Author Archives: David Newstead

The road is long and winding, twisting back on it’s gravelly self like it can’t make up its god-damned mind. Dust leaps in sepia clouds as a vehicle ploughs onwards. Dave – think clumsy giant cut from the same mold as a youthful Liam Neeson, but still not measuring up to his old man –Continue reading “Striving For Status – article in White Horses Magazine”

Anidesha Chuli is a stunning, and unclimbed, Himalayan mountain in the Kangchendzonga region of eastern Nepal, bordering both India and China. In April/May 2014, New Zealand climbers Shelley and Paul Hersey and honorary Kiwi (Australian) John Price will attempt to ascend this technical peak, also known as White Wave, via the remote Ramtang Glacier andContinue reading “NZ 2014 Anidesha Chuli Expedition (White Wave 6815m)”

He stands there on a dilapidated wooden lookout, looking south toward the coast. A low-slung, grass-covered hill fades in and out of ashen cloud. He stares past the hill, above dark andesitic columns and walls of conglomerate that plunge, unseen, into space where the earth ends abruptly. The ocean is beyond, slated and churned byContinue reading “The Surface Of Rocks – article in Alpinist 44”

Of course it starts at dawn. Well, it should do, but gentleman’s hours have a way of sneaking in to the southern routine this time of year. At least the snow has melted. Earlier in the week Dunedin was in blizzard lockdown, a white blanket shutting schools and shops and stopping anyone from getting inContinue reading “Wicked, Wicked Sea – article in White Horses Magazine”

Watch the movie Cold and you’ll quickly realise two things about American climber Cory Richards: He’s apt to both swear and cry on camera. In Cold it only takes three words for him to drop an F-bomb, and his crying scene is the most intimately powerful moment in the movie. For those who haven’t seenContinue reading “Interview With Cory Richards”

Ahh Marty…reading that email that Kester sent to me felt like a knife being jammed between my shoulder blades. You and Denali had been killed on K2, swept away by an avalanche which blasted through Camp 3 where you were resting, waiting for your chance to finally summit that mountain which had been gnawing awayContinue reading “Marty Schmidt – Walking Your Own Path”

Sourcing a perfectly fitting wetsuit can be tedious business. And if your shape is anything other than what’s considered middle of the road, it can be downright disheartening. In the past I’ve always bought my new wetsuits off the rack at a surf shop. But, especially living in Dunedin where the need for good insulationContinue reading “A New Wetsuit For Shelley (or A Visit To The Seventhwave)”

I’ve been wanting to write something memorable about Jamie, but my thoughts and emotions towards him are still far from stable enough to commit to words. It’s only today that I’m baking my first loaf of bread since he died. In the meantime, I’d like to record here the gist of what I said atContinue reading “Jamie Vinton-Boot 1983-2013”

‘Three-quarters of New Zealand lies more than 200 metres above sea level, making us one of the more mountainous countries in the world, so it’s no surprise that many of us have a great affinity for the rugged backdrop against which we live. Two men with a particular respect for our high places, writer PaulContinue reading “OUR MOUNTAINS by Paul Hersey and Mark Watson”

Another year passes, which means it’s time again for the Remarkables Ice and Mixed Festival. I’m about as poorly prepared as I was last year, with work commitments limiting recent climbing to occasional rock forays, drytool bouldering at a nearby coastal outcrop and attacking the tall poplar trees in our back section. But, like lastContinue reading “Remarkables Ice and Mixed Festival 2013”