at the same time. Fortunately Greg Johnston had the energy and wherewithal to produce yet another edition of the guide: more photos, more routes, more pages, more bolts and more great cragging for the masses.

As we rolled over another decade more crags continued to surface as a multitude of scarps and blocks appeared seemingly out of nowhere. 2011 found Bryan and Greg taking lengthy pilgrimages on the Vatican. Jon dragged Zdenek and Bruce up to Far Horizons high on Rocky Mountain,. By rights it's too far from car parking to be a sport crag, but its popularity is testament to its high quality and unique limestonesque features. Jon's Komatsu (26) is the pick of the bunch (and also the warm up!). The Contractor (30) awaits a second ascent.

Milo Gilmour weaseled his way in to the affections of Glendhu Station's farmer folk and gained access to a vast acreage of previously forbidden rocky hillside in 2012. He and Team Far Horizons settled comfortably into the Gentlemens Club, redecorating its gently overhanging walls with an array of shiny new bolts. Zdenek was in his element here, creating the reachy test pieces The Midget (29) and White Pepper (28.)

So here we are Somehow most of us made it to 2014, though seldom without incident. Those who didn't; most notably David Hiddleston, Paul Scaife and Will MacQueen, are greatly missed.

Many worthy deeds and scintillating tales will have gone untold or simply unremembered.

A huge effort, somehow both selfish and selfless on the part of many very individual Individuals has gone into the making of this great resource.

Edited and updated by Bruce Dowrick