Powerband

Ω The Hogan Boulder, not to be confused with Hulk Hogan (the now-wrinkled and just-ever-so-slightly-sad wrestling star) or the bouldering area in North Otago, is a delightful little boulder atop a small moraine mound proximate to Arrowtown. Schist it may be, but not the kind that makes your pulleys scream, for this bloc has been lovingly polished, buffed and spit-shined by a glacial presence that vanished long before the combustion engine was conceived (perhaps the dinosaurs used a lot of hydrocarbons?). The result is slopers, slopers and more slopers. So many slopers. Really good slopers.

Lakes District denizens, Thomas Van Den Berg and Sam Anderson-Mangai [now there’s a good driving game – see how many times you can say those names when driving across the Rakaia River] have developed a good clutch of problems, with an average grade of V7. Access is an easy stroll from the car, although farmer permission is required, and the problems all follow obvious lines of holds (mostly from comfy sit starts). All in all, it’s a great spot for a evening session – the only downside is that there aren’t more boulders thereabouts. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing. Ω