Can I just say...
11 October 2011 - 8:24pm
...I really enjoyed the 'Stranger Danger' article in the latest Climber. Well written - nice job Fraser. I bet there are loads of good 'Stranger Danger' stories out there. Anyone?
I also thought the Esther's article on Indoor Climbing was most entertaining. "Titahi Bay: take your favourite hold home". Made me laugh out loud. Such a shit crag.
17 October 2011 - 7:09am
#2
Jetstar?
18 October 2011 - 8:50pm
#3
Such a careful reader Simon! Ryan Air should probably take offence :-)
18 October 2011 - 8:56pm
#4
sleazyjet? edit <snap>
18 October 2011 - 10:34am
#5
...the cover picture of Zac is sorta cool but I can't help but to wonder what it would look like with a balding forty something with a beer gut (maybe just a little more like your average reader; we are the 99%, ha, ha.)
...the black and white cover makes the magazine look over priced and poor quality next to all the colour cover equivalents.
...good job Kester, et al., the magazine is good quality and it does have a little something for everyone, except maybe deep water soloing.
18 October 2011 - 12:28pm
#6
This positive stuff has no place on SMACK TALK
+1 on both articles. Missed you at Fergs last night JP, you leave early? Lol
Fraser's Serb at the Gunks reminded me of a trip to Paklenica, Croatia. And not just cos that's sounds awesomely exotic; though it is super rad destination.
'Camping Marko' was quiet midweek but took flight in the weekend with gaudy Balkan techno and road tripping Poles and Slovaks. About 3 am, some guy staggers around outside the tent loudly giving it the "my wiiii-efe, she 'as a beeg teeeets. You vant see picture my wi-efe?" Borat was yet to hit NZ, so we didn't recognize it, and thought another drunk, post-traumatic local was about to cut loose.
The next day revealed a severely hungover, scraggly Englishman called Dave. Dave was the youngest of 4 Brits the rest of which were on their annual Euro climbing week, including the then president on the BMC, Nick someone. They were doing the long multi pitch routes on Anica Kuk, 10 pitch bolted limestone awesomeness. Dave was mostly drinking though, and I suspect they drew straws to see who tied in with him each day. Unadultered dodginess. He'd cast off hungover, with a bottle of red wine his sustenance for the day - likely the top notch stuff the locals drink only mixed with coke - and seemed to finish it off by a couple pitches in. We'd spy him swigging away on belay.
The older Brits were top blokes, and took us out to dinner at a nice restaurant across the bay. Dave had a skin full, broke out the Borat routine and started making offers on the restauranteur's cat for dinner. And enquires about his daughter. I'd like to think it was just that Dave had fallen on hard times. Amen to climbing trip therapy. He must have done something right to earn the support and friendship of the other guys. Or maybe they'd landed in the ultimate strangee danger and were just trying to keep everybody else safe by taking turns to prevent Dave recruiting someone unsuspecting - and less prepared than them - to tie in with. And keeping him out of earshot for most of the day.
I bet the old guys are still jumping off on jetstar for a lads week of cranking and sipping wine each year. Hopefully Dave's worked a few things out. Sober, he seemed a nice enough bloke. Even as amped as I was to try longer more difficult routes, I would sooner have spent a week at the nearby 'sunseekers' seaside camp chocka with fat leathery old Germans than tie in with that guy.