President’s Desk
Kia ora katou,
This month the snow season officially kicks off… so it can start snowing anytime now already.
Train the trainers day is planned for the first weekend of July so a reminder to those who will be helping out on snow craft courses, to keep that weekend free. Also keep every other weekend free from now until the snow level drops to within sensible distance from the lodge. Postponement is a possibility. Currently looks like we’re going to be doing a summit mission instead of the usual gentleman’s amble within hearing range of the Lodge toaster. For everyone else please note that the lodge might be busier than usual.
Snow craft 2 is first up on the weekend of the 16th to 18th, but this is (fortunately) being held at Ruapehu, so we should at least have snow cover there. Fingers crossed for the rest of the weather variables though. If you’re not on the SC2 course, never mind, the winter buddy walks are starting up on the 17th of July from Tahurangi Lodge. These are a great way to get back into the winter groove under the grizzled gaze of some of the club’s lifers. Make a weekend out of it and stick around afterwards for the movie night and the mid winter Christmas party at Tahurangi.
I attended the DOC Visitor Experience Design Workshop this month which really didn’t tell me much we didn’t know already. Track sections are going to be upgraded, others improved, and we may see a (pretty innocuous) shift in the way the track is marketed and presented to the public. But the Pouakai circuit would, as far as I could make out, remain much the same as it ever has been. Our main concerns, as advised to me by yourselves, were duly passed on: I stressed that our membership numbers were high; our lodge and courses well patronised and that we don’t expect our membership to drop in the next 50 years; our Lodge was open to visitors at our prerogative; and that our toilets and water supplies were not available for public use. Which all went down very well and everyone’s still friends…
Club night is this Thursday, 1st of July and should be an epic. Local mountain running legend Tom Hadley and his friends took 3 months to traverse the length of the Southern Alps last summer and now he’s back in town for what will doubtless be another excellent night out. Their trip features in the latest New Zealand Alpine Journal (Autumn 2021) if you want a sneak preview.
Not a night to miss out on, see you all there!
Ivan Bruce
El Presidente!