Club Profile

Alpine Sports Club (ASC) was founded in 1929. Before that, a group of people associated with the University of Auckland went walking together under the name of the Sundown Strollers. The active core of this group eventually under the guidance of Professor Ronald Algie, joined with 6 others to form the infant ASC (Incorporated). Twenty people attended that inaugural meeting in the garden pavilion at Professor Algie's Remuera Road home. Membership has grown slowly but steadily to 425 in 1967, 750 in 1986, and 850 in 1994. ASC was set up to cater for a wide range of mountain and outdoor interests including tramping, mountaineering, skiing, camping, caving, canoeing, and outdoor recreation. Since its inception, ASC is one of the largest tramping and skiing clubs in the country with currently over 500 members.

ASC owns three Huts, a newly refurbished rustic Bush Hut in the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland, and two on Mt Ruapehu in the heart of the Whakapapa Ski Field. ASC Members can book accommodation in the huts using an online booking system. Breakfast & Dinner and all amenities are provided in the A-Frame and smaller Ruapehu Hut. The Ruapehu and Waitakere bush huts are available for hire to outside groups on some weekends during the year when there are no scheduled club activities using them. Outside groups are required to bring their own food and take out any unconsumed food.

The club meets the first Tuesday of every month at the St Marks Church Parish Hall, 5 St Marks Road, (see regular activities page for details and a location map). Meetings start at 7.30 pm and include a wide variety of interesting presentations including recent club trips, member's antics from all over the world, guest speakers talking about related outdoor interest topics and expeditions as well as ski and equipment purchase nights and information about club activities. The club evenings are a social occasion and a great opportunity to renew friendships and make new ones or to meet leaders and members of proposed expeditions. Tea/Coffee and biscuits are usually served after the talk.

ASC has a vigorous program of activities including day and overnight tramping trips, longer expeditions, skiing and ski instruction, alpine instruction and bushcraft instruction courses as well as a variety of outdoor activities including caving, rambling, skin diving and mountain biking. Members are encouraged to support the many working parties the club organises to maintain and stock the club huts. There is a large group, often more than 200 people in total camping together in a remote location over Christmas and long weekends.

Many members remain associated with the club throughout their lives giving the club an excellent base of experience from which to develop younger members and complete large projects such as maintenance and upgrades to the clubs accommodation. 

Families are particularly welcome to participate in a wide variety of ASC activities including easy day trips, camping together at Christmas, overnight tramps, biking and snowsport events. Children have a great time staying at the club huts on Mt Ruapehu. Skiing in the winter or for a mountain holiday outside of the ski season. The club lodge in the Waitakeres is regularly used by family groups.

ASC's first huts were two dilapidated bushman's shanties beside the Anawhata Stream. The smaller was maintained while the larger was repaired and christened 'Chateau Mosquito' in factious comparison with the Grand Chateau being built at Tongariro National Park in 1928. These old huts have decayed long ago but the name lingers on in the name of the access track from McElwains Road (now Anawhata Road) to the Anawhata Stream.

ASC's third hut was built in 1933-34 on land purchased by the club along Anawhata Road but much nearer Piha Road. This is our Waitakere Hut and is still in use today by club members and their guests, school groups and other clubs, etc. This hut was destroyed by fire in an arson attack in 1998 and was rebuilt in 1999 making it the eighth hut the club has built. The adjoining property had an old hut, now dilapidated, that was built by club members. That property was purchased from Maurice Lennard in December 1983. The Waitakere Hut is used by members and their families and by school and youth groups and other outdoor associations.

Runnymead Hut was the fourth hut built by club members, this time in the Mangatangi Valley, Hunua Ranges. It was a basic hut made of punga logs and Malthoid (a bitumen impregnated fabric). It no longer exists as the waters of the Mangatangi water reservoir now cover the site to a depth of approximately ten metres. Built in 1949 it lasted until 1966 when the reservoir was filled.

Ruapehu Hut was built in 1950 with extensions added in 1956, 1962 and 1976. This is our first hut located in Tongariro National Park. Ruapehu Hut is, therefore, the fourth hut built by the club members.

The A-Frame was constructed on a site just above Ruapehu Hut in 1966 by contract labour assisted substantially by club members. The A-Frame is our fifth hut. It remains in its original design, although the living and sleeping areas were enlarged between 1994-1996.

The club runs popular summer camps for family members in various parts of New Zealand but mainly in the North Island. These are planned for the week between Christmas and New Year and have been very well supported since their establishment in 1969.

A limited-edition club history "55 Years of an Auckland Mountain Club 1929-1984" was published in 1986 and is now becoming a collector's item.

In February of 2004 the club celebrated it's 75th Anniversary with a formal dinner held at the Ellerslie Convention Centre. Catherline Watts, Daughter of Sir Ronald Algie, was one of the keynote speakers. More than 250 members attended the function.

Joining ASC

Details for joining the club can be found on the Joining ASC page.

For more information, send all enquiries to: membership@alpinesport.co.nz