A new year means new opportunities, as it was for the Yr13 Outdoor Education class. This time it was upskilling in order to be able to participate in a memorable sport climbing trip to Wanaka.

This trip away was not without its jumpy lead in thanks to Covid and rostering home. It was time to get on some real rock. With 5 days away the goal was to make the most of each day available, whether it was exploring the local area on foot or checking out the lakeside boulders, or testing themselves on a climb. Each evening the boys looked through the guide book checking out what they wanted to climb the next day. Which crag, which climb and what grades? After getting some goals in mind, the next day they went out to achieve them.

Wanaka offered opportunities to project some challenging boulder problems, a short visit to climb indoors, due to rain, then two full days on the outside crags, climbing until the sun went down each evening. Every student did amazing with everyone being challenged with something at some point. Lessons were learnt on how to make the most of each day, how much water is actually needed to stay hydrated for a day in the sun, how to look after the rock gear, themselves and each other as well as how to live communally. Highlights include all students completing a variety of lead climbs, bouldering on the lake shore, being challenged on Tombstone crag,

Many of the boys have walked away with a new found enthusiasm for climbing and have the skills to be independent sport climbers.

Article below written by Louis Gibbard and Corey Leathart-Sutherland.

 “The OED Wanaka trip was a weeklong camp out in Wanaka where we made the most out of everyday rock climbing and pushing ourselves beyond our limits mentally and physically. Throughout the term, we had been learning to lead climb as well as to belay on a lead climb and be entirely self-sufficient within the school climbing wall. These skills were put to the test on real rock. In terms of food we had to provide it ourselves, all meals including snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner. This saw a wide variety of food being made: nachos, burgers, soup and backcountry meals just to name a few. Planning, preparing and making the food was one of many trials presented before us at this camp.

Rock climbing is quite a treacherous sport, suited only for those who don’t get tucked in by their mummies and those who eat cabbage. That being said, eating cabbage can only get you so far, and this Wanaka trip was made possible with support from sponsors (black diamond, cactus etc) and the crew was kept under the watchful eye of Hawkeye Herlihy and her sidekicks (Nice Guy Nick and Amanda). This trip itself wasn’t exactly a joyride around Wanaka though, as students were forced to demonstrate they had all the skills and safety measures safely tucked in their back pockets. Failure to demonstrate such skills would have resulted in a long walk home and no dessert; thankfully, no one had to walk home and dessert was kindly provided by Nice Guy Nick's lovely Auntie (it was apple strudel). With bellies full of cabbage and strudel, the team bravely ventured out beyond the safety of coloured holds and into the wilderness in hopes of finding some rock to ooze their way up. Thankfully, someone came prepared with a climbing guide book and the eager climbers were soon populating crags such as the Bakehouse and Hospital Flat. Among the climbs climbed, Liam thoroughly enjoyed a “16 Overhang” and displayed some awfully manly power screams in a determined effort to summit and conquer his own Everest. Everyone else had a similar battle of their own, with a group of climbers trying hard at a 24 called ‘lunge starter’ with the only student ascent coming from Tarn Balcar, who was given an extra generous portion of cabbage at that night's meal and was declared the camps new champion climber.

The only way to get a hot shower was to take a plunge in Lake Wanaka, in doing so each student was given a gold coin to enjoy six minutes of luxury that is the communal camp showers. This, and the climbing, was a terrific team bonding experience and the team left feeling ‘BTB’ and that they had left a Shirley Man Gold Standard experience on the town that is Wanaka”