Ready and waiting
I’ve been climbing for nearly three decades. During that time I’ve been lucky enough to discover and explore secluded corners of New Zealand’s unique and special Alps as well as take part in mountaineering expeditions to some of the world’s great ranges. I’ve needed an armed escort in Kyrgyzstan, braved crumbling ‘death’ roads in India, hidden from the Taliban in Pakistan, and suffered from acute mountain sickness in Nepal.
It’s fair to say that, over the years, there have been a few close calls. Some near disasters I avoided through good decision making. Other times it was down to little more than a coin toss.
There was one particular situation in New Zealand when three of us had to self-rescue after a climb in the Hopkins Valley in the middle of winter. I finished leading the second pitch without finding any protection and just clipped into the anchor I had built. A huge chunk of
