General

Hi Folks

We are making club members aware of the accident that happened on Mt Ruapehu on Saturday morning - please see info below.

 

Every year as summer kicks in and the temperatures rise there is a migration of climbers towards the infamous and world class Ceuse. This year, despite our best intentions to check out some more new places, we found Ceuse’s promise of a perfect cliff with cool conditions irresistible.

Work is full steam ahead on the new Mojo. We've redone the look and feel, made it about 1/5th of the download size of the current mojo (if not less), pulled across new forum software, and am now building the crag database. Now, this is where we need YOU.. from all round NZ. I'm looking for random photos of random crags, Mangetepopo, Crags X and W, Kinloch, Ngahere drive, hanging rock, sebastapol bluffs etc. I'm trawling back through the archives to find photos of all these crags (because I've got a list of about 200 odd to go online!). So have you got a photo thats not of the mainstream crag variety ? send it in.. email me, rowan@mojozone.co.nz with a breif one liner, who's in the photo (if there are people), what route / line is being done etc.

Ta muchly,
Mojo

Steph Davis became the second woman to free-climb El Capitan in a day when she climbed Free Rider in 22 hours 15 minutes in late May. The climb came one month after her initial all-free ascent of the 38-pitch, 5.12+ route — only the second time a woman has led every pitch of an El Cap free route. Davis was assisted in the one-day ascent by the photographer Heinz Zak, who belayed and cleaned every pitch. Starting in the evening, she climbed through the night to the Alcove and slept there for three hours. In the morning, she nailed the route’s crux, a sideways dyno that she feels is 5.13a for someone of her 5-foot, 5-inch stature, and then carried on to the top through two more 5.12 pitches and numerous other 5.10 and 5.11 leads.

Lynn Hill was the first woman to free an El Cap route (The Nose, 5.13+), in 1993, and she made a one-day free ascent the following year. Beth Rodden free-climbed Lurking Fear but did not lead every pitch.

www.climbing.com

Elie Chevieux is alive!
2004-05-14


We got a new wonderful email from 8a.nu member Steve Amstutz: (The email has been confirmed by Swiss newspapers.)

"I have wonderful news. Elie Chevieux is alive. He just called is mother. The informations we have got from the Foreign Affairs Department were wrong. A swiss passport were found on the dead body and a misunderstood was done. I had a discussion with Elie's friends and he is fine, he is right now in Pakistan.

Good news for all of us, but we must not forget that two people were killed."

This news has been all over the world and his father has been interviewed in newspapers etc. It's a terrible mistake by officials! In this case, everything seems to have turned out to the best, but think about how Elie's family and friends must have felt... It's impossible to even begin to understand...

Swiss teletext reported this afternoon - "Genevan Elie Chevieux was not stoned to death in Kabul. His mother received a telephone call on Friday from the Swiss Ambassador in Iran, who announced that her son was alive and that he had been contacted."

From 8a.nu

After three weeks away from the Cave bouldering with Phil Sage, Max Far and their Aussie cohorts Derek Thatcher returned to the cave and sent Ride of the Valkyries (32). This is the first repeat of the route established by Ivan Vostinar at the end of last year. Derek's send is especially impressive as the conditions at the cave were poor with two of the crucial holds for the 'V10 crux' being damp, as was some of the top of Bogus Machismo which the route joins after the crux. This is Derek's sixth 32. Interestingly he has climbed only three routes of grade 31.

Make sure to come out and see the new film called 'A Colorado Daydream: Once Around The Sun'. This film profiles four climbers and their struggle to keep up with their 'real lives' in the midst of their positions as the strongest climbers in the state.
Filmed in the most scenic part of the Rocky Mountains and featuring incredible new development at the cutting edge of the sport. All set to an awesome soundtrack full of great, world class music. If you would like to see a preview please visit the web site at www.codaydream.com
Thanks!

I have mis-placed a rope.
Has anybody in their travels noticed a very light red (not pink) Mammut infinity rope in a Purple and black Cactus rope bag? Last used in the Sheredin Hills/Smiths area. Drop me a line if you find it (get it...)