Ascent New Brunswick acknowledges that the land on which we climb is the traditional unceded territory of the Wabanaki people made up of the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Passamaquoddy and Mi’kmaq First Nations.
This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and friendship” which was first signed with the British crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized the Wabanaki title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
It is important for us as climbers to acknowledge and remember this as all our climbing areas are on First Nation lands. We give thanks for the opportunity to climb on these cliffs and hope we will be able to continue to do so for future generations to come.
Hey folks Welsford Rendezvous is less than a week away! Here is some key beta for anyone going to the event.
Schedule:
Friday, Sept 10 - Come set up your tent at Cochrane Lane. Please do not drive your car onto the field.
Saturday, Sept 11 -
All day: Climbing Challenges (comps) at Cochrane Lane and Sunnyside (details below). A regular climbing day for anyone not participating in the challenges.
6 pm - prizes awarded to the winners of the comps
7 pm - Ascent New Brunswick AGM (if you attend you will get a free beer from Graystone Brewing)
8 pm - Evening campfire social in the pit. Someone bring a guitar!
Sunday, Sept. 12 - Regular climbing day and trail clean up. All events (other than Sunnyside Throwdown) take place at Cochrane Lane. There is no cost to participate but you do need to be a member of Ascent New Brunswick and you do need a Rendezvous ticket (free). https://www.eventbrite.ca/.../welsford-rendezvous-2021...Bring some cash as we will have some items for sale. We have Rendezvous T-Shirts and we are selling a special reprinted copy of the original guide book signed by the author, Colin Bell. Both items are $20 each. BYOB, BYOF. Booze and food are on you. Please follow LNT principles while at the Rendezvous. There will be a couple of garbage cans in the pit.
Info on Challenges (comps)
Sunnyside Throwdown - teams of two send as many routes as they can. There is both a men's and women's division.
Cochrane Lane Classics - teams of two or three climb as many of the select 13 routes from the original guide book written by Colin Bell in 1978.
Points Challenge - climb up to 12 routes of your choice 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!
Three Crags - climb one route at each of the original three crags in Welsford (CL, Bald Peak and Eagle Rock). You must move between crags by some form of non motorized transport (run, bike or horseback). Best time wins.
No need to pre register for any of these comps. Make sure you return to CL by 5 pm and submit your results to Mike Delaney. Winners of each comp will be awarded prizes and there is also a special prize for the best costume.
A big thank you to our sponsors River and Trail Outfitters and Graystone Brewing.
We are nearly into the 2021 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 2021 season (April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022).
To complete this process click on the link below and follow the steps described on that page:
All existing memberships will expire as of March 31, 2021. Join early to ensure you're ready to go as soon as that first warm, sunny day arrives!
Membership rates are $40 for adults and $20 for students.
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:
special access privilege to CFB Gagetown cliffs all year-round,
access to events like the Welsford Rendezous in September,
the knowledge that you're supporting an organization that maintains access to climbing areas in New Brunswick as its focus.
access to climbing areas in New Brunswick like McQuirks, Kingston, Parlee Brook, the Hatchery and Glebe Road Ice Crags
The 24th annual Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) takes place online from February 19-28 and includes over 50 adventure films from around the world, featuring climbing, snowsports, mountain culture, and a whole lot more.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jon Adamson on 