It might be cold but that's no reason to stay inside. Time to explore some of the less freezing canyons!!!  Please note for those who attended the 2022 February canyoning trip, some of the canyons will be repeated so don't expect too many surprises this time round. Get keen for an adrenalin-filled, stunningly gorgeous weekend exploring the Blue Mountains' best winter canyons! Subject to work and uni commitments, the vague plan is to head off from the gearshed around 5pm (always hoping for earlier) arriving at the campsite about 10pm, but carpooling and travel arrangements can be sorted closer to the time. We will be camping at Newnes Campground near Wallerawang (known as 'Wang' to the locals) Friday and Saturday night before heading back to Newcastle on Sunday. Weather dependent, Saturday will be a day of walking, swearing at the regrowth and abseiling down some of the most spectacular canyons the Blue Mountains has to offer, including Windows, Tigersnake and Nightmare (those names really sell the sport). It will be a big day including several kilometres of off track hiking in steep, scrubby terrain so a reasonable level of fitness is required. Sunday's plan is all dependent on Cooper's enthusiasm. Newnes is going to be ridiculously cold and at the same time ridiculouly stunning. All camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats etc.) can be hired from the gearstore. The club will provide all technical gear including helmets, harnesses and everything you need to stay safe in a canyon! We will be stopping for dinner on the road Friday night on the way to Newnes, and a delicious, hearty club meal will be provided Saturday night. You will be responsible for providing your own breakfast, lunch, and snacks for Saturday and Sunday (ideally things which are individually wrapped and/or you won't mind eating after they've gone soggy cause you dropped them in a pool of water accidently. Please keep in mind a training night may be required prior to this trip, and get on those tickets fast! It's first in best dressed and they will go quick! Get keen for an incredible weekend! If you have any questions feel free to direct them to me or David Schmidt: sophie.mckay@uon.edu.au or david.schmidt@uon.edu.au alternatively you can Facebook message either of us.

Are you sick of your warm, cosy bed? Have you been accused of only liking Type II fun? Want to unwind with a long arduous walk after exams? If so, I have some great news for you: Jarred and I are running an overnight walk in the Watagans on June 18-19th. Less than an hour from Callaghan the loop we're doing has some sensational views, as we walk along part of the Great North Walk and the campsite looks down over the Southern Hunter Valley. All experience levels are welcome and the club can supply just about any gear you need, however the walk is relatively long, at 33km with some decent elevation gain. Due to this, a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. That being said, we aren't going for any speed records and there will be a strong emphasis on keeping our packs light and comfortable (great opportunity to learn about Ultralight principles or try out your gear). Save the date and get excited, there might even be a sausage sizzle in it for anyone who snags a ticket.      

Keen to dip your toes (hehe) in a canyon but don't have an entire weekend free? We've got a day trip sorted! This trip is to Stanhope Creek in the Wonnarua Nation (Hunter Valley) for what is a very short and sweet dry-ish canyon.  We will meet at the gear shed at 8 am to leave promptly and try to be back in Newcastle in time for dinner and maybe a well earned beer at the pub. Depending on rain this will either be a wet to the ankles or a wet to the waist kind of trip, with one optional abseil right down the middle of a waterfall and for those feeling brave, a cliff jump. While the walk is not long a reasonable level of fitness is required and you must be able to swim to attend this trip. The club will provide helmets, harnesses and everything you need to stay safe in a canyon as well as dry(ish) bags and hiking packs. All you'll need to bring is food and water for the day, clothing to get wet in (NO COTTON), appropriate footwear that will be grippy on wet rocks but won't fall off your feet, and dry clothes for the car ride home. You will be responsible for providing your own lunch and snacks (ideally things which are individually wrapped and/or you won't mind eating after they've gone soggy courtesy of a swim in a canyon!) Please keep in mind a training night may be required prior to this trip as you will have to be a competent abseiler, and get on those tickets fast! It's first in best dressed and they will go quick! Get keen for an incredible weekend! If you have any questions feel free to direct them here :) - Captain Phil ptin265@aucklanduni.ac.nz or 0431757089

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!

Getting into climbing but don't have your own gear yet? Just want all the climbing you can get? Industry night solves all your problems! Pulse has offered to open up Adamstown gym after they close to the public on Sunday just for NUMC! They are offering a 20% discount on gear purchases (now's the time to get that shiny new harness you've been eyeing up!) and if you sign up for a membership on the night, $50 off the sign up fee. $5 entry fee at the door gets you climbing for the night (starting at 6pm) with free gear hire, and a sausage sizzle courtesy of NUMC (please send me a message if you want to play grill master!). Please grab a free RVSP ticket below so we can give Pulse an idea of numbers for the night. - Captain Phil

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!

LET’S GO CAVING!!!!! This trip has places for some peeps to come to Timor caves, not far from Mururruruurrurundi (Funny name for a place, ikr?).  When: 6th May, leaving about 1pm on Saturday, camping Saturday night and driving back to Newcastle Sunday evening. There are no toilets, showers or other facilities at the camp site. The nearest toilet is an hour drive away.  What: Now this is the fun part. First, we find the damn things, which is much easier said than done. This requires a reasonable level of fitness, we will be carrying light packs through light bushland up and down hills, though it is only about 10 minutes walk between each cave. Second, we put on our helmets, switch on our torches and dive (almost literally in my case) into the underground world of rock, darkness and awesomeness. Once inside we walk, crawl, slide, and swear our way through the tunnels, trying to see what we can find and where we can get. It’s the ultimate in terms of exploration, the only thing stopping you finding out what’s around the corner or in that tunnel is you. If you are claustrophobic, this is not the trip for you.  Skills: No skills required, just bring clothes you never want to see again. They will never be the same colour as they were when you started.  What to bring: - Food for one day including breakfast, lunch and snacks. Dinner on Saturday night will either be a group camp meal and Sunday night on the drive back will probably be road dinner. You must bring your own lunch and snacks. - Water for one day (at least one litre in a sturdy or plastic bottle, each car will have a 10 or 20 litre water container for refills, but you NEED a bottle) - Clean clothes for the trip home - Camping gear (can be hired from the NUMC gear store or BYO) - Torches (can be hired or BYO) ***Head torch ESSENTIAL*** - Overalls (optional, limited number and sizes for hire, otherwise old clothes will do) - Spare batteries (Club torches take 4 AAA or 4 AA batteries, you MUST have a complete spare set.) ***ESSENTIAL*** - Backup torch (phones are not allowed in the cave, a $5 hand torch is fine) ***ESSENTIAL*** - Helmets (Gear store) - Sturdy and/or cheap shoes. Following the “they gon’ get dirty” theme. (You get the point by now, there is dirt. Everywhere. Like, EVERYWHERE. And also water. Water and dirt make mud. You get the picture.) - Wet wipes/baby wipes SERIOUSLY recommended.  - Cheap gardening gloves (Also highly recommended) For additional information, send me an email or Facebook message. That's all the info you need, so once you've got your ticket, make sure to be at the gear store by AT LEAST 12:30 pm on Saturday 6th May for our departure at 1.  Gear can be hired prior, it's a first-in-first-served system.  That's all from me, get keen, sign up, you know the drill. Cheers, Phillip    

Pulse ADAMSTOWN PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO RESERVE TWO TICKETS. ONE PER PERSON ONLY! Ticket sales will close at 2pm on the day of.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are having to change the way we climb.  For now we have to make sure we do not bring too many people and that we comply with all requests from Pulse staff and the club to ensure everyone's safety. As such we will be splitting those coming to Pulse social climbing nights into three groups of no more than 20 each. Please get your free ticket to book your spot and please only come at the time you have got a ticket for. If there are too many people Pulse may have to ask some to leave so it is imperative that we all stick to our times. Please only get one ticket and be prepared to have to leave at the end of your allotted session if the gym is busy so that new people can come in.  We ask that you do not attend if: You are awaiting a COVID-19 test result You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 7 days You have been overseas in the last 7 days You have or have had ANY infectious disease in the last 7 days (dealing with other illnesses increases the risk of having serious complications from COVID-19) You are immuno-compromised or have contact with anyone who is immuno-compromised I know some of these may sound harsh but if there is even one positive case because of us climbing will be shut down immediately, do not ruin it for the rest of us! Additionally we all need to make sure we continue to: Sanitise our hands between climbs Sanitise carabiners at every change over Do not share personal equipment Cough/sneeze into elbows or preferably a tissue instead of on your hands followed by washing/sanitising the coughed on area immediately Keep 1.5m away from each other Comply with limits to how many people in each area (20 in boulder area, 8 upstairs, etc) - these are all labelled Comply with staff instructions - if you do not you will be asked to leave the gym and possibly the club, this is a serious matter with serious consequences for the safety of individuals, the accountability of the club and Pulse I look forward to seeing 59 other people there, stay safe, have fun and climb well!