Jon Adamson

Ascent New Brunswick would like to thank all the volunteers who came out for our annual trail day on November 14.

Three good sized crews completed major objectives at Cochrane Lane. There is a now a discernible trail from the campsite on top of Exfoliated Wall all the way down to the bottom. The second crew revamped the approach trails to Dawn Wall including multiple points of entry in addition to a path connecting L Shape to Simpson. Finally, crew number 3 worked to improve the trail from Pooh Corner all the way over to Gollum's Cave. These improvements will allow for safer travel and greater efficiency in moving around between the different walls at Cochrane Lane.

Over the past month improvements have also been made to Glen Falls Crag. The approach trail from the ATV road to the cliff has been improved.  The base of the wall is now flat allowing for safer belay stances and a much more user friendly area to put on climbing shoes and rack up.  This year has seen use increase dramatically at all our major crags and our organization is committed to helping improve the climbing experience for our community.

We thank you for your support. 

It's time for a few updates!

1. As of tomorrow (August 1) the Peregrine closure is officially over and we can climb anywhere at Cochrane Lane. All walls will be open for climbing. Anyone who has been waiting to get on Weeping Wisker, Rockstar or Cheekbone Corner - your wait is over.
2. Welsford Rendezvous is happening September 12. This years event will be slightly scaled back due to Covid but we will have two comps (Sunnyside Throwdown and Cochrane Lane Classics), prize giveaways and our usual campfire social in the pit. The event will be free of charge but only members of Ascent New Brunswick are eligible to attend. We will make tickets available through eventbrite soon and we will be making another post with more details about the event within the the next two weeks.
3. AGM - this will take place September 12 at 9 am. in the gravel pit at Cochrane Lane. So far the agenda looks very light but we do need to have elections for both the Executive and Board of Directors during that time as well.
4. Call for Nominations - in conjunction with our upcoming elections we now call for nominations for any position on the executive and board. You can nominate any member including yourself. Please email nominations to ascentnb@gmail.com

This plan will focus on the following 5 core areas:

Access

Maintain existing access agreements. Streamline the access agreement renewal process with CFB Gagetown. Foster good relations with all landowners with whom we have agreements. Act on behalf of the New Brunswick climbing community to secure new access agreements to rock and ice climbing areas.

Promote Responsible Climbing Practices

Provide announcements concerning peregrine falcon closures and other closures. Promote Crag Stewardship Plan.

Community and Member Development

Welsford Rendezvous, Anchor Replacement, Route Development, Trail Maintenance Days, announcements on NB Climbing Facebook page.

Crag Stewardship

Promote low impact practices.  Educate the membership on the Ascent New Brunswick Crag Stewardship Policy and LNT Principles.

Community Outreach 

Ascent New Brunswick will continue to partner with authorized groups and clubs providing special access agreements, climbing instruction and climbing equipment rentals. Examples include: GTFO, UNB Rock and Ice, Moncton Womens’ Climbing Club.

As many of our members are aware the annual membership renewal process is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2020. In light of the Covid 19 situation the executive has decided to extend all current memberships to the end of April. We will accept new memberships starting April 1 but you will have until the end of the month to renew. Membership rates are $40 for adults and $20 for students. We are also launching a new online waiver system and we need all members to complete this form even if you have already submitted a waiver in the past either online or in hard-copy format. This online waiver is scheduled to go live on our website on April 1.

These are difficult times and climbing may not be in the forefront of your mind right now but our organization is still required to pay insurance premiums and fees associated with our access agreements. We need your support. We certainly understand if you can't continue to be a member due to financial reasons but we hope that you will. Ascent New Brunswick has worked hard over the past several years to create access agreements with land owners in crucial climbing areas for both rock and ice. We hope that you can continue to support our organization so that access will be preserved into the future.

Hey folks. Be advised that all climbing areas on CFB Gagetown land are closed to the public. Please do not hike or climb at Cochrane Lane Cliffs, Mount Douglas (East Face, Les Dalles and Mount Doug Boulders), Sunnyside Crag or Bald Peak. This closure has been in effect since March 9 and will continue indefinitely. It is in response to the Covid 19 crisis and we should assume that it will likely be in effect for the foreseeable future. Ascent New Brunswick will inform all members when the affected areas are open again. Please be respectful of the closure. Thanks for your anticipated cooperation.

Hey folks it looks like hurricane Dorian is going to bring us a ton of rain and high winds this weekend so we are going to have to reschedule the Welsford Rendezvous and the AGM. Our new date is September 21. I hope everyone who was planning on coming can make it on the new date.

First of all, everyone is welcome at the Rendezvous but we do not allow hurricanes 😉. We are hoping for good weather for Saturday but if the forecast is for significant rain we will postpone to September 21. We are not postponing yet! Just giving you some notice. We will keep an eye on the forecast and let you know by Friday.

I apologize for the length of this post but there is a lot to cover so here goes.......

Thanks to all our sponsors! Sean Creary of River and Trail, Brian Conoley and Kaylee Hopkins at The Radical Edge, Derek MacIntyre of Fit Rocks and Adam Morgan from Fredericton Bouldering Co-op. These fine people stepped up and supported us without hesitation when we asked for their help. Please return the favor by supporting these businesses.

Special Guest - Welsford pioneer Colin Bell will be joining us this year! Colin is the earliest known climber at Cochrane Lane along with his partners Fred Doucette and Gilles Lacroix. They put up some uber classic lines at Welsford crags. Colin also authored the first New Brunswick climbing guide book.

Food - We will have food at the Rendezvous. It will be ready around 5 pm. We have decided not to grill anything this year but don't worry the food we are preparing for you will be nothing short of fantastic.

Clinics - We will be offering 3 clinics this year! Details below:

Gym to Crag: this is for anyone who has been climbing at a gym and is looking to get climbing outside. The location will be Cochrane Lane. We will meet at the Rendezvous site at 10:30 am and then head up to Border Wall. We will demo top rope anchors, discuss outdoor climbing systems, teach belaying and climbing movement on rock.

Bouldering Clinic - Join us for a day of bouldering at the Mount Douglas boulders in Welsford. We’ll setup on a series of granite boulders through the day with problems from V0 to V6. Hike with us to find the boulders, learn about appropriate crash pad use, cleaning boulder problems, proper spotting for outdoor bouldering, ethics, and of course how to minimize our impact and Leave No Trace. Kids are welcome as long as they can handle some hiking (25 min approach to the first boulder, and then further hiking thru the day to the other boulders). You’ll need your climbing shoes and chalk bag, proper hiking footwear and layered clothing. Be sure to bring a lunch, water, and some bug spray. Your own crash pads are welcome, but we’ll have some and will just need help carrying them.

Trad Climbing: this clinic is for anyone who has been climbing outside for a while and is looking to get into traditional lead climbing. The location will be Cochrane Lane. We will meet at the Rendezvous site at 12:45 pm and then head up to Border Wall. We will demo trad climbing gear, discuss systems and cover fundamentals of protection placement.

Registration for all three clinics will be right after the AGM. These clinics are only open to Ascent New Brunswick members and are free of charge with your Rendezvous pass.

Here is one clue for each of the three mystery prize routes in the Cochrane Lane Classics comp.

First Route Clue: This route is featured on the cover of the original guide book.

Second Route Clue: This route is found in the amphitheatre.

Third Route Clue: The route name has something to do with Christmas.

If you can figure out which three routes they are and climb them, you will find your prize attached to the anchor on the day of the Rendevous.

Lastly, if you have any questions about anything Rendezvous related please comment here or send me a pm.

Friday, September 6 - Come set up your tent for the weekend and hang out in the pit for an informal social/bbq.

Saturday, September 7

9 am - Ascent New Brunswick Annual General Meeting, Clinic and Comp Registration

10 am - Comps and random climbing begins at Cochrane Lane and Sunnyside

11 am - Gym to Crag and Climbing Movement Clinic at Border Wall

2 pm - Trad Climbing Clinic at Border Wall

5 pm - Activities in the gravel pit begin (BBQ, T-Shirt/Hat sales, Gear Swap)

6 pm - Pull Up Comp

7 pm - Comp winners announced and prizes awarded

8 pm - Camp Fire Social

Sunday, September 8

9 am - Trail Day and Crag Clean Up

New for 2019 - AGM/Elections will be held on Saturday morning. We are giving out prizes just for showing up!

Gear Swap! Anyone who would like to buy, sell or trade outdoor clothing or gear can bring their stuff and we will facilitate.

Trail Day at Cochrane Lane on Sunday. This will be held on Sunday with the UNB Rock and Ice Club providing support for the event. We are excited to partner up with the club to help make improve CL trails. Come help us improve our most treasured climbing area.

We have made some slight adjustments to the comps for this year's Rendezvous. We think that these new changes will serve all climbers very well and spread out the prizes nicely to all disciplines and skill levels.

Sunnyside Throwdown - exactly the same as last year. Two partners climb as many routes as possible in the time allotted. Both must send the route clean. No skipping bolts. Second may lead or follow. Last year's winners climbed 26 routes!

Cochrane Lane Classics - climb as many of the selected 13 routes from Colin Bell's original guidebook. To do all 13 is quite an undertaking so this is where we are adding something quite unique. Three of the routes will have a prize voucher attached to the anchor. If you climb the route and find the voucher take it back to party central to redeem your prize. Cool huh? To make it slightly easier to narrow down the field we will give clues as to which 3 routes have been selected as we get closer to the Rendezvous.

Cochrane Lane Points Challenge - climb up to 12 routes of your choice, anywhere in Welsford, and collect as many points as you can following the table below. Teams of 2 climb together and submit the sum of their individual routes climbed. Most points wins!

📷Along with prizes for comp winners there will also be a prize for the climbing team that has the best costume.

What does everything cost?

There is a $20 admission fee for the event. This includes admission to the comps, clinics and food at the bbq (must be a member of Ascent New Brunswick).

Ascent T-shirts and hats are $10 each.

Memberships are $40 or $20 for anyone who is also a member of UNB Rock and Ice, Fit Rocks or FBC.

Hey folks. Guess what is happening in just over a month. That's right, you guessed it - the 4th Annual Welsford Rendezvous. Mark the date (September 7/8) on your calendar. The gravel pit at Cochrane Lane will once again serve as our base with the Sunnyside Throwdown being held just up the road at NB's best sport crag. There will be two more fun comp's at Cochrane Lane for the tradsters. Comps, clinics, prizes, food, fun, climbing and hanging out with our awesome community. This year's Rendezvous promises to be the best yet. Stay tuned for more info.

A reminder for all Ascent NB members to make sure they are both calling-in and calling-out to Range Control prior to accessing Welsford crags on base property.

We've had mention of a few climbers lately forgetting to call-out and notify Range Control that they are done climbing. This creates work for Range Control and jeopardizes access for everyone.

Make sure you remember to call-out! Ask everyone in your group to help remember, set a reminder on your phone, leave a note on your car seat, whatever works.

Sign-in procedures are available on our website: