First published in the NZAC Climber magazine. This article was edited by Tom Hoyle. The text was written by Kim Ladgies and Rose Pearson...

In 2018 I was standing around on top of El Capitan with Jon Seddon a fellow Kiwi and my climbing partner for that particular trip. It was...

Ben Mangan, Lionel Clay, James Hobson With the freezing level rapidly rising all over the Southern Alps - it was time to grab the...

The interns, the young ones, newbies, bottom of the pecking order… whatever anyone wanted to call us, we were the new kids on the block...

Mountaineers have long been approaching mountains dressed lightly. Shod in lightweight trail shoes, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, as if...

Muztagh Ata stands at 7545m and is located in far western China, it's often called one of the easiest 7000m peaks because of the lack of...

The Macpac New Zealand Alpinist of the Year awards are judged over the 12-month period that follows the previous year's Remarkables Ice...

The key to keeping a layering system light for alpine climbing is keeping the ratio of shell weight/insulation low, in other words, the...

Peru and the Cordillera Blanca must have the most easily accessed 6000m peaks in the world. It's possible to be at a base camp for a peak...

Another serac rips from the summit ice cliffs of neighbouring Mount Dickey, and the familiar roar of avalanche thunders through the valley. My calves shake on crumbling footholds, the infamous 'Cracker Jack Gravel' of the Ruth Gorge. I'm balanced on an arete well above my last piece. I reach for a pecker piton and weld it into a thin crack with my free hand, tightening my crimp on the other. I launch into the corner above, loaded with tottering loose flakes. The world disinte

This is a technique that when used right will speed up many alpine and multi pitch ascents. Why speed up your ascent? Personally I think...

SouthWest Pillar on Lobuche East and Cholatse North Face Nov 2017 Steven Fortune. Daniel Joll, Matt Scholes and Kim Ladiges Lobuche (or...

This is a trip report for an ascent of the Walker spur by Kim Ladiges & Daniel Joll on the 22/3/2019 (first day of spring so not quite a...

Spending a whole season in a place as dynamic as Chamonix in the heart of the French Alps is an interesting experience. Observing the...

September 30, 2018, NZAT members Kim Ladiges and Matthew Scholes flew into Nepal for a 6 week expedition with the primary objective being...

A couple of years ago, I sold my business in NZ and more or less became a full time climbing bum. This coincided with becoming a father,...

During March 2019 the NZAT held a trial in Queenstown for new members to join our mentoring program. This is something we do every three...

In the saturated and expensive market of high-tech sneakers for climbers, called “approach shoes,” one model has for several years stood...

In search of a lightweight set of half ropes, I have recently been testing out the Tendon Master 7.8mm ropes. I have used them on recent...

Les Drus is the most impressive granite monolith overlooking the Chamonix Valley. Often you will catch a glance of the intimidating, dark...