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Castle Hill Siege!

Setha

16-Sep-2005
9:06:00 AM

Well, I just got back from the Hill yesterday. What an amazing place!!!!!

My tips:
-make slopers your friend
-make pockets your friend
-make pain your friend
-make rain your friend!
-take a rain coat.
-take sunscreen.
-start strengthening your lats, triceps and rotator cuff muscles RIGHT NOW!!!!
-learn how to mantle.
-alter your perception as to what constitutes a foothold.

My favourite probs (at each grade)
-V2 - I really liked a problem directly opposite Snake Eyes in Quantam Field, I didn't have a guide for quantam so I dont know its name/number or grade but it features two big pocs and felt about v2.

-V3 - I don't remember many V3s, tuppi-master stand was pretty cool I guess...

-V4 - QUAKE!!! on the Tricky boulder at spittle is awesome.
- Beautiful Edges really is beautiful, and I swear the sun shone through the clouds as I topped out.

-V5 - is THE spittle hill grade, so many cool probs at V5. Faves were (both at spittle hill) The Letter Box and The Element. Give Birth at Quantam deserves an honourable mention.

-V6 - Tricky! Way cool, big dynamic moves and a touch soft (always keeps the punters happy!)
-One move boulder, despite what Al says I really liked this, another dynamic problem.
-Oh yeah, tuppi-master...

-V7 - I absolutely loved Raw Terror at Quantam, very very fkn cool!
-Opium at spittle is way cool aswell (I didn't do it but is big, proud and gnarly!)

-V8 - didnt do any 8s but The Joker looks awesome!!!!!! or is that v9...

Short of it is, Castle Hill is sensational, I intend to return there asap, best bouldering I have done.The climbing is engaging in a magical setting with something for everyone.

Duncan

16-Sep-2005
12:46:00 PM

It was good to meet you setha. There has been a bit of rain since you left too (pissed down this morning). I went up to Flock Hill yeterday and it really is a pretty big hill. Definitely worth it though.

Setha

16-Sep-2005
1:24:07 PM

Hey duncan! Did you climb at Flock? When cam and I went up there (when it was raining...) we saw some super cool lines, for the most part they looked hard though. I'd be keen to hear how you go, let me know.

Seth.


Robb

16-Sep-2005
3:06:36 PM

hey seth
great to see you had a great trip. did the keas eat your (dunc's) tent??


ecowain

17-Sep-2005
10:00:59 AM

Hey Duncan,

I want you to have a serious go on the unrepeatable for me! Hope you're looking at all those lovely mountains and planning that trip over xmas :-)

Duncan

17-Sep-2005
3:01:32 PM

Yeah, flock hill is pretty sweet. Keaś are yet to eat my tent, although word is that the weather is going to crap out in a big way, so I have gone to arthurs pass to stay in the nzac hut. I should really have got the door code before now... If anyone has it please send it to me via pm or email. Some guy at the store was feeding the kea and I keep hearing them cry out and ducking outside to check one of them isn eating my hire car.

Anyway, I will give the unrepeatable a go owain. Tuppi master is awesome, as is the element and beautiful edges, which co-incidentally was also my tick list for today. Yay! Off to go and make sure the kea don do too much damage now...


Super Saiyan

17-Sep-2005
3:10:40 PM

Argh! 2 and half months to go!!!! Damn having to finish school!!!!

Duncan

17-Sep-2005
3:24:04 PM

Got the arthurs pass code. Hurrah for not having to sleep on the balcony!

Setha

17-Sep-2005
7:31:17 PM

Robby!!!

Nah keas didn't eat my (dunc's) tent, one of the little bastards crawled under the vestibule and tried to make off with one of my shoes though...

I've got a few happy snaps, I'll put 'em in an album and you can have a look some time.I was thinking of maybe sending a few to Steve or Ronny for the ccsa site, reckon they'd be interested?

Duncan, you've got to get on Raw Terror, wild dynamic move leads to a heinous mantle! Get on Opium too, it is way cool. Good luck with the weather and have a wicked time!!!

Setha

17-Sep-2005
7:50:00 PM

Duncan,

One more thing, don't judge the conditions at Castle Hill by the weather at Arthur's Pass. The place is totally different, even when it was raining at the campsite it could be dry and climbable at the boulders. Wierd kiwi weather...

Duncan

18-Sep-2005
10:17:36 AM

Cheers seth, but it looks like it really is going to go quite nasty:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3413143a6009,00.html

My tips are shredded anyway.


Super Saiyan

18-Sep-2005
11:12:33 AM

Just think of the friction!! lol

Setha

18-Sep-2005
12:00:02 PM

Wow! Full on, um... well... good luck with that!


ecowain

18-Sep-2005
10:57:27 PM

Duncan. Enjoy the safety of the lodge! The weather forecast looks evil. We just climbed Tom thumb today in awesome weather, and finished off with an awesome full moon walk out. It's been snowing in Blackheath too though.

Duncan

19-Sep-2005
11:04:42 AM

I woke up this morning to about 5cm of snow. Its novel at least. Meant to fine up by wednesday, otherwise I might head to wanaka and see how it is down there. Pity we couldn go ice climbing owain!


Tel

19-Sep-2005
11:14:27 AM

On 16/09/2005 Setha wrote:

>-V2 - I really liked a problem directly opposite Snake Eyes in Quantam
>Field, I didn't have a guide for quantam so I dont know its name/number
>or grade but it features two big pocs and felt about v2.

hmmmm... its either Henry Moore *** V1, or, Doph Doph Music V3

Setha

19-Sep-2005
6:58:41 PM

mmm probly Henry Moore, it was definitely three stars.

Duncan

25-Sep-2005
2:31:39 PM

Raining again :( Had an awesome day yesterday though. I checked out Tricky and Quake based on sethś reccomendation and found both well worth the praise he gave them. I don't agree that Tricky is soft though, especially compared to one move boulder (which is pretty good, but I was scared I was going to come off and land on the cheatstone. Snow on holds to either side didn help either). The other v4 on the tricky boulder (pain and frequency, I think) is very, very good, but absolutely terrifying! We had about 4 mats under it and I was still wishing I had my brown corduroy trousers. The uber jug on top is very welcome!

Another boulder worth checking out is the Headlight boulder in quantum field. I've only scoped it out so far, not actually climbed on it, but it appears to have 2 three-star v4's, an excellent dynamic v7, a very stiff v7 pocket traverse and a good high v5 slab. There is also a scary looking v10 for the hardmen. If the rain stops, thats where I'll be tomorrow.


alrob

25-Sep-2005
5:47:16 PM

yeah quake and tricky are both great, with tricky definately not a soft touch. i backed off that other v4 on the trickey boulder when i was there on my own with one pad. i found that the sitstart to quake was very good also, but very hard. it took numerous attempts on a few different days to finally get it.

gripper, v7 is brilliant too! just through the arch where one move boulder is


Super Saiyan

25-Sep-2005
6:29:30 PM

so al, you gonna be at castle hill over xmas?? we are def gonna make a trip up to paynes ford for a couple days, chill out at hangdog camp... there will be a few of us there (me, kerryn, jen chan and simon, my mate brett) and gary is gonna catch up with us at some stage...

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