New Zealand Alpine Club
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest Alpine Club
s in the world. The NZAC is the national climbing organization in New Zealand and is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme
. It has about 3000 members who are spread across eleven sections, ten in New Zealand
and one in Australia
, plus members in other countries. It runs a national office based in Christchurch
.
The club actively promotes climbing in New Zealand and overseas. It publishes guidebooks to New Zealand mountains and to selected rock climbing areas, a quarterly magazine The Climber, and the annual New Zealand Alpine Journal. NZAC owns 17 lodges and huts that are available for use by club members and other climbers. Most sections provide instruction courses for beginning climbers and the club also provides instruction for intermediate and advanced skills. NZAC sponsors the annual national bouldering series held during the summer at four locations, as well as other local and national competitive climbing events.
The visibility of mountaineering in New Zealand was boosted by the 1953 ascent of Mt Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
. Hillary is amongst the best known and most revered New Zealanders and was a Life Member of the NZAC. Other NZAC members have completed first ascents in many mountain areas as well as the Himalaya, including in Antarctica, and the Andes .
New Zealand is a very mountainous country, and mountaineering has long been popular in New Zealand . The mountaineering opportunities focus particularly on the Southern Alps
which run the length of the South Island, but also include other ranges such as the Kaikoura
s, Arrowsmith
s and the North Island
volcanoes Taranaki/Mt Egmont and Mounts Ruapehu
, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
Rock climbing
attracts many participants in New Zealand and the varied topography and rock types provide opportunities for rock climbing within some cities such as Auckland
, Christchurch and Dunedin
, and within an hours drive of most cities in New Zealand. Ice climbing
, bouldering
, sport climbing
and trad climbing are all well established.
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
s in the world. The NZAC is the national climbing organization in New Zealand and is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme
Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme
The UIAA or Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme, is the organization that represents several million mountaineers and climbers, world-wide, on international issues. Formed in 1932 in Chamonix, France, it now has over 88 members associations from some 76 countries, all of national...
. It has about 3000 members who are spread across eleven sections, ten in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and one in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, plus members in other countries. It runs a national office based in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
The club actively promotes climbing in New Zealand and overseas. It publishes guidebooks to New Zealand mountains and to selected rock climbing areas, a quarterly magazine The Climber, and the annual New Zealand Alpine Journal. NZAC owns 17 lodges and huts that are available for use by club members and other climbers. Most sections provide instruction courses for beginning climbers and the club also provides instruction for intermediate and advanced skills. NZAC sponsors the annual national bouldering series held during the summer at four locations, as well as other local and national competitive climbing events.
The visibility of mountaineering in New Zealand was boosted by the 1953 ascent of Mt Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay
Padma Bhushan, Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara Tenzing Norgay, GM born Namgyal Wangdi and often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer...
. Hillary is amongst the best known and most revered New Zealanders and was a Life Member of the NZAC. Other NZAC members have completed first ascents in many mountain areas as well as the Himalaya, including in Antarctica, and the Andes .
New Zealand is a very mountainous country, and mountaineering has long been popular in New Zealand . The mountaineering opportunities focus particularly on the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...
which run the length of the South Island, but also include other ranges such as the Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
s, Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith may refer to:* A person who makes arrows * Arrowsmith , by Sinclair Lewis** Arrowsmith , 1931 adaptation of the novel* Arrowsmith...
s and the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
volcanoes Taranaki/Mt Egmont and Mounts Ruapehu
Ruapehu
Ruapehu may refer to:* Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand* Ruapehu District, the local government area that covers much land generally west and south of Mount Ruapehu, mostly in the headwaters of the Whanganui River...
, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
attracts many participants in New Zealand and the varied topography and rock types provide opportunities for rock climbing within some cities such as Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Christchurch and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, and within an hours drive of most cities in New Zealand. Ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
, bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
, sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
and trad climbing are all well established.