MN

This weekend it was the Middel Norwegian (or however you translate midtnorsk?) championship in climbing again. Lot of fun! Petter took a lot of pictures http://album.pitte.net/midtnorsk2009/
Especially notice the last photos, which are from the guys finial, it was toprope with a jump on around 3 m....

.....

http://xkcd.com/

Moss

After Vegas it was of to my last stop and highlight of the trip, Moss! In Las Vegas however, I managed to forget my shoes on the Red Rocks camping, and I arrive at Gardemoen and Oslo S with jandals (as a good kiwi would). It was however kind of cold in Norway autum.... Luckely my parents are close and drop by and borrows me one of my mums pairs :) Me and Kristin got in some climbing at Hankø and a visit to Moss industrial museum.

Then it was back to good old Trondheim!

Las Vegas og Red Rock

Las Vegas is the both coolest and silliest place of the whole trip! The strip in Las Vegas is at first completely overwhelming, then it just gets boring... The Red Rocks however, just a 30 min drive away from the Strip is probably the most awsome climbing place I have ever visited! It really has everything, great rock, long multipiches and great sport climbing! (thats all you really need isn't it?)

Red Rocks. The part in the middle is Rainbow wall, which is one really cool looking wall! Of long routes we climbed Crimpson Crystalis (9 piches 5.8) on cloud tower which is on the right of the left mountain, Y2K 5.10a and The next century 5.10d on the rightmost pyramidshaped mountain.

Greg leading on Y2K 5.10a (I think)
Mike, Gregs pharmacy studying friend who we stayed with. I don't understand why people think it's funny that I was going to Las Vegas to climb and that I was going to stay with a guy studying Pharmacy on the university there :)

Julia from Wyoming explaing to me that any good American would have at least 3 kinds of Peanut butter with them camping. I spent the last day after Greg left and that Mike had to study climbing with Julia, Lauren and Dennins from Wyoming. They where really cool and let me slep at their camsite (I just love sleaping under the stars in the desert!) and climb with them.

Lauren climbing somewhere in Calico hills

I met Elvis and Marylin Monroe....

Mike and Greg staring at posters for strip shows :)

Me climbing! (photo by Mike)

Auckland

After leaving Vibeke in Paynes Ford i headed against Auckland to say hi to some old friends the last days before leaving for USA. It was awsome to see Lisa again, still the same old, with the same old bad movie and TV taste :) For some reason didn't I take to much photos... I finally got to go to the museum in Auckland and back to Starbucks with Lisa :)

Me and Owen also when mountainbiking, first time I have ever been in a mountainbike park. Fun! But we had to borrow Andys single track bike, which I really see way people like, but also realize I'm not fit enough for, because it's damn hard!

Owen, Owens car and Auckland uni! Memories! :)

Those where the days

My time with Vibeke is now over :( Sad but true.... We finished with some awsome days in Paynes Ford (North in South Island, NZ). No more Wicked Van, no more oat meal and coffe together every morning, no more gossiping about everyone else in norwegian... I still have one and a half week of traveling left, but I am going to sum up the trip so far now I think (I still have some hours till my plane leaves to go to Auckland)

Goals:
Climb 1080 and the letter G - no... (its a sign I have to go back one day!)
Stop drinking so much coffe - no... (I just made Vibeke drink coffe too... It seems like there is no hope for me on this point...)
Climb a lot - check :)

Other things accomplished:
Meet a LOT of really cool people!!
Realized I really love traveling and that there still is way to many places I have to go.
Started missing home a bit.
Taken some really big falls.

Quotes and words learned:
Answer to the question where are you from then?: "I'm from the moment now"
Capacetic (one of my favourits!)
Cobbelwassed
Cattie wombised
And some more

I think I'll catch my plane now so I get to visit my old flatmate Lisa in Auckland, and say hi to the other cool people there, and rather continue this summing up the trip later :)

Takaka Hills from Paynes
Vibeke climbing in Paynes
One day mountain biking in Takaka Hills, awsome experience! We did the Kildevil track, who might have been a bit to hard, at least for me (our ambition level and ability level doesn't always coincide and do sometimes result in this), but was way fun anyway! Switchbacks are not my biggest strength it seems like :)

Top of Kildevil track

Sydney and back to NZ

The end of the trip is getting closer and closer, and we have now reached Paynes Ford, Takaka, NZ. An awsome place except for that it is raining right now, and we therefor are spending our day not climbing.... Since last update we have spent some days in Bluies, some in Sydney, traveled to NZ. Droven (with a new wicked van, that's less pretty..) form Christchurch to Queenstown, then to Castle Hill and then up to Takaka. We havent really gotten in very much climbing, but some, and also the bungy jump I didnt get to do last time I was here.

(sorry about lack of chronology on the photos...)

I finally got this photo and got the climb!! (alone this time :) last time I was here, me, Kristin and Ingrid worked a lot on it and got it together) Dream Thing 21, Wye Creek, NZ.

Somewhere close to Mt Victoria, Bluies

In the blueys there was a sand storm, biggest sand storm in 60 years in Sydney and area. Our car got completly red and we ended up spending two evenings on Trivita nights on the pubs of BLackheath and Mt Victoria (we where the only ones under 60) We also got a lot of coffe and saw two movies....

In Sydney we stayed with Vibekes friend Lina, who is on exchange. We went out on a trendy night club and felt we got a complete contrast from the Trivita nights in Blackheat and the climbing bum life in Arapilies with camp fires every day, no showers, baggy pants and fleece jackets.

In Christchurch we ended up having a really really nice dinner on a place called Octagon live. Live music and really good food! The owner (between us) liked us and gave us a discount and extra wine. Best dinner in a very long time! And the nicest people and the place was a beutiful old church.
Over this canyon we bungey jumped... 132 m with 40 m free fall.... Nevis, Queenstown.


Getting ready to jump.Vibeke was first, had no fear at all and got a gracefull dive.

I was however more scared and less graceful.....
Back in Castle hill

During the sand storm in the Blue Mountains we ended up making dinner in a parking house, nice and dry and no wind there....

Sydney :)

Still a favourite spot, Wye Creek, NZ

Vibeke trying on a V4, Castle Hill.

Running jumping start, V0, Castle Hill. You dont really need your hands at all on this climb... :)


A suiting phd comic, I should be about on the existential crisis by now :)

Update

After two awsome weeks of trad climbing in Arapilies and Grampions we are now back in the Blue Montains. The weather is however horrible, with a LOT of wind.... I had no idea Australia was this windy... Peole ask me what we do over here, and its not really much to tell... We slep (a lot), then we eat (also a lot) and then we climb a little and hand out around the campfire (eating some more) and knit (we have started Arapilies knitting club...). So to anyone claiming Vibeke aleways stresses, she dont :) Because of this my blog do not really consist of much except climbing photos... Lisa once told me she didnt know anyone else who had traveled so much, and seen so little :)

I must however tell I have lost my phone (litterally). It fell down a multipich climb called Skink, and I could only find the batteri (smashed) on the deck underneath. So if anyone have sent me sms or anything like it and I didnt answer, no worries, I still like you, I just couldnt answer :) So to get in tuch with me, email is probably the only way....

Arapiles!!! It looks like a pile of choss, but its awsome!!

Campfire birthday party!

Vibke making brownies on the fire for my birthday.

Joris, Kayla and Katja made this beutifull birthday decoration :) Notice the carabiners :)

Me bouldering (trying to boulder) Woody (V4) which is a tree.... Climbers are wierd... Vibeke on the crux of Skink (18). (I fell here) I am actually belaying her from a hanging belay, not a fan... I did not only loose my phone on skink, I also fell myself... Pink is Vibeke belaying, blue me before falling and green after.. My first proper long fall on trad! Scary, but my pice held! This is also where my phone fell, it did however not have a rope like me. Vibeke making the rapell ready Me on Tannin (19), my favourite at Arapiles!

Arapilies and Grampions

We are still alive and we are still hanging put in the area around Arapiles and Grampions, it is still the coolest place ever, and we do very little except eating, sleeping and climbing :)

Me leading my first 18 on trad, Walking on the moon, a wierd crack? chimney overhanging slab thing.. :) Awsome!

Arapiles

We are now in Arapiles (or Araps) Which basically is just totally awsome. Imagine solid rock and trad climbing with perfect placements. Add some wierd moves and good exposure and lot of really nice people and you got it :) Perfect!

Vibeke on Agamemnon (11) chimney
Vibeke



Vibeke seconding a pitch of Bard (14) consisting of 5 piches including a wierd traverse and some awsome exposure.

Araps from Bard

Some of the people we met on the local pub i Natimuk eating dinner. Me, Dave, Joris, peruian guy, Maria and Thy. I have no excuse if I climb bad anymore, Dave has no fingers on one hand and Thy is 1.50 and both climb WAY harder than me....

Nowra and Arapiles

We spent 5 days in Nowra, before driving down to Melbourne. After bying climbing guides in Melbourne we drove on north west to a place calles Arapiles. Which is totally the coolest place ever! It has the best trad climbing I have ever seen!

By the way, I saw Hanna Montana on the plane. I kind of like the song :) (well, I should, its called the Climb)

I can almost see it

That dream I am dreaming

But there's a voice inside my head saying

"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking

Every move I make feels

Lost with no direction

My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying

Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

A kangoroo in Arapiles

Vibeke excited about Arapiles

Point Perpendicular, sea cliff trad climbing, awsome views!

......

Dinner in Nowra.