Rock Climbing Club 2026
***The new school wall is currently under construction. Watch for notices on Google Classroom. Climbing will take place at other venues until our wall is complete.
Ongoing communication, including updates on trips, new trips being offered, competitive climbing, weather cancellations, and other notices will all be done through the Google Classroom. Use the invite link or join using the code (b44z4xv).
Autumn Climbing Club Activities Included in membership for Term 1 and 2
Membership cost for Term 1&2: $110
Click on each heading for more information
After school climbing: (Now updated for 2026)
- Dates: Feb 9th (week 3) until May 28th (week 6).
- Select to climb on either Monday or Thursday
- Optional: on the day you are NOT climbing, training session in the gym and/or work on technical ground skills (knots, anchors, etc)
- Most weeks will be from 3:15 - 4:45 on our home wall
- There will be several dates where we go to Port Chalmers to climb on real rock instead of climbing at school. We will be back at school by 6:00 on these days. See the Climbing Calendar for dates.
- Discounted registration on local trips
***The new school wall is currently under construction. We will be traveling to Teachers College, Logan Park, and Port Chalmers each week until the new wall is complete. Pick-up time from Teachers College and Logan Park is 5:00 from site or 5:30 at OGHS.
Bivouac Outdoor Gear Night:
Join us at Bivouac Outdoor for an evening of discounts and prizes on (Date TBC in Early March) at 5:00pm. 25% off climbing gear, 20% off everything else. Parents/caregivers welcome. In-store discount will only be for active members of the OGHS Climbing Club and Bouldering Club members.
No obligation to buy anything, just come say hi and have a look around.
Bouldering at Resistance Climbing Gym
Once in Term 1 and again in Term 2, we will head down to Resistance for a bouldering session. This will help introduce new and experienced climbers to indoor bouldering. This will also serve as training for the National Indoor Bouldering Series (NIBS) competitions that run from May - August.
Dates and times TBD
Additional Climbing Trips and Courses Term 1 and 2
All of these trips have an additional cost - local trips may be discounted for Climbing Club members. Some trips have prerequisites. Costs for away trips are estimates and will be finalised once trip logistics are booked.
Click on each heading for full details
Dates: March 6-8
Estimated Cost: $230
Overview: Our main away trip for Term 1. Two full days of climbing, plus an evening bouldering session. There is a huge amount of easily accessible climbing in the Port Hills of Christchurch. There may be an option to visit Uprising Bouldering Gym and/or the Kind Foundation Adventure Centre Climbing wall.
Pre-requisite: Should be comfortable climbing outside on grade 14+
Long Beach - Pinnacle Term 1
Dates: March 28/29th (date to be confirmed)
Cost: $35 for members; $45 for non-members
Overview: Celebrate the end of climbing season and put your skills to the test by spending a day (or two) climbing at the beach. Arguably Dunedin’s best climbing spot with a wide range of climbs to be set up. Something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned experts.
*Wanaka (still to be updated - similar itinerary to the Chch trip)
Dates: May 1-3
Estimated Cost: $210
Overview: Our main away trip for Term 2. Two full days of climbing at arguably the best place to climb in NZ. There may be an option to visit Base Camp Climbing wall.
Pre-requisite: Should be comfortable climbing outside on grade 14+
*Long Beach - The Caves Term 2
Dates: May 16/17th (date to be confirmed)
Cost: $35 for members; $45 for non-members
Overview: Celebrate the end of climbing season and put your skills to the test by spending a day (or two) climbing at the beach. Arguably Dunedin’s best climbing spot with a wide range of climbs to be set up. Something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned experts.
*Bannockburn (Cromwell) - New trip in 2026, check back for details
Dates: May 23rd (24th backup) (date to be confirmed)
Estimated Cost: $65
Overview: Take a day trip into Central Otago to climb some schist by the river. A variety of climbs available for climbers of all abilities.
*Note: the trips in Term 2 are subject to change and will be confirmed in mid-March
Lead Climbing Course (Offered upon request - info letter from 2024 course)
Dates: Get a group of 4 - 6 interested students and talk to Daniel Bleckinger about organising a course.
Cost: $250
Overview: Two days of instruction and practice on lead climbing, belaying, building and cleaning anchors, and gear. The aim is to develop skills required for safe outdoor climbing with friends and family. You may be approved to lead/belay on the school wall. Day 1 will be at Port Chalmers Quarry, Day 2 will be at Long Beach.
Prerequisites: must be an experienced climber with at least one year of climbing club experience or similar. It is recommended that you have done some mock leading on the school wall and have climbed on real rock several times.
Spring Climbing Club - Term 3/4 2026
After school climbing on our school wall will resume on Mondays starting Sept 7th (week 8) and run until Nov 26 (week 7) from 3:15 - 4:45pm. We may head to Port Chalmers once or twice after school depending on interest and weather, but no other weekend trips are currently planned for this session.
No experience required - The Term 3/4 session is a great way for new climbers to try out climbing in a relaxed and fun environment. You will be taught all the skills necessary to be a safe member of a rope team.
Experienced climbers can still work on advancing their technical skills through route setting, leading, and other ground based gear skills - or just get a mental break after exams.
Estimated Cost for Climbing Club Term 3/4 is $60.
Registration will be announced early in Term 3 and be available via Google Classroom.
Competition
Watch for notices, training schedule, and registration information on Google classroom.
- NIBS Bouldering Series - Dunedin - June 27, 2026
Other venues if there is interest or travel on your own.
- South Island Secondary Schools Competition - September 2-4 at the Kind Foundation Adventure Centre in Christchurch
Teams are composed of four climbers. Senior A and at least one other team will travel together and compete together. Training sessions will occur on Mondays during Term 3.
- Southland/Otago Climbing Champs - Date to be confirmed (probably in Te Anau, early in Term 4)
Teams of 4, but scoring is individual. Combination of top-rope and bouldering.
Sports awards (including Blues) are to recognise those who have shown dedication and commitment to the OGHS climbing community through service, coaching, and/or competing at a high level on a school team.
Students who compete independently or as part of a club team are generally not eligible for school Blues. We would strongly prefer you to climb with the school throughout the year, but some dispensation may be possible. If you climb independently and hope to represent the school at a competition, please consult with Daniel Bleckinger well in advance of the competition. Approval may be granted on a case by case basis. A minimum requirement would be training with the school prior to the competition and other checks as appropriate.
Please see the OGHS Sports Information Handbook for more details.
Other Notes
Bouldering Club
If you are interested in bouldering at Resistance Climbing Gym every Friday after school, check out the Bouldering Club website. New gym to open in mid 2026!
Equipment
We will provide all equipment including shoes, harness, helmets, and belay device. If you want to bring your own personal gear, you are welcome to.
Personal equipment must be in good working order and retired in accordance with the manufacturer recommendations. If any climbing instructor or supervisor is not comfortable with the condition of any equipment, a replacement will be provided during the session for no charge.
If you want more information on buying your own equipment - especially shoes - talk to your student leaders and instructors, and come to the Bivouac Gear Night.
Note on climbing shoes:
If you have been climbing for a little while and think you will continue to climb, it is highly recommended that you get your own shoes. When buying shoes, talk to a professional to get them fit properly - they should be slightly uncomfortably tight and should be worn with bare feet. Talk to your instructor or Bivouac if you want to know more.
Registration
To register for Climbing Club or any trips or courses in Term 1 and 2, fill out the Google Form in the Resources section at the top of this page.
The form can be filled out more than once if you want to register for a trip later in the year.
Space on all trips is limited and will be first-in, first-served.
Registration for competition or Term 3/4 Climbing will open later in the year.
Bouldering Club registration is available on the Bouldering Club website
Permission Forms
- OGHS Climbing Consent Form Everyone needs to fill out this one (only once during the year).
- Dunedin Adventures Risk Agreement needs to be filled out for anyone doing a trip to Long Beach (only needed once per year).
- A YMCA risk agreement will need to be signed for the Christchurch trip (not yet available)
- It is recommended that you fill out an online agreement from Resistance Climbing Gym before the climbing club bouldering session, if you have never been there before.
Cancellations
Any climbing activity may be postponed, cancelled, or cut short due to weather conditions, illness or unavailability of an instructor, lack of participants, holidays and teacher only days, or other unforeseen events. There will be no partial refunds for after school climbing activities that are cancelled. Individual trips may be refunded at the discretion of the Teacher in Charge.