First Year Mountain Sequel - Fox Peak

Mountain

Instruction

Polytech

Supervisors: Rob Dunn, Sash Nukada

Instructors: Me, Brad, Tim and Pete

Group: Aoraki First Years

My Crew: Matt S, Dan, Tash and Brooke
Days: 5

10/9

Conditions: North wests gusting up to 80kmh

First day went great, due to the winds we stayed within the ski field and went over skills from last time and introduced new skills for the assessment. The crew were great, super keen and loving the crazy weather. We went over some avalanche work, choosing safe terrain, then found some snow that was great for cramponing. This was the first time they had spent any significant amount of time in crampons. Went over step step plant and went for a walking, drilling proper technique. Went over their self arresting and corrected technique. Then did some emergency shelters.

11/9

Conditions: Southwest gales, snow showers

Brooke forgot her transiever, so she had to run back to the lodge and get it. Ran a weather session once everyone was warmed up, which was quite successful, they seemed to be grasping the concepts and gaining some understanding. Then started walking towards the North Ridge, they were very slow, not walking great and kept stopping to faff about. So I decided that we would practice walking, with the team sticking together, with no stopping and practicing good technique. Brooke caught up with us somewhere in this time. Got to a high point on the ridge, and the wind started to really pick up. Ducked back down to the ski field and started on some anchors, got a T slot done and then a front came upon us. The crew started to get really cold, Dan wasn't feeling great. I got some lunch into then, tried to get them warmed up, but they were past it so we headed down, they weren't going to learn anymore. At the lodge we did some work on knots and plants.

12/9

Conditions: Fine with light southerlies

Left the lodge at 6am for peak day, which was not to be, for my crew anyway. Matt forgot his ice axe, I gave him mine, then Dan forgot his sunnies so I sent him back for them. After a "pep" talk we finally headed out, moving very slowly. About 10mins up Matt was not looking so flash, Sash and I decided that he should go back down, we didn't want him on crampons at the end of the day if he was this sick now and looking this bad just 10mins in. Half a hour later Dan wasn't looking or feeling good either. It was decided that Brooke would go o with Brad's crew and I would take Dan and Tash (who was not in top form either after her drinking blow out the week before) back down to the lodge. I was starting to feeling that they were all snow balling together and making each other much worse than they really were. Dan was very afraid of getting hyperthermia again and Tash will take any excuse not to push herself. But after much discussion with Sash he convinced me that there was only so much pushing I could do, at the end of the day it was up to them, and I had given them every opportunity and more. On the way down ran them through pitching and abseiling.

13/9

Conditions: North west winds picking up, but fine

Assessment day. Third years went up the hill first to set up and the first years walked up. Then we rotated around stations for assessment, I took my crew through step cutting, abseiling, self arresting, pitching and then navigation. All went quite well except for self arresting, most of them were looking quite good, but they just weren't stopping, the slide was quite fast so I jumped on it to see what the deal was, but it was fine, no worries, they just weren't attacking the slope enough. When everyone was finished assessment we all got together for an avalanche search competition. The first team did great, but then they didn't turn one of the transievers back on before burying it again and it took all of us over an hour to find it using a probe line and digging the whole area up. Big lesson learnt.

14/9

Coniditions: Fine, Northwests gaining strength 

Went up the hill to finish off the avalanche comp, and I was pleased with how my crew went, it was a good finish to the week. Finished up last assessments on knots, weather, plants and nav, then left. Debriefed in Fairlie.