Superman or Madman?

In Auckland one would be forgiven for thinking that a man up a tree with a couple of ice axes in his hands and crampons strapped to his boots is mad.

This however is likely to be Ross Kirkpatrick … and he is not mad.

A 25 year-old born and bred southern lad, Ross has a penchant for adrenalin inducing activities. For fun he’s an Alpinist, a mountaineer taking on New Zealand’s most rugged and unpredictable terrain. Ironically his job as a paramedic often sees him helping people who have maimed themselves being reckless.

Ross explained what attracts him to mountaineering and working as a paramedic; “It probably has something to do with the evolutionary tendency of fight or flight that arises in humans when their lives are threatened. Under extreme stress some panic, while others switch into survivor mode. Their physical and mental capacity is heightened and they are able to react quickly and calmly. I tend not to panic in emergencies - I get a bit of a kick from the rush.”

Ross hadn’t planned on being a paramedic - from a young age he was determined to be a professional Alpine Guide - leading people in and out of, what is freezing, treacherous and quite frankly, terrifying terrain.

His passion for high, hard to reach places started at school when, appropriately clad in a superman suit, he won an indoor rock-climbing competition.

Having outgrown indoor climbing Ross remembers it was a school trip to the Matukituki Valley in Mount Aspiring National Park where he realised he needed to get out and “conquer”.

With his aspirations now set on a life of Alpine Mountaineering, Ross moved to Wanaka where he enrolled in the Outdoor Recreation Course at Otago Polytechnic. During this time he found his strengths and limitations through a few experiences that would probably see the average person committed.

The first hair-raiser was a winter ice-climbing trip with two friends, “Conditions were a bit snowy but nothing we were too worried about. However as we headed up what was a reasonably steep wall I was introduced to my first avalanche.” Luckily for Ross he was able to stay calm and dig an ice axe into the slope at lightening speed as the runaway snow headed towards him. From there he held on to the axe with his head facing away from the mountain forming an air pocket around his face allowing him to breath as the snow packed around him. All three climbers emerged a little rattled but unscathed with a rather exciting story tell when they got back to town.

The second leap up the learning curve occurred when Ross was with a group of experienced climbers who were heading to the summit of Mount Aspiring – they planned a gruelling six-day circuit. Having reached the hut the team began their final ascent to the top of the mountain. Half way to the summit Ross found himself straddling a rock and looking down a 100meter drop into a black hole of an open glacier. With no safety ropes on at the time he panicked - unable to move on - the rest of the climb was called off. The lesson Ross says is “that mental preparation for mountaineering is as important, if not more so than the physical preparation.”

An attempt to climb up a frozen waterfall – bizarrely quite common in the world of alpine mountaineering – gave Ross another rattling reality check. “In the search for new ice we headed to one of the waterfalls in the Matukituki Valley. We found the 150m-high waterfall was only frozen two thirds of the way up, so decided to return the following weekend in the hope that it would’ve completely frozen over and we could climb to the top. The next few days were rather warm but we headed back to the waterfall anyway – this time with a few more climbing friends.” While Ross was putting his gear on a few of the other climbers went ahead to the base of the waterfall to check out the state of the ice … they got more than they expected. “While I was doing up my laces I heard this crack and a crash that reverberated through the valley – terrified that I may have lost my friends I ran towards the waterfall where I saw a 7 tonne block of ice that had come loose and fallen from the top of the waterfall … thankfully I also saw my friends who had managed to clamber out of harms way … we didn’t climb any waterfalls that day…”

None of the nerve-racking experiences deterred Ross from becoming a professional Alpine Guide. “For me it’s about the challenge both mentally and physically. The sense of freedom and knowing that the closer you are to death the more you feel alive.”

Ross has drawn inspiration from climbing greats, Sir Edmund Hillary and Mark Whitu. During an expedition Whitu got lost on Everest. His client died and he lost his feet to frost bite. Exhausted he managed to make it back to camp. His words – “one more step” – resonate with Ross and refer to the fact that no matter how tough life gets, you can always find it in you to keep going.

It is perhaps this view on life that helped Ross move on when he suffered a wrist injury with long-term effects including being restricted when required to hold his own weight during advanced climbs. Shortly after receiving this devastating news Ross was offered a job as a paramedic which he accepted.

Now passionate about his job, Ross has found like-minded work mates. “Being a paramedic seems to attract like minded adrenaline junkies – it must be something to do with the appeal of screaming down the motorway at 130km/h in rush hour - being the first at a scene and racing against the clock to save lives.”

The mountains still call so preparation and being “mountain fit” is key for Ross. “No amount of running or working out at the gym can prepare you for the mountains – only the mountains can do that.” However until he can head down to the mountains to do some real training, he’ll stick to climbing Auckland’s tallest trees and taking in the view.

If like Ross you’re missing a fear chip and actually get a kick out of heights and life and death situations then maybe alpine mountaineering is for you. To find out how you can get a taste of the icy-cold high life check out:

• Climbing gyms – www.extremeedge.co.nz - most have alpine mountaineering clubs and will teach you the core skills.

• The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council - www.mountainsafety.org.nz

• New Zealand Alpine Club - www.alpineclub.org.nz

• Canterbury Mountaineering Club - www.cmc.net.nz

• Most Universities have Alpine and Tramping clubs:

Auckland University:

www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/for/prospective/student_experience/clubs/club_profile.cfm

Victoria University:

http://vuwtc.org.nz/cs/default.aspx

If you’re intrigued more than anything – take a look at these video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52W1XOS1k6I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Sb8ZMNx1k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnH5MvJbxM0