Alpine instruction

In an effort to introduce trampers to the intricacies of snow and ice, the club is again offering an Alpine instruction course this year. This commences on the cliffs at Titahi Bay, graduating to the slopes of Ruapehu and Egmont, culminating after finals somewhere in the higher mountains of New Zealand.

The instruction is free and of a high standard, costs being limited to food and transport.

Two new innovations this year are a bushcraft course and regular monthly social evenings. The bushcraft course, also free, will cover the essentials of tramping, including such things as firelighting in the rain, bivouac construction, and river crossing.

The idea of social evenings is to provide a forum for discussion and reminiscence with the usual arguments about gear and techniques.

Common misconceptions about tramping are that you must be fantastically fit, highly experienced and magnificently equipped. One trip with the club is sufficient to dispel all these illusions.

The club does have a large range of tramping gear available for hire to members.