On the 17th – 18th of October we held the trials for the 2016-2019 intake for the New Zealand Alpine Team. Nine candidates are competing...

15 months ago I was recovering from surgery repairing my shattered ankle. Painkillers caused insomnia and vivid dreams featuring movie...

Currently there are two established dry tooling crags in Queenstown. Both of these are located at the Kelvin Heights end of the Kelvin...

Highlights from the annual Darrans winter climbing meet which wrapped up over the weekend. Where some of the best ice conditions seen in...

The synthetic puffy insulation jacket is a cornerstone insulation piece. I have had one in my bag for almost every trip I have done in...

Zodiac on El Capitan is a great route to introduce you to the mid grade clean aid climbing. At C3 the route is hard enough to be...

A stiff pair of technical boots is amazing for slashing steps over short sections of snow without needing crampons, confidently edging on...

Squamish It's difficult to spin a particularly exciting yarn about endless cragging on perfect granite and words do little to truly...

I've been wearing these approach shoes for three months. Usage has included extended bouts of bush-bashing in soaking wet Fiordland...

I'll never forget that feeling of irrepressible euphoria I felt late one evening in the middle of May 2013, when I received an e-mail...

It has been several years since I felt Mapac had gloves in their range suitable for alpine climbing. I am pleased to say this is now...

In 2012, I lost my Jetboil virginity whilst walking the 30+ kilometres down the Dobson River in torrential rain, wearing plastic boots....

Please note that short-fixing is an advanced climbing technique and is not suitable for beginners or anyone new to trad climbing. In...

I first used the Lightweight Prophet Jacket on an ice climbing trip to Canada. To be honest, I hadn't given much thought to what jacket I...

As I sit in my 9 a.m. Biological Chemistry lecture on Monday morning, I can barely grip a pen due to eviscerated finger tips, nor can I...

1. Drop your heels – This is the most classic and common problem for people beginning ice climbing. Raising your heels too high can cause...

Some experiences are so much larger than those it precedes, it takes a time before they can be shared. For me, the two weeks I spent...

Aluminum and light weight ice screws have been around for many years in various forms. Early Jeff Lowe models that were in short supply...

The perfect boot? I know this is a bold statement but what is needed from a boot? Comfort, warmth, dexterity, durability, being able to...

Ice climbing requires a surprising amount of equipment. First off there’s all the gear to actually climb the ice, then there is the gear...