Dean Scarff on bringing AI to climbing grades It’s some time in The Future; the bushfire smoke has cleared, you’re out of coronavirus lockdown and you’re psyched to finally climb outdoors again. Flicking through the guidebook you spot it; a climb that’s at your grade, and it’s even got two stars. The onsight awaits. Several hours later you’re thrutching up a section of the route that feels like it must be at least two grades harder than what the guidebook…
Dr. Teagan Westendorf writes about her call to change the obscene route names at crags in Nowra and elsewhere Trigger warning – violence/sexual assault/homophobia/racism Being a woman, I feel the violence and threat of route names referencing rape and violence against women. Routes like Rape Machine, Rape and Carnage, Violently Silence Me, Slut’s Have no Honour (and many other ‘slut’ references. Being a ‘slut’ implies that a woman has no worth, and so can be used at will by others…
Rob LeBreton, one of the original developers of Nowra and co-author of the current guidebook, writes about the recent push to change offensive route names at the area. (Please note that none of Rob’s routes have been flagged as offensive.) I opened Instagram this afternoon (24/6/2020) to see dozens of posts calling for the offensive route names at Nowra to be changed. It’s not the first time it’s been called for but it circulates a lot more quickly in this…
Climbing is supposed to be scary, but if you’re queer, trans or gender non-conforming, it can be terrifying. The ClimbingQTs Membership Launch Party at Northside Boulders. Riley Edwards For a first-time climber, walking into a gym can be bloody terrifying. Seeing people fall off walls, contort their bodies into impossible positions and hear people use words like ‘beta’ and ‘dyno’ can intimidate even the boldest newbie. But for some people, the idea of entering any sporting space induces anxiety. ‘The…
Tom Hoyle maps out your perfect itinerary for your South Island climbing road trip New Zealand is beautiful. Everyone who has watched Peter Jackson’s nine hours and eighteen minutes of Tourism New Zealand advertisement that was the Lord of the Rings trilogy knows that by now. Numerous foreign visitors to New Zealand have made the point to me that there is no one particular type of scenery in New Zealand that is better than other places – we don’t have…
Thinking about a Tasman-Bubble climbing trip around the North Island of NZ but don’t know where to start? No problem, Tom Hoyle has all the good oil. (Note since this piece was originally published Mt Eden quarry, Castle Rock and Whanganui Bay has been closed to climbers.) When I first started climbing while at university back in 2002, one of the most appealing aspects about adopting the climbing lifestyle was the prospect of the climbing road trip. It wasn’t just the climbing…
