Monday, December 18, 2006

The Plan

Welcome to the Rock Solid team blog!

We are recipients of one of this years Sparc Hillary Expedition grants. Our aim is to free climb three big routes in Fiordland.

Our objectives are:

1. The first free ascent of Shadowland, an 11 pitch route on the Sinbad gulley wall.

2. The first ascent of a free route through the big roofs on the north face of Mt Moir.

3. First ascents of free routes on the remote Kaipo wall.

The expedition kicks off on January 14th - as our friends Tom and Anna enjoy their first day of married life, we will endure the 10 hour drive from Christchurch to Milford.... perhaps with a late start :-)

Stay tuned for regular updates....

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The Rock Solid Team

Paul Rogers


Occupation: Mountain Guide

As well as possessing a refined partiality to steak, red wine and rabbit hunting, Paul is one of New Zealands alpine rock climbing legends. He has been at the forefront of climbing development in Fiordland for over 13 years and is a connoisseur of clean, high quality granite.
His experience, both as a guide and rock climbing pioneer will be invaluable to the team.



Kester Brown


Occupation: Aerial theatre technician

Kester has enjoyed climbing in a very diverse range of styles for over 14 years. His favourite things include cranking long steep routes in beautiful mountain environments, packing the coffee bong and capturing New Zealands natural landscapes on film.




Mayan Smith-Gobat


Occupation: Professional climber

Mayan is a force of nature. Fresh from the climbing world cup circuit in Europe, her guns may have to be set on safety lest the holds on all of the walls in Fiordland be crushed into dust....





Derek Thatcher


Occupation: Secondary school teacher

For years now, Derek has been quietly going about his way of killing it on the rocks. He has been hugely influential in establishing New Zealand’s most difficult routes and boulder problems. He is a strong and talented climber, on top of his game and should be unstoppable in the coming months.

Craig Jefferies


Craig is a mountaineer, author, teacher, longtime Fiordland afficianado and general recreational enthusiast.