Section Event
Wye Creek Rock Climbing
Friday, December 8 2023 — Sunday, December 10 2023
| The Basics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event type: | Rock climbing | ||
| Start date: | Friday, December 8 2023 | ||
| End Date: | Sunday, December 10 2023 | ||
| Registration cut-off | Tuesday, December 5 2023 12:00 PM | ||
| Trip organizers |
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| Cost | Camping 2 nights $50 ($25 per night) Fuel costs if carpooling will depend on your location | ||
| Participant Information | |||
| Who's invited | Members and guests | ||
| Attendee screening | Attendees are pre-screened | ||
| Maximum number of participants | 15 | ||
| Total number registered | 14 | ||
| Who's registered | You must be logged in to view participant list | ||
Description
Club trip based in Kingston/Wye Creek area on the weekend of the 9/10th December.
Planning to meet in Kingston on Friday night so we are ready to walk up to Wye Creek for a full day of climbing on Saturday. Choose your own adventure with plenty of easy, moderate or hard sport climbs, all backdropped by classic Lake Wakatipu views.
Sunday climbing will probably be at Kingston. A range of routes here including short multipitch.
This is an open invite to NZAC and non-NZAC members, with priority given to members. These crags have a range of walls with climbs for people of all abilities. So beginner climbers are very welcome if they have solid belaying skills. Local climbers are welcome to join for either day but please fill out the sign up form regardless so that we have an emergency contact for you.
Getting There
The Wye Creek crag is located off SH6 leading to Kingston about 15km from Frankton. The trip leader is based in Alexandra so will be driving from there but likely to have a contingent coming from Dunedin. We will arrange carpooling as practicable depending on where/when people are travelling from.We will plan to base ourselves at the Kingston Top 10 holiday park arriving Friday night and leaving Sunday morning. Showers and kitchen facilities available. Usually we plan to tent but there may be cabins available should you wish to book one.
What to Expect
Wye Creek is on a hill and has an approximately 45 minute approach (gasp!). If you've been there before and expect to drive up hill on the gravel road past the main carpark then be aware that this has been closed to public use after consultation between the land owners (access crosses private land) and the local climbing club. Please abide by this and respect the area to keep access open. Make sure you're okay with the solid walk to the crag if you sign up.
We expect to fit in a solid day of climbing if we leave reasonably early from the campground to allow time for the approach walk in the cool of the morning. Having said that, it can get extremely hot during some parts of the day - so expect a decent amount of chill time soaking in the atmosphere, too.
Possible Hazards
Standard rock climbing hazards such as falling, rock fall and other overhead hazards, heat exhaustion and hypothermia. We expect everyone to wear a helmet when climbing, belaying and standing close to the base of the cliff on club trips to minimise risk.Uneven terrain along the bottom of the walls and on the walk in can be expected so take you time and pay attention when moving from crag to crag. Some belay ledges are quite exposed with large drop offs so be mindful of where you are and take care when moving around the belay area.
It can get pretty hot due to the sunny aspect of the Main Wall so bring plenty of water (can refill from Wye Creek a short walk from the crag if you're happy drinking wild water or bring a water treatment option) and stay well hydrated. Apply sunscreen or cover up to avoid turning into a tomato!
Equally, weather can turn cold sometimes unexpectedly and we are in a 'mountain' environment due to reasonable elevation so bring warm layers and a light rain jacket as we are decent walk from the car should anything go wrong.
Keep the trip covid/cold/flu free. Stay home if you're feeling unwell. Practice good hygiene.
Inform trip leader of any medical conditions that could be an issue during the trip and bring appropriate medications if you need them.
Gear
Food
- BYO breakfasts, lunches and snacks. Grab your own dinner on Friday night but we will plan to have a shared potluck meal on the Saturday night (will discuss this via email with those who sign up). Be aware that there are supermarkets in Frankton/Queenstown but only a small store/cafe in Kingston. So plan to either get food on your way through Frankton or bring enough with you for the trip.
Tenting
- Bring a tent if you have one and we will communicate about options to share tents once we see numbers of people signed up
Climbing gear
- Harness, helmet, ropes, quickdraws, anchors etc (contact us if you need to borrow anything)
Please note that at least 60m rope required for many of longer climbs on Main Wall at Wye Creek and a 70m would be handy in a few cases. So if you have a 70m please bring it!
Other stuff
- sleeping bag
- sleeping mat
- warm top and pants
- clothes to climb in (including closed toe shoes)
- rain jacket (just in case)
- 25-30lt pack for walking to the crag
- water bottle
- eating utensils, bowl, cup etc
- hygiene stuff
- medications
-sunscreen/sunhat
Please bring layers for cold and hot temperatures!
It can get cold at night when camping in this area so be prepared with warm layers/good sleeping bag.
Registration
Click the button below to be taken to the sign-up form. If attendees are not screened, then you will be automatically added to the participant list.
For screened events, the trip leader may contact you for further information about your experience and skills.
The start date for this event has passed.