Category Archives

As you may recall, Ascent New Brunswick is organizing a high-angle rescue team as part of its commitments for the land use agreement with Base Gagetown. To be effective, the team has requirements for gear as well as people, and the cost of the gear was going to be a big challenge for Ascent.

Thankfully, Ascent New Brunswick truly has the community behind it. Recently, UNB Rock and Ice reiterated its support of Ascent and our mission when it donated an integral piece of rescue gear to the rescue team initiative.

The CMC Rescue MPD is not your average piece of rescue gear. It has been highly engineered to provide a state of the art mechanism for making rescues more simple and efficient.

So a big thank you goes out to UNB Rock and Ice! We really appreciate your continued support!

“The MPD’s high-efficiency pulley, with an integral rope-grab mechanism, allows it to be used as a lowering device on the main line and belay line systems and be quickly changed over to a raising system without switching out or replacing hardware.”

– CMC Rescue

“This device will greatly simplify rope rescue training and rigging and will serve a principal role in the overall rope rescue system.”

– Chris Hennigar, Rescue Team lead coordinator

You can also check out this video to see the device in action.

Ascent NB is looking at installing a memorial plaque at the Cochrane Lane cliffs for Cory Hall, Don Belliveau, and Ian McDonald.  I am looking for an inspirational poem or saying to install on the plaque along with the names.  If anyone has suggestions please post them here or on Facebook.

A number of climbers made the time over the weekend to improve several popular climbing areas.  This is what a vibrant community is all about... climbers making their crags better!

At the Hatchery, Shawn B., Denise H., Greg H., and Joe K., put in a day of work to develop a new access trail. This is an important piece of work that was done at the request of the landowner and should help to keep the relationship in good shape. We'll get the a map of the new trail up before ice sets in and keep all members posted on any further developments.

At Sunnyside, a number of improvements were made by Dom C., Luc G., Adam M., Eric R., Austin C., Chris N. The trail was widened in areas, re-blazed throughout, and cleared of blowdown all the way to Farside wall. An alternate route up to the main cliff was established which should be less prone to erosion. It leads climbers very near to the bench at Atomic wall. Several sections of boardwalk were installed over 2 small creeks that the trail crosses thanks to a generous donation of lumber from Kent's home building supplies in Fredericton!

As well a number of steel biners were installed to replace work and missing lower-off hardware. Thanks to the UNB Rock & Ice club for this great donation! Please leave any gear you find at Sunnyside anchors alone. It's there so we can all enjoy quick transitions to the next climb.

Again... thanks to everyone who ventured out into the snow to make our crags better!

Over our first year of existence, Ascent NB has been focused on securing land use agreements with the two most important landowners in the province. Today, we can announce that Ascent New Brunswick has secured the agreement with CFB Gagetown!

Securing this agreement was part of the originating idea behind Ascent NB, and so today is a significant day in our short existence.

The agreement covers all of the cliffs in Welsford that sit on base land: Cochrane Lane Cliffs, Sunnyside, Mount Douglas, and Bald Peak. Considering their position, it is very much a privilege for climbers to have access to these cliffs at all. It is only thanks to a long tradition of climbing and stewardship in the area, combined with the efforts of individuals (who stepped forward during our loss of access in 2005 and secured the UNB Rock and Ice agreement), that this privilege remains intact.

As with any access agreement, Ascent NB members enjoy the privilege of climbing at these areas with knowledge that their presence is supported and encouraged by the landowner. There is more to this agreement, however. CFB Gagetown stipulated several requirements be fulfilled in order to achieve an agreement.

First, Ascent members will be required to follow the existing call-in procedure. Before entering base land, Ascent members must call Range Control at 506-422-3121 to report their intention to climb.  Continued adherence to this procedure is extremely important to retaining this agreement. Failure to do so will jeopardize access for everybody, let alone just Ascent NB members.

Second, the standard requirement of a significant liability insurance policy to protect land owners from the worry of litigation in the event of an accident. (This is easily our single largest expense - please help by purchasing a membership or making a donation.  Thanks!)

Third, and perhaps most significant, the base required the formation of a rescue team. This team must be able to carry out the technical rescues that are an unfortunate and inevitable outcome of our sport.  The team has been formalized into several plans to be implemented over the coming year, and will support only the climbing areas covered by this agreement. This team will require volunteers, time, money, and training. It will stand as an extremely valuable service to climbers using these cliffs. Ideally, the team will never need to perform, but the extra training and knowledge that the community will gain through the existence of this team will benefit us all, whether at home or abroad.

Stay tuned for more details on the rescue team and what it will mean for our local climbing community! If you are interested in volunteering to be a part of this team, please email ascentnb@gmail.com!

You are likely not expecting to see snow and ice, but now with summer upon us lets cool off with a recap of how Ascent NB prevented the permanent loss of access to The Hatchery, a high quality ice climbing crag in southern New Brunswick.

The Hatchery was discovered and developed last winter before its existence was revealed to the general climbing public. Nearly as soon as word got out, masses (relative for NB) of people started going there, and not all of them ice climbers.

Soon after that influx we lost our access to it. The approach trail is on private land and the owner decided to deny the public permission to pass through.  Without this access point, travel to the crag would become a one hour bushwhack - not exactly desirable.

Ascent NB immediately contacted the landowner to discuss the situation. Following several phone calls and meetings with the landowner we arrived at a temporary solution that allowed us to finish the season with access to the area. The call in procedure that was stipulated was a bit cumbersome but it permitted climbers to continue enjoying this excellent ice crag.

The owner has been quite happy with the respect shown by our community and is now willing to grant a permanent access agreement to ice climbers who are members of Ascent NB. The existing process will be streamlined; in the fall of 2014, Ascent will issue access passes for The Hatchery to be made visible through the windshield of vehicles parked near the approach trail. This pass will be issued to any member of Ascent New Brunswick who requests one.

If we continue to conduct ourselves in a respectful manner and be good stewards of the land we see this agreement remaining in place indefinitely.

Please support Ascent NB by purchasing a membership to ensure we are able to manage any such future access issues.