Bouldering in Castle Hill, New Zealand  

Reported by Adam Jacobs on 08 Jan 2009

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."

Such happiness comes too easily when surrounded by god's pebbles, perfectly placed to challenge and inspire the world’s climbers in an area of New Zealand called Castle Hill. A trip starting with few, turned out to be an experience for many, when three Aussies looking for a climb very quickly grew into a group of four Aussies, one New Zealander, three Americans, one Frenchy and one Austrian, all connected through their passion for climbing.

The gang of 4 Australians, 1 New Zealander, 1 Frenchy, 1 Austrian and 3 Americans

Prior to arriving in New Zealand, I had heard of Castle Hill. A climber’s paradise. A lifetime worth of limestone, grades and problems... Yeah I guess, but after experiencing Castle Hill, I believe it is god’s way of reminding you to be a good little climber and when you move on to your next life, you will be greeted with 70 (million) virgin limestone rocks, ready for you to scout, boulder and conquer.

One of the many huge areas that make up Castle Hill.

Our guide was a local New Zealander called Antz, appropriately named as he was small, powerful and looked like he could carry 400 times his weight on his own back. He was a grade 28/29 sport climber and he knew the area well. Our warm-up was a 10 meter problem, which didn't feel like much of an issue until I realised that I was used to climbing gritty sandstone back home in Australia and that climbing limestone felt like scaling a vertical oil spill. At 10 metres and no rope, somehow we managed to shed a bead of sweat in the crisp 4°C temperature. The experience of tackling mantle after mantle inspired me to come up with my own slogan for Castle Hill... “Good luck all you sandstone no hopers, you’re totally fucked because we only have slopers!”

Our local Kiwi guide "Antz" balancing up a warm up V3 mantle.

But that is what is so perfect about this bouldering area. There is something for everyone, a challenge for anyone and a letdown for no one. We had a diverse group of climbers. We had those who were starting out, experiencing their first V0, we had others comfortable with V3-V6 and then we had the monkeys who would tackle V9s. But the best part is that we could be doing our own problems of different grades all within a close vicinity of one another. So when someone conquered their own problem, everyone was there to cheer. However, when you couldn’t, everyone was also there to remind you that you are only human. And I was humbled on "Chip Dyno", a two meter vertical launch... only to be picked up by my mates and pushed to the next challenge which we completed with ease. My 3rd attempt at "Chip Dyno".

6 hours flew past, only to be felt the following morning when waking up to the climber’s oxymoron...“sweet, sweet pain”. It wasn’t the physical challenge or the new surroundings, nor was it the experience of climbing amidst the simple beauty of nature that made the day so special for me... it was the unspoken bond that climbers share which allows complete strangers, through their passion for climbing, to become friends in a matter hours.

Our random crew after 6 hours of heal hooks, palm slaps, double dynos and slippery pinches.

Alex Lowe said that “the best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun”. Walking back to our cars I stopped to look at my friends, and through their fatigue, the cuts and bruises shone beaming smiles from ear to ear and I realised, I had just spent a day with the world’s best climbers.

The first climb together for two best friends in over 10 months.

By Adam Jacobs