Velo Mountaineering part 2 The bike as a pack horse

 It has been a pretty quiet summer here for me as far as getting out and about goes due mainly to being too busy elsewhere with work and family. I have managed to keep a little fitness with some local back to basics ride /runs and also my favorite - Velo mountaineering.

 In New Zealand there is a lack of roads in higher mountain areas despite the fact NZ mountains aren’t really that high to begin with. One reason is the steep alpine nature of the mountains and putting roads in them is a precarious business .Further to this, the often wet wild weather and the fact that the snow line in winter is quite low makes high roads difficult to build and maintain but most of all the lack of population has meant there is little or no need to build many roads into unoccupied mountain areas. Most mountain roads here are of secondary nature and are either in poor condition or even merely 4 wheel drive tracks meaning they are not in a particular;y good state and even these are often blocked to traditional vehicular traffic with locked gates. Its great news for the bike rider though as often you end up being the only one up there. Locally here in the Top of the South (and throughout New Zealand indeed) there are many road ends either as entrances to a national park or ski fields that involve a fairly stiff up hill bike grunt.

Using the bike as a pack horse to carry supplies and equipment more easily up mountain roads and trails is one of the great plus aspects of Velo mountaineering over traditionally humping stuff on ones back from a road end..  No matter how hard the ride in , the ride out is often almost free , freewheeling out with a big load is not only much easier after a hard day walking in the mountains but its many times faster.

Lately all my "Velo mountaineering" has been of this rather simple nature as within a good half day from my house there is a whole variety of options all with a tough ride into a high road end , hiking and running around some small mountains and an easy ride out at the end of the day.

Going out with Tom on the Arthur range in its spectacular limestone Karst country.

Carl riding up to the Amuri ski field , he did a real velo mountaineering mission ,as I meet up with him  after he had ridden the Rainbow rage - 110kms mountain bike event. We camped out than climbed to ski field on bikes the next day  before running on the tops.

Climbing the only piece of rock around , the St James range above Amuri ski field is running country , wide open rolling mountain country 1700 plus meters high.

Dawn breaks over the western ranges as we climb up the tough forestry road to Gordon's Knob firelook out.

Brad and Carl as we descend off the Gordon ridge before climbing Gordon's knob , shortly after it clagged in and was several hours of wandering in the mist.

Rocks at the end of the rainbow.

There is a real satisfaction leaving one's house at sea level and riding a bike to the car park  and than run hiking the tops on foot. however after climbing the very steep Mt Arthur access road on bike the spring in step once I start out on foot is noticeably different from when one is fresh as is the sureness of foot. Excellent training though not only fitness wise but mentally wise as well.

Carl catching dawn rays as we enter the New Zealand Bush

The Godzone adventure race composed of mountain biking , trekking , Kayaking , rafting etc was in our area for a week and I followed the Team from our local town Motueka whilst they were doing the second last stage here riding into Canaan Downs. Despite several days on the go and little sleep they were in good spirits.

Velo -  mountaineering, cycle scramble or whatever you may call it is nothing new apparently. Shipton and Tilman rode back from East Africa after climbing Mount Kenya - all the way to England and way before that the Workmans who at the turn of the 20th Century were the prime explorers of the Western Himalayas and Karakoram's Cycle toured the whole of India before taking up the Ice axe. There are stories of Christchurch mountaineers in the 1930's facing a howling Westerly headwind to the Southern Alps here in New Zealand only to face a bitter Easterly all the way back having climbed nothing more than on and off their bikes!! Sir Edmund Hillary on his second attempt on Tapuae -o -Uenuku in the 1940's set out with a mate on regular bicycles for a long 100kms or so crawl from Air force base to the Mountain base only to be foiled by snow conditions higher up. There are still a number of locals using the "Velo" to  access the Mountains here in New Zealand and one can say a few bikers who ride to a high pass to make a mountain scramble.

Certainly for myself Velo - Mountaneering represents a fascinating economy of motion, route finding and purity of effort. Baggage is kept to an absolute minimum as everything is done by human power alone so in a way, every high trek or mountain peak becomes a small  expedition in itself regarding planning, logistics and most of all fulfillment. With warmth meaning far lighter loads away from all the winter gear  and long daylight hours summer is the prime time to match these two passions. 

 The last month has seen little happening on the training front with school holidays full on but I did  manage a couple of great Velo - Mountaineering missions. One was with Mike Naylor up the Rainbow Road to Maling Pass 1306m from where we scrambled up Mount Princess at 2126m before heading out - a perfect one day Velo Mountaineering mission. The other a solo mission starting with a short day's ride and walk into the lower reaches of Cullifords hill in the Owen Massif. An overnight creek side Bivvy before was the treat before the real gut-wrenching began the next day. Firstly a stiff climb and bash through Spaniards (spear grass) and tussock often raring way over one's head (got cuts in my ears even) to climb up over Cullifords hill 1765m then a gently "out" via Granity pass hut before riding the 80 kms home!!

Maling Pass 1306m looking back towards Mt Una 2300 and into the St James 

Mount Princess 2126m

Mike Naylor at the Princess Bath

view of the Travers range from the Top

Contemplating the long hike/ride back from the summit

Lake Tennyson from the summit

looking across the Princess Bath 

Content Mike with mount Una behind

riding out the Rainbow

Heading up the Motueka valley towards the Owen Massif with a few extra summer kilos on the waist - quite a few would disappear in the next 24 hours.

first View of Cullifords hill while riding up the Wangapeka

Sunset

Glade below Cullifords hill on South side.

Cullifords hill 

the limestone mass of Mount Owen

spectacular limestone wall which I can't identify - one of many.

Only 80 kms to go , took over 4 hours after hitting the "wall"

With the rather inclement weather, ie heaps of rain and with the kids still on school holiday I've been house bound so to while away the hours I've been playing with harness's, straps and most of all ropes - all the paraphernalia of bondage and well, also of climbing - perhaps the two are related!! 

The ability of a perfectly coiled rope to turn into a tangled mess after a couple of gentle nudges remains a subject of mystery to me. Like many other facets of life (particularly the knowledgeable about child-rearing ) it seems the less actual hands-on experience you have in the subject the more of an expert you become! Various theory's ranging from Fractal math and Quantum physics right across to Global warming (which incidentally is one of those complete theories of everything as well) are propounded to me as to why this happens with absolute conviction by the theorists which so far haven't enlightened me one jot on the subject of rope tangle prevention. 

Below Picture 1 - Nathans idea of a perfectly coiled rope

Below Picture 2 - This is a tangled mess , after 2 prods only!!