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Access Alert: Parking @ The Hatchery & Parlee Brook

Access Alert: Parking @ The Hatchery & Parlee Brook

The Hatchery

Not long after the Hatchery Ice Crag was developed several years ago, Ascent New Brunswick secured an access agreement with a landowner that would permit climbers to cross a piece of land between the parking area on Parlee Brook Road and the cliff. We have worked hard to maintain this access but the landowner has decided to withdraw from the agreement. We would like everyone to respect the landowners wishes and take an alternate approach (detailed below) to the Hatchery until further notice. The landowner has indicated that he may be open to resuming the agreement in the future but not likely this season.

The alternate approach is as follows (approach time 50 minutes):

  • Follow the Parlee Brook road (past the bridge) about 1 kilometer southeast until you come to a drainage to the north (on your left).
  • Follow the drainage up to a small ice filled ravine. There is actually climbable ice here but nothing too exciting.
  • When you reach the top of the ravine turn northwest and walk approximately 400 meters. This will put you near the top of the first wall at the Hatchery.
  • Continue north west down to the Hatchery drainage.

Parlee Brook

The next issue involves parking for the Parlee Brook Amphitheater and the Hatchery. The usual parking area now has no parking signs throughout. Do not park anywhere that has these signs. Instead cross the bridge and continue up the Parlee Brook Road and park off to one side of the road far enough away from the no parking signs. We have asked the Department of Highways to plow the road further up to accommodate more parking. It would be wise not to park your car during or immediately after a snowstorm as it could be towed if it were to interfere with snow removal operations.

Keep in mind that we still enjoy great access to both Parlee Brook and The Hatchery. Both of these ice crags fall under an agreement that we have with J.D. Irving. The short cut to the Hatchery is no longer available but the ice still is! You just have to work a bit more to get there. Also keep in mind that there is great ice to be had nearby at Glebe Road and Little Salmon River/Walton Glen.

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Walton Glen Gorge Climbing Access

Walton Glen Gorge Climbing Access

Ascent New Brunswick recently received a letter from the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources concerning Walton Glen Gorge.

The Walton Glen Gorge is part of a provincial Class II protected area and as such has some strict guidelines concerning activities occurring there. Lately, there has been some media attention brought to the area and as a result DNR has asked that we convey a message about Walton Glen to the climbing community.

They want climbers to know that all recreation activities done in Walton Glen need to follow Leave No Trace principles and be respectful of the land. They are open to climbers being there, but are concerned with the aggressive cleaning of rock often associated with putting up rock climbing routes.

This is currently not a popular area for rock climbing but with the recent extension of the Fundy Trail Parkway access to the gorge could become very convenient for climbers. If you want to put up routes in Walton Glen please make sure they follow a Leave No Trace ethic.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Posted by ascentnb on

Access Announcement

Access Announcement

Photo credit to Rob Powell

Ascent New Brunswick is thrilled to announce that it has successfully negotiated with CFB Gagetown for better access to Welsford Crags!

Over recent years, there have been a lot of closures of Welsford climbing areas due to military training exercises on the base. We recognized that our cliffs were included in a large area where training almost exclusively took place many kilometers from Welsford. In light of the distances involved, we requested a small sub area be created for climbers who wanted to go to Welsford crags. CFB Gagetown was very receptive to this idea and agreed to the creation of a special sub-area covering both Cochrane Lane and Mount Doug!

This means training in the rest of the base will no longer necessarily result in closures at the cliffs. This amendment to the areas began in the spring of 2017 and since that time there have been no closures of Welsford crags due to military training exercises. As a matter of fact, so far this year there have been zero closures of the Cochrane Lane cliffs, while Sunnyside and Mount Douglas have only been closed for 4 days due to the moose hunting season.

Ascent New Brunswick is extremely pleased with this new access arrangement with CFB Gagetown. The military have been absolutely fantastic to deal with and very accommodating toward climbers now. Let's keep this new arrangement secure by renewing your Ascent New Brunswick memberships (or purchasing one if you have not), calling in and out to Range Control, and respecting the land.

Our community is very strong and should continue to enjoy great access to climbing if we all stick together. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Rendezvous Recap

Rendezvous Recap

The Welsford Rendezvous did not come off without a hitch again this year, but still saw the community rally and enjoy a beautiful weekend of rock climbing and festivities.

Despite a week's postponement due to forecasted rain, a good chunk of the climbing community managed to adjust schedules and attend the weekend's events. Many teams competed in the various, fun oriented, climbing challenges during the day before returning to the gravel pit. Climbers were spread out across the entirety of Cochrane Lane and Sunnyside. Even the slack liners got in on the action with a high-line first ascent of Amphiteatre!

Frank Zappa made a special guest appearance at Joe's Garage. Apparently, he was honoured to have a wall named after his album. Thanks to Michel Martin for playing the part.

After the exhausting day, folks gathered and rejuvenated with a delicious array of food and drink before attending the Ascent NB Annual General Meeting and awards ceremonies. Thank you to Audré, Sonia, and Kristen for the putting together amazing food - no one went hungry! A shout out to Silver Valley Farms for a deal on the delicious corn and to Trailway Brewing Co for reserving us some top quality brews.

Elections for Ascent's executive followed and saw Greg Hughes and Mike Delaney stay on as President and Secretary/Treasurer. New blood entered the ranks this year with Jon Adamson taking over Vice President from Kristy McClellan. Thanks Kristy for your time!

Steve Adamson was then recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Steve accepted the award in style sharing some great climbing stories. Congratulations Steve and thanks for all you've done for New Brunswick climbing!

The evening rounded off with awards for the climbing competitions. Many awesome prizes were had and barely anyone came away completely empty handed thanks to prize donations by our sponsors The Radical Edge, River and Trail, Outward Bound Canada, and Cruel Shoes Climbing.

Of course the weekend can't fully be recounted without mention of the dramatic accident and ensuing rescue of climber Matt Cormier. Despite the odds and thanks to some incredible luck in his fall, the quick response of EMS and local climbers and just being a plain old tough SOB, Matt was in relatively good shape and made it down to the farmer's field in a matter of 2-3 hours. It's been amazing to hear how well Matt is doing on the road to recovery already. Take a moment to send Matt some support in his recovery.

Thank you to AmbulanceNB and the Welsford Volunteer Fire Department for their efforts and quick response in Matt's rescue. As well, thank you to the Ascent NB Roped Rescue team and to everyone who has contributed to training and equipping the team. The importance of our training has never been more obvious nor more valuable.

Considering all possible outcomes, I think we all saw the weekend as a complete success.

 

Comp Results:
Cochrane Lane Challenge
- 3 teams competed with Ian Lingley and Josh Shewbridge winning in a time of 6 hours and 40 minutes.
Sunnyside Throwdown
- Isiah Jabbour and Matt DesRoches won with 18 climbs
Cochrane Lane 3 Star Selects
- prize draw winners were Keri Lynn Leblanc, Mike Delaney and Andy MacLeod while Dom Caron and Alec Joseph won for best time at 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Pull Up Comp
- Brittany Gionet for the women and Igor Ignatov for the men.
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2017 Beginner Rock School – Sept 17th

2017 Beginner Rock School – Sept 17th

Ascent NB will be holding our second annual Beginner Rock School on Sunday, September 10th, in Welsford! Come learn basic climbing techniques and how to belay and rappel safely under the close supervision of experienced rock climbers.  No experience necessary! All equipment provided!

Proceeds help pay for Ascent's single largest expense, the insurance policy that our land use agreements require, and to purchase new ropes and gear for future rock and ice schools.

All equipment is provided for this full day event. Admission costs $100 for non-members and $80 for Ascent members (not a member?  you can purchase a membership here) and UNB Rock and Ice members.  ($40 of the fee is a non-refundable deposit; no refunds are permitted in the final week before the event). Bring a friend and you will each receive a $25 discount!!

Space is limited so sign up early! If we don't receive the deposit from you, then we can't guarantee your spot.

Minimum age of 14 (at our discretion).  Under 16 requires adult accompaniment. Under 19, must submit in advance a waiver signed by the legal guardian.578627_431203373594168_1024899536_n

To register:

  1. send us your deposit via Email Money Transfer to ascentnb@gmail.com
  2. then email ascentnb@gmail.com. Put "I wanna rock! - 2017 Beginner Rock School" in the subject to indicate how stoked you are to learn to rock climb!
  3. ensure you've submitted a waiver either electronically, or in person the day of the event.

 

Rock School has always a great time and is a great introduction to the world of rock climbing.33461_135594676488374_802234_n These events go a long way towards to reaching our fundraising goals, but this all depends on participation - please help spread the word!

 

 

 

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Welsford Rendezvous – Sept 16th

Welsford Rendezvous – Sept 16th

Mark the date in your calendar, folks. The second annual Welsford Rendezvous, on September 16th, will see climbers from New Brunswick and beyond flock to Welsford to celebrate and participate in a variety of climbing events. Last year's event, despite a last minute curve ball, was a solid success and this year will only be better!

Climbing competitions during the day and a gathering at the gravel pit at the end of Cochrane Lane will round out the day. A BBQ and games will be followed by Ascent NB's AGM, a special awards presentation, prizes awarded from our sponsors, and a special access announcement. A huge bonus this year is that we've acquired permission to have a campfire - no repeats of last year's frostiness!

The climbing comps this year will NOT have an admission fee and will include one from last year and two new ones:

  • Cochrane Lane Classics – climb 13 of the original routes from the first guide book written by Colin Bell.
  • Cochrane Lane 3-star Selects – climb any six, three star routes.
  • Sunnyside Throwdown – climb as many routes as you can.

 

More details will come as the date approaches.

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Calling All Climbers!

Calling All Climbers!

Ascent New Brunswick wouldn't exist without of the continuing effort of volunteers, but as with all grassroots efforts, new blood is key to survival.

We are starting to plan Welsford Rendezvous 2017, and could use some help to make it an even greater success.  Many hands can make light work, so if you think you might be interested in helping out, please contact us at ascentnb@gmail.com to chat!

 

 

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Partnership with Fit Rocks!

Ascent New Brunswick is very excited to announce that we have partnered up with Fit Rocks Climbing Gym in Moncton!

Fit Rocks has made a significant donation to our cause and will be selling Ascent NB memberships and t-shirts at their facility. Ascent NB will be offering special rates on memberships to Fit Rocks Gym members and will actively promote this awesome new gym.

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Time to renew your Ascent membership!

Time to renew your Ascent membership!

We're now a week into the 2017 season and as such many members will find their memberships have expired.  Please take a moment to renew your membership today! You can send us an email money transfer to ascentnb@gmail.com, or you can make your purchase via Paypal (but Paypal takes about 3%, so we much prefer EMTs!)

 

Remember, being a member of Ascent New Brunswick comes with its rewards, such as:
  • special access privilege to CFB Gagetown cliffs all year-round,
  • access to member pricing on all levels of rock and ice climbing classes,
  • access to events at the Welsford Rendezous in September,
  • the knowledge that you're supporting a grass-roots organization that maintains access to climbing areas in New Brunswick as its sole focus.