Vickie Moses is the co-owner of Aspiring Guides. She has two boys and lives in Wanaka where she spends time playing in the outdoors with family and friends.

Moses has spent several years climbing in North America, Europe and Australasia and says: “I am looking forward to the next season in the Darrans as lots of great development has been happening there, which is really exciting.”

Pack
My Black Diamond Stone 45 is a great climbing pack. It’s not too big (and if it is you can remove the lid for multi-pitch days) and not too small (and if it is you have straps on the side to attach more equipment). One neat feature is the full zip on the side in case
you realise what is in the bottom of your pack should be at the top!

Carabiners
I climb with DMM Alpha Sport Draws because they have a lovely clipping action and if you still cannot clip them fast enough you can also grab the nice thick dog bone rather than taking the flight.

Helmet
My Black Diamond Vapor is lightweight and comfortable, which means I am happy to wear it all the time.

Headlamp
I love my Petzl Nao headlamp because, even though it is super expensive, if you ever find yourself walking out in the dark it can turn night into day.

Personal safety lanyard
If you’re over the ‘cluster’ created by wearing a daisy chain on your harness the Petzl Connect Adjust is a sweet bit of gear.You can adjust the length singlehanded!

Harness
I use a lightweight Arc’teryx harness with four proper-sized ridged gear loops which I find handy when I’m racking up for a gear climb and don’t want to wear a sling around my shoulder all day.

Climbing shoes
La Sportiva is making some great women’s-specific technical climbing shoes and the Otaki is one of the best.

Chalk bag
Like everything Cactus makes, their Kiwi-made Chalk Bag is bombproof.