The National Indoor Bouldering Series is NZAC's premier climbing competition event, and this year's first round kicked off with a bang in Dunedin last weekend

Sitting on a stool of limestone at the bottom end of the bank, the sun to my face and the wind to my back, I watched a bird of prey glide in the sky above, scanning the bank for rodents or rabbits, four pigeons climbed and dived further to my right, cooing unrhythmically as they danced in the playful breeze. Here I had an extended moment of reflection on the climbs I’d done, the climbs I wanted to do, and the climbs I’m not sure I’m ready for, as our expedition nears its end.