Jon Adamson on 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.
Jon Adamson on 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.
Jon Adamson on 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.
Jon Adamson on 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.
Jon Adamson on 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:
Jon Adamson on We are nearly into the 2019 membership season and it is time to renew your Ascent NB membership (or join for the first time)! We are currently accepting memberships for the 2019 season (April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020).
To complete this process click on the link below and follow the steps described on that page:
http://ascentnb.com/memberships/
All existing memberships will expire as of March 31, 2019. Join early to ensure you're ready to go as soon as that first warm, sunny day arrives!
We remind all members that the Peregrine Falcon closure at Cochrane Lane is in effect as usual, and no climbing is allowed between Gollum's Cave and Pooh Corner from April 1 to August 1. Reindeer Land is fair game, as is Waterfall Layback, but not in between.
Remember, being a member of Ascent New Brunswick comes with its rewards, such as:
Jon Adamson on AscentNB will unfortunately not be holding any Ice Schools this season. If anyone is interested in trying out ice climbing there will be a community organized event where ropes will be set up for toproping, and there may be some spare equipment for people to borrow. Check out details of the 2019 Ice Festival on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/334091703986221/
ascentnb on The third annual Welsford Rendezvous was a solid success! Over 80 climbers from all the Maritime provinces enjoyed the great climbing that Welsford has to offer.
This year's climbing challenges drove most climbers to Sunnyside and Cochrane Lane Cliffs. Many participated in the Sunnyside Throwdown and the Points Challenge, but this year surprisingly no one attempted the Cochrane Lane Classics. Highlights include 26 routes climbed at Sunnyside by Luc Gallant and Dom Caron, and 280+ point
s tallied by Francois and Emily Coté for the Points Challenge. Way to go everyone who participated!
After a beautiful day of climbing, everyone gathered at the gravel pit for a Roped Rescue Team demonstration while enjoying the BBQ and curious horses. This was followed with a glorious fire and the Ascent NB AGM and awards and prizes. The Pull Up comp ensued with sufficient libation.
Elections for Ascent NB's executive were held during the AGM and saw Greg Hughes and Jon Adamson stay on as President and VicePresident respectively. Secretary/Treasurer was split up to spread out the work load and get more bodies in action. Mike Delaney stayed on as Treasurer, and new blood entered the ranks this year with Krista Cowling coming on as Secretary! The board of directors all stayed on but Max Mathies joined in to provide some more perspective from the new generation of climbers. Thanks Krista and Max for stepping up!
Joe Kennedy was justly recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award and accepted the award graciously. Congratulations Joe and thanks for all you've done for New Brunswick climbing!
Thank you to Welsford Volunteer Fire Department for being on site all day Saturday. Thankfully no emergencies drew their attention away!
And a big thanks to The Radical Edge for supplying us with some fantastic prizes for the climbing challenges!
ascentnb on Alright ladies and gentlemen, everyone in between and beyond, we have a few climbing challenges lined up this year for your vertical pleasure.
All those who successfully complete their chosen challenges will have their names entered in the hat for some primo prizes! Honour system is in effect. You can start as early as you like but be back to the farmer's field by 4pm!! No soloing or simul-climbing.
During the evenings' festivities, we will also have our annual pull-up, rope coiling, and blind tie in competitions!
*Simply* climb 13 selected routes from the original Colin Bell guide book in one day. Parties of 2, all free, with both climbers ascending either in lead or second.
The 13 routes are: Ride a Cock Horse, Kit Kat, Gollums Cave/Reindeer Land, Ejaculator, Jean, Cheekbone Corner, Snot, Sinus, Waterfall Layback, Pink Panther, Light Fandango, The Boulevard, and Some Enchanted Evening.
Record your times for posterity but let's put safety first! GPS data would be cool, just sayin'.
A perennial favourite. Parties of 2 climb as many routes at Sunnyside as they can. 1 route climbed clean gives your party 1 point. Most points win!
All bolts must be clipped and the route must be led and followed clean (or second climber leads clean again).
Spandex encouraged.
Ok something new... climb up to 12 routes of your choice, anywhere in Welsford, and collect as many points as you can. Teams of 2 climb together and submit the sum of their individual routes climbed. Most points wins!
ascentnb on 
Ascent NB will be holding an Introductory Rock Climbing School on Sunday, September 9th, 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 (price includes a half-year Ascent membership), or $80 for Ascent members (not a member? you can purchase a membership here). ($40 of the fee is a non-refundable deposit; no refunds are permitted in the final week before the event).
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.
To register:
Rock School has always a great time and is a great introduction to the world of rock climbing.
These events go a long way towards to reaching our fundraising goals, but this all depends on participation - please help spread the word!
