[hongkongstuey]

too many good New Zealand photos to post a photo assualt so I'll just give you the link to them instead (no upsetting out-of-date dial up users this way either...)

http://www.hongkongclimbing.com/gallery/nz/new_zealand.html

[Nibile]

its like stealing a ride on a ferrari

Not on Ben's extension its not. More like and MR2. Promises much on paper, but in reality it looks lame and should really be left for hairdressers.

whats wrong with bens ext. and with hairdressers?
the moves look cool.

[webbo]

should'nt it be hairdressers wives.

[Nibile]

hairdressers wives can pull off the drop down move?

[webbo]

hairdressers wives can pull off the drop down move?

think cars and who drives them.

i'm not sure this is a safe subject to discuss with someone from italy.given most of the blokes there seem to drive about on toy scooters. :wink:

[saltbeef]

Everyone's fav 8a like Last Day in Paradise?

you know it big dog! hope its not too hot out there beast. god to be hanging at the beach, windhoek in hand...

[Nibile]

heh,
you should see me driving my scooter with two crashpads in the morning freeze to go bouldering...

besides, still don get the hairdressers joke.
im too dumb from breathing too much chalk.

[Nibile]

oh, perhaps i got it.
d'uh.

[Jim]

must be one mutant hairdresser...

[Carnage]

Stu,

This is an awesome shot!

[Fiend]

Second that. In fact most of them are good. Shows just how great Castle Hill is.

What did you think of the Duntroon area? We found it well spooky around there, a really....quiet feel, local place for local people and all that...

[Ru]

Who's G unit? Don't recognise him from behind, or with fish.

[hongkongstuey]

What did you think of the Duntroon area? We found it well spooky around there, a really....quiet feel, local place for local people and all that...

i thnk the most we saw was the odd farm house here and there (Grace's navigating went a bit to pot around there). Elephant Rocks was a bit of a let down (everything was really dirty compared to the Hill) but the bouldering at Hulk Hogan was wayl fun.

Unfortunately Flock Hill has now been closed to climbers (possibly for good this time) so we couldn't get up there, aside from that everything at Castle Hill rocked - even the one problem that did this:


(from a V4 dyno I'd done earlier in the day without any consequence but caught the hold wrong when repeating to demo for Mr Spark)

[Jim]

Who's G unit? Don't recognise him from behind, or with fish.

some strong american t-rex, currently in heuco after his grit spanking (although font trip was quite succesful)

[Bubba]

Stu,

This is an awesome shot!

for sure - that's one of the best pics I've seen for ages.

you lost lotsa skin their Stu, ouch

[hongkongstuey]

i do love my 10-22mm lense, it's the dogs knads for shots like that

[BenF]

Yeah that photo is utter class, the best I've seen of that problem ("Tuppi Master" if I remember right?).  And it's a bo problem huh?  Did you manage the right hand arete on it's right hand side?  I never could get that together, despite it's relative easy angle.

[BenF]

Unfortunately Flock Hill has now been closed to climbers (possibly for good this time) so we couldn't get up there, aside from that everything at Castle Hill rocked - even the one problem that did this:

Why is this?  I know the filming last year shut it down for a while.  Is it due to the poor attitude of so many locals and visitors?  I never understood why no-one would show the respect of giving the manager a call to check access.  When I lived out there and was climbing at the hill several times a week, a quick call to the Flock Hill Station manager would be easy to do and they even used to let us have access during lambing time if it was a small team going up there.  Yet often you'd see up to twenty people up at Flock Hill and for sure none of them would have rung in.

Access is pretty sensitive in NZ and it would be a right shame if so much quality rock got closed for climbing (and Flock Hill is the dogs).  Especially as the rest of the basin is starting to truly open up (eg Prebble Hill).

[SA Chris]

god to be hanging at the beach, windhoek in hand...

You must have big hands, Windhoek is quite a big place.

[hongkongstuey]

A few coincidental reasons it appears –
1. the land owner wants to do guided tours of the site after the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe gets released, hence hoards of unpaying scruffy climbers wouldn’t please the punters too much.
2. some prick went and placed bolts in ‘Aslans Rock’, which’ll no doubt be the centre piece of whats discussed in item 1.
3. when questioned about being on the private land without permission recently, some climbers opened up a torrent of abuse, basically telling the land agent to go ‘f’ themselves.

Gary from Flock Hill Lodge (where we stayed – recommend this place to anyone visiting – kinda like staying in a Gite and not too expensive) tried calling the land owner for us to see if we could visit but it was all a bit too short notice and he never got a response in the time we were there – which didn’t bother us too much as we were having so much fun at the Hill.

[BenF]

Ah that sucks big style.  The manager and family used to be so cool with climbers heading up there.  

Why do people have to mess stuff up?  When things are so sensitive in the first place.  And again, just like after the LOR's films, the landowners are cashing in at the expense of access.

[SA Chris]

We asked a couple of climbers about access to Flck Hill when we were there, and the response was pretty much "no-one bothers phoning any more, just go up there". We didn't, but I guess this is the result of that attitude.

[BenF]

Yup, that was what everyone said when I first moved there and seemed the prevalent attitude.  However it wasn't that hard and the manager was cool about it all.  Round about lambing time they'd even ask us to call back later in the day to report any livestock problems we'd encountered.

Just seemed decent to ring them each time, and now look what's happened.  I intend moving back in a few years so let's hope things get sorted out...  I have projects to climb up there!

[AndyR]

i do love my 10-22mm lense, it's the dogs knads for shots like that

How's sparky? Haven't heard from him for a while - was he being typically flash with his money whilst in NZ  

[Fingers of a Martyr]

absolutley great pics stu

i have to say, if heaven exists i seriously imagine it looking like this...