beechleaves Newsletter of the Manawatu Tramping and Skiing Club July 2007 Issue 6 mail: MTSC P.O. Box 245 Palmerston North web: www.mtsc.org.nz Carrying out the sofa’s from our Lodge at Whakapapa. Photo by Mike Sampson. ..! Upcoming club nights ..! Looking After Your Feet ! 7.30 pm, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at the Manawatu Aero Club Rooms, Airport Drive 3rd July - Looking after your Feet! Do you suffer from sore feet after several hours tramping? The solution could be as easy as the way you tie your boot laces! Murray McDonald from the Shoe Clinic will talk about foot care, tying of shoe/boot laces and answer all your questions. 17th July- Gliding in New Zealand John Brooks, a local glider pilot, will be giving us a look at our back country from a totally different perspective, including some spectacular south island scenery. 7th August- “Birds in Arabia” by John Cockrem 21st August- Photographic competition Time to dust off those slides and prints or go through that collection of digital photos on your computer as the annual club photo competition is coming. Photos can be entered in one of the following 5 categories with the one condition that photos shouldn’t have been entered in a previous photo competition. Alpine (NZ) Predominantly alpine scenery in NZ (i.e. above the bushline). Scenic (NZ) Pictorial interest in NZ hills etc (i.e. predominantly below the bushline). Natural History (NZ) NZ flora and fauna or detail (e.g. geology, ice formations etc). Topical (NZ) Peo- ple or detail related to tramping, climbing, or skiing related activities in NZ Overseas: Open From: Map 260-U22 (LINZ) 1 President’s Report by Howard Nicholson email [email protected] or phone (06) 357 6325 July 2007 Winter is starting with a bang this year!! As I was being snowed on at the Alice Nash Memorial Heri- VES tage Lodge carpark recently, I started thinking about the awesome tramping and skiing trips that are coming up on the trip card. Winter is a great time to revisit your favourite destinations, and a chill in LEA the air and snow on the ground somehow heightens the sense of adventure.! Sure, you may need to plan a shorter trip to take account of the short daylight hours and slower travelling conditions, but the rewards are worth it.! Carrying the right gear (especially shelter for all the party, warm and water- proof clothes, sunscreen and sunglasses, torch, along with the other standard pack contents) will BEECH help to ensure you have a good time and can tell everyone about it when you get back. ! I hope that many of you will have the chance to visit the Lodge sometime soon.! The refurbished lounge suite (thanks to Turnbull Furniture, who incidentally built the suite way back in the eighties) will cap off a busy pre-season series of work parties.! If you want to know what colour it is, then go and have a look for yourself! ! Your subscriptions, which are the same as in previous years, are now due.! Please make a point of paying your subs promptly to ensure that you continue getting the newsletter, member rates at the lodge, use of the minibus, and all of the other benefits; it helps the Club, too.! You can now use Internet banking, making payment easier for many of you. Thank you to those who have already paid, or are about to do so. MTSC 2007-08 Committee Committee:! ! Appointed positions: President! Howard Nicholson! Day Trip Convenor! Gary Bevins Secretary! Tim Swale! Asst. Lodge Booking O"cer! Liz Wilde Treasurer! Christine Scott! Asst. Newsletter Ed.! G. Bevins & B. Akers Chief Guide! Bev Akers! Minibus Custodian! Adam Matich Membership Sec.! Jenny McCarthy! Gear Custodian! Peter Rawlins Newsletter Editor! Wei-Hang Chua! Club Archivist! Brian Webster Social Convenor! Linda Campbell! Honorary Auditor! Darlene Westrupp Ski Captain! Ken Mercer! Website Administrator! Howard Nicholson Lodge Manager! Ryan Badger! Lodge Booking O"cer! Hugh Wilde! Mini-bus Manager! Vacant! Chief Guide’s Report There are lots of good winter Easy/Medium learn from seeing what others take and use. So trips on the trip card. I wish more new inexpe- please give it a go, we would love your com- rience trampers would give it a go with over- pany. nighters. They are not difficult with the maxi- 7th - 8th! July!!!!! John Beech! mum times being only 4 - 5 hrs. Once you are (be a great starter trip) at the hut its a great place to learn what one 14th - 15th July!! Bev Akers! (yes!) needs and how simple it all is with basic but 21st -22nd!July! John Doolan! practical gear. Main thing is to keep the gear (lot of fun with snow) light but necessary. There is a very good guide 14th - 16th July!! Howard Nicholson ! line on the!trip card which lots of you don't (at our Lodge -!great for all you snow bunnies) read.!Start off with the Food & Gear for a day 28th - 29th July!! Ken Mercer ! trip, then add the!Sleeping bag, Mattress and (weekend at our lodge -!cool!) a!change of clothes for in the hut. (Longjohns/ 4th - 5th August! Adam Matich!! !fleece trou, polypro / wool long sleeve top, (feast!at a lovely hut)!! fleece / down jacket and!warm socks & hut !Keep your trip card close & read it shoes). Keep it!light and simple. Then the food !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!see you soon !Bev Akers. which your leader will advise you with. You 2 New Club Members The club would like to welcome the following new members: July 2007 News from Ruapehu Ross & Marilyn Linklater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Palmerston North Isobel Holdaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Palmerston North Alpine Meadows (Turoa) opened on Sunday VES Ross & Nissin Browning & family!!!! Havelock North 17th June in clear cold conditions but with gale Gert & Elma Starker & family!!!!!!!!!! Palmerston North force winds. As of writing this there is 40cm LEA Elizabeth Evers-Swindell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hastings base of snow on the upper mountain but more Frances Evers-Swindell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hastings snow is needed before the upper mountain can Margaret Foot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Palmerston North David Shanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wellington open. Happy Valley at Whakapapa is hoping to BEECH open later this week (approx 20th June). The upper mountain there currently has a 20cm snow base. For Sale There are over 90 snowguns pumping snow at DoC hut tickets - discount rates to members. both Whakapapa and Turoa. Most of the guns Contact: Howard Nicholson on (06) 357 6325. have been running continuously since Friday afternoon (15th). Snow is forecast to 700m over the weekend of 16/17 June which is great news for the skiers but will probably make the food carry across to the Lodge a little more challenging. Construction plans for the Valley Express chairlift proposed for Whakapapa Ski Area have been delayed due to the need for a more lengthy approval and consent process than had originally been expected. The 3 major devel- opment projects at Turoa are very close to be- ing finished. The new snowmaking system is pretty much ready to go, contractors are putting the finishing touches on the massive new Al- pine Chalet and the chairs for the High Noon Express are being flown up now. Covering up the Septic Tank Beam Traverse, Nichole Brooks Working on the Lodge roof: photo Ken Mercer 3 Upcoming trips TRIP GRADING July 2007 The times listed below include tramping, rest and meal stops. In assessing the trip times and grades, VES terrain, weather and party fitness (a party is as fast as its slowest member) must be considered. As these factors will never repeat themselves, times are only estimates. Contact the trip leader if you are LEA unsure about trip gradings for a specific trip. ALL! All welcome BEECH EASY! 4 hours per day, pace slower than Easy/Med. Does not relate to terrain. EASY/MEDIUM! 5 hours per day at a pace slower than medium.! MEDIUM! 7 hours per day at a standard walking pace. MEDIUM/FIT! 8 hours per day at a pace faster than medium. FIT! Over 8 hours per day at a pace faster than medium/fit. TECHNICAL! Qualifying requirements to be announced by the trip organiser. Mitre Flats (via Te Mara) Haurangi 30-31 June Medium 7-8 July Easy/Medium Garry Grayson 326 8837 John Beech 354 9310 Phone for details. I have a trip going into the Haurangis sometime in the school holidays I think. There is not much to say about it as the final destination has July Wednesday Trips Easy/Medium yet to be determined. The trip will be an easy- 4th Lynne Robinson 329 8759 medium one somewhere in the Haurangis and it 11th Rita & Arthur Hodson 323 5491 will depend on the weather at the time and 18th Rose Strahan 328 9861 where the prospective trippers would like to go. Heading to the Cone off Petersons Eoad near Table This assumes that there will be some interest as Flat, Apiti - a privately owned deer farm/ bush property the last 3 trips I have led no-one has wanted to with great views (and some good uphill aerobic potential). go. Anyone who knows the area may like to 25th Rosemary & Ken Hall 356 8538 contact me and offer some suggestions. July Thursday Trips Easy - Medium 5th to be confirmed 12th Gordon Clark 359 2500 19th Bev Akers 325 8879 26th Peter Carver 354 4479 Kapakapanui 1 July Easy/Medium Hugh Wilde 356 9450 This makes for a good warm-up for the ski sea- son. Gets the legs stronger! Kapakapanui is just east of Waikanae on the edge of the Tararuas.