DJ Wild - Daniel Joll, Tanja de Wilde
Never before have I cared so deeply about sending a project. “What is wrong with me!?” I think as I drive down the Milford road feeling hollow and exhausted after the first send attempt day. Why am I so sad? It’s really no surprise that I didn’t send a 23 pitch grade 24 on a very hot day after a few nights of poor sleep and a recent flu… but still I can’t get over it. Why does it feel wrong to be going on other fun social climbing trips with good friends, and instead all I can think about is the moves on pitches 12 and 18? What is wrong with me?!
But then I think about it, and it all makes sense - this is what happens when you invest so much time and effort into creating your project in the first place. I reflect back on the journey Dan and I had to get to this point; the weeks of time dedicated to developing the route, the exertion required to drag a 30kg haul bag up through steep vegetation, the intense calf pump as I try not to lose balance standing on a slab drilling a bolt above my head, the money spent on bolts, the mind boggling piles of gear and ropes to manage at the belay, the tiring 3 hour leads up steep unknown terrain…. Okay, it all makes sense now. Of course I am emotionally invested in this project.
Creating DJ Wild on the Charismatic Wall was my first time developing a long multi pitch from the ground up. It was a fantastic experience with lots of hard work, big wall skills, adventurous climbing and is a very rewarding experience. Here is an account of how it went.
Days 1-3 (Approach/pitches 1-12):
We set off from the carpark in the afternoon with our very loaded haul bags. I found it exhausting carrying the 30kg bag, and Dan had to hold the top of it as I climbed up small boulders to stop me toppling over backwards. Hauling the bag up the first four approach slabs was exhausting too, even with Dan pushing the bag while I hauled. Eventually we reached the ledge and slept in portaledges hanging from the trees.
The next day after climbing and hauling up the last three approach pitches we were ready to start our new route. From the carpark we had identified some features on the left side of the wall to aim for, including some big steep right-leaning dykes. But once we were on the wall it was sometimes difficult to see above because of all the little overlaps and it could take some weaving to find a way through.
Dan picked a way off the slabs onto the steep wall by traversing a blank looking slab. It turned out to be a very cool technical grade 24 slab pitch.
After this for my lead I was determined to head straight upwards. Drill on my shoulders on lead for the first time, along with the rack and a tag line I felt very loaded up. There were several bulges I couldn’t see above, but managed to commit to climbing over them. I got nervous when I couldn’t find any trad placements, then remembered the heavy drill and to my relief was able to find stances just good enough to drill a bolt, phew! I was rewarded with a pitch of fun grade 22 climbing.
At the top of pitch 10 we set up our portaledges to camp for the night. On the next trip Dan quested 20m around to the left from here and found a great ledge with space for two people to sleep. We set up a fixed line to the camp and this is where we would stash our gear for future trips up the wall.
We’d had a couple of late nights so we slept in the third day. It was still quite cold this November and there was fresh snow on the hills, so it wasn’t until the sun hit us that we sprung into action. Dan headed up another pitch to reach the base of the dyke feature we had been aiming for. As I joined Dan he excitedly told me, “It looks like it’ll go!” The two cracks either side of the dyke looked good enough to take trad gear. Yes!
However it was properly overhanging the whole way, and it was my lead, and I’m not very good at overhangs… yikes! I spent three hours leading up, often aiding, and getting increasingly tired. By the time I reached a small ledge at about 30m I was very happy to stop and make a belay. Dan seconded up and was able to do the moves which was promising, although I was sure it would be too hard for me. Later after a lot of cleaning and finding the beta it turns out it goes at grade 24, but in my state of fatigue I found it impossible to imagine free climbing it then.
By now it was cold in the shade again so we descended, leaving a fixed rope on the hard pitch, and drove back to Queenstown to wait for the next weather window.
Days 4-6 (pitches 13-18)
A couple of days later we were heading back up the route, this time with a three day weather window. The approach was ridiculously easier now without the heavy haul bag, I couldn’t believe it was the same track. We climbed up the first 10 pitches then ascended our fixed line back to the top of pitch 12 - which still looked intimidating to me. We did one more new pitch and then headed back down to our high camp.
The next several pitches were easier with a bit of wandering to find cracks that took trad gear. Later as we rappelled down we spied sections of better rock and nice looking face climbing so we straightened out the route to follow the nicer climbing.
At the end of the third day we reached the next big overhanging part of the wall that we knew would be another crux. Gazing up now, it looked awesome and probably do-able but definitely intimidating. I wondered if it was mine or Dan’s turn to lead. Dan decided it was my lead then offered me some food saying he didn’t want me to get hangry and become a little princess again. Well that did it! First I told him that actually princesses are big and fierce so yes I am a princess, then I grabbed the food and the drill and set off with some more determination. The first half of the pitch was very fun climbing between small ledges. Then it got steep and hard and looked blank above me and I was too scared to free climb. With encouragement from Dan I drilled a tiny hole to hang on a bat-hook, then reached up and drilled a bolt in a spot that I hoped would be right for the climb. Motivated by a desire to go home I finally sucked up some courage and pulled the last move over the lip onto the ledge to belay. Dan seconded up and worked out the beta. With a fun bouldery sequence involving an undercling and a glorious hidden pocket it makes for an awesome grade 24 pitch.
Above us to the right we spotted an enticing splitter finger crack, which gave us something to dream about as we went back to Queenstown for a short rest.
Day 7 (pitches 19-23/the top!)
Our free time for the route development was coming to an end. But we knew we were so close to the top! We managed to squeeze in one more day for the route, but I would have to make it back down to the car that night to meet my partner James, and Dan had to be back in Queenstown the next day, and the forecast was a bit marginal. Oh well, worth a shot!
We started at 4am and boosted up the existing pitches. Around 4pm we were back at the top of pitch 18. Then it started snowing. For a very brief moment we discussed the option of going back down then quickly decided to continue, thinking that the snow would probably stop soon.
Dan lead across a technical slab to get to the splitter finger crack. The crack was completely full of grass, so he had to clean it out with the fire poker as he worked his way up, then across it as it turns horizontal. This was a slow process and I got pretty cold belaying in the snow even with two puffer jackets. Despite Dan’s cleaning efforts the crack was still very muddy and impossible to climb on second - it took a few more trips and a lot more cleaning to get it into good condition.
Thankfully the snow stopped, and the next pitch was very easy. Although I was so cold and stiff it still felt difficult. Now we could see the summit block. It was getting late and I was supposed to be back down in a few hours, but we had summit fever. Go go go! Almost there! A couple more pitches and we were right below the top. We could have climbed an easy gully, but of course we wanted to top out proudly on an aesthetic prow. It was a bit of a risk, because we were running out of bolts, and we still needed to make some extra rap anchors to get back down. With a fun, crimpy finish on the prow we topped out at 10pm just as it got dark. Success!
From above I decided to crowbar off a large block - we had trundled many large blocks like this by now. But this one completely obliterated our last bolt as it crashed down. Ugh! A waste of a precious bolt. We needed all our remaining bolts to get down, so we drilled a new hole to fill with a bolt later. Then down we went as quickly as we could. We reached the high camp at 2am, where Dan stayed for the night, and I got back to the road at 4am. I found James sleeping on the ground on the track because I had locked our tent in Dan’s car - whoops!
Projecting the route and help from friends
Over the next month we each had a few more days on the route for some cleaning, adding bolts and then finally to go for the send. Over this time, several friends came up the route with us and it was so wonderful to have their support and enthusiasm. Maddy and Yanosh came up the route with me bringing a tonne of stoke and patiently encouraged me while I changed my mind over and over again about where to place some extra bolts.
Just after Christmas, Dan and I were joined by Llewellyn and Isaac for the first send attempt. We went up the route as a big day trip, Dan and Llewellyn ahead hauling up the drill to add a variant to pitch 21. It was scorchingly hot that day and we all struggled with heat exhaustion. Around 3pm we gave up and laid on a ledge below pitch 18 to wait for the shade, trying not to drink all our water. Isaac had managed to forget all his lunch at the bivvy ledge but stoically pushed on anyway despite the starvation, heat, thirst and nausea - determined to give me a chance at sending the route. In the end, there were two pitches I didn’t manage to send that day (the steep dyke and the finger crack), but his efforts were certainly not wasted because it allowed me to get the beta dialled ready for next time. Impressively, Dan did manage to send all the pitches that day - great work in the heat!
After this trip I was exhausted, not only physically but also emotionally. I was just so invested in this route that I found it hard to think of doing anything else, and my yearning to get back to it made me even more tired. I did go do some fun social climbing and had a great time. But as soon as I got out I was scheming how to get back on DJ Wild. And I was still rehearsing the moves in my head.
Thankfully, Sophie and Sam had two days left in the Darrans, they saw my desperate need and decided they were going to make this send happen. They called me and told me they had it all planned, that with two pro-caddies they would be able to carry all the gear and do all the work and make it easy for me to send. How good! So the next day I was going back up the wall with my master pro-caddy, very supportive friends.
We made it easier by having a relaxing start and staying a night at the bivvy ledge. They carried bags, hauled, scratched my neck, even pre-placed gear in the cruxes for me, and gave me the best ledge to sleep on. My only job was to send. Conditions were perfect with a cold southerly wind. Suddenly everything felt so much easier and it all went first go. It made me laugh to contrast this with how intimidating the crux pitches had felt a month ago when I was exhausted and carrying a drill. After all the hard work, it was such a delight to have the beta dialled for the whole route and just go climb it. Huge thank you to my friends for choosing to support me and making this blissful send trip possible!
Article by Tanja de Wilde
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