For the first time in a decade, a majority of the New Zealand Alpine Team has been overseas, climbing in Canada and South America. Improving water ice climbing skills has been a major focus, as the water ice season in New Zealand is short.

Team member Alastair McDowell spoke to Wilderness about the trip, saying conditions weren’t easy: “In Canada, the Rockies have been suffering the worst avalanche conditions in years.”

What was the team doing in Canada and Patagonia?

The Canada trip was four-weeks of ice climbing for nine team members in Banff National Park and surrounding areas. The Rockies is a world-class destination for climbing frozen waterfalls of all shapes and sizes. The team improved rapidly over the month, culminating in ascents of some big classic routes. Seven members also climbed in Patagonia, a mountain region famous for dramatic granite spires, wild snow-mushroom summits and ferociously windy weather – not unlike the Southern Alps.

What sort of challenges did you face?

Due to the avalanche risk in Canada, we were very conservative with route selection to minimise that hazard.

We faced a few brief cold snaps with temperatures down to -30℃ which taught us how to deal with climbing in plenty of layers. It also taught us how to push throughthe ‘screaming barfies’ – things like hand pain, nausea, hearing or vision loss experienced while ice climbing.

What is the benefit of doing these trips?

It’s essential to travel overseas to become a well-rounded climber in all types of terrain and conditions. It could take a decade to accumulate the same volume of water ice climbing in New Zealand as can be clocked up in one month in Canada.

Climbers are always in search of new challenges in foreign lands; it is the accumulation of experiences rather than possessions that climbers are looking for.

– Nicole Barratt