UKC

Hi,
I'm in Canada for my internship and I have an unexpected 2 weeks off at the end (flight from Toronto to the uk on the 29th of Aug). Not wanting just to bring my flights home forward I need ideas. I'm currently in Sudbury (mining town which I'm sorry to admit is a little dull but has a few boulders) but keen to catch a flight or coach to get somewhere fun. I have no trad gear (just shoes and harness) with me, I'm keen for hiking, biking or climbing but will probably be limited in the last two due to the need for gear or partners while I'm out here (could possibly hire a bike at a trail centre if there are any suggestions). So any ideas on where to go and what to do to keep myself busy and have some fun, or do I just go home and go to Scotland (whilst good this seems as waste as I'm already here).
Thanks

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

Fly to Vancouver, get to Squamish, find a partner on the campsite, climb in one of the best areas on earth. Easy!

In reply to PTatts:

Lots to do in the Banff region, and plenty of people around. Never been there in summer though. Flights to Calgary and then 'Greyhound' are pretty cheap.

b

In reply to PTatts:

As I've only been climbing with partners before is it easy picking one up at a campsite sans most of my gear? Are there any particular campsites that are good for this (either Squamish or Banff)?

Thanks

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

If you were to come out to Calgary, there's a really good website called Meetup. There's probably something similar in Vancouver.

If you were to register, there are a number of different meetup groups that you can go along with. Everything from mountaineering, biking, and hundreds of other groups that aren't sports or outdoors. Some of the groups like Calgary Mountaineering Club you have to pay $20 to "join" which basically covers the insurance for organisers. And they might ask you to do a really basic test before you hold anyone's ropes. But there are people scrambling and climbing every day from Calgary. If you like mountain biking, I could take you out to Canmore for a day or over to Golden (single track heaven). The Nordic Centre has great FS rentals for about $50/day.

The only thing to be aware of is that internal flights on WestJet are a ripoff due to all the workers travelling east to west all the time. Get a midweek flight if you can.

There aren't really any campground hangouts that I can think of here but the ACC hut in Canmore might work. if you want to send me a message, I'll try to help if you decide to come out here.

In reply to G Graham:

Thanks I've still got a while to organise what I'm going to do but if I do come over that way I'll give you a message

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

Another place to consider is Thunder Bay. I think there are climbs over there.

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

Contact Johnny2Vests on this site. He is now or has recently been based at Squamish.

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

options:

toronto is a loooong way from banff or squamish. domestic flights in canada are not cheap. if budget is not an issue then fly out.
i would definitely pick squamish over banff if rock is what you are after. however, the odds of getting rained out is a bit higher.

otherwise consider a trip down to the country south of canada. once there, climb in whatever state you end up or domestic flights are far more affordable and climb in some other state

stay in ontario and climb there

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

Squamish has one main campsite where all the climbers stay and it seemed like there was loads of people looking for partners on the noticeboard. Obviously you could get unlucky but it seemed like it would be really easy to meet people.

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

Do you have to stay in Canada? For example:

Adirondacks (Plattsburgh) 9 hr drive

Gunks (New Paltz) 11 hr drive

Boulder, CO 5 hr flight

Tetons (Jackson, WY) 8 hr flight

Red River Gorge, KY 14 hr drive

Seneca Rocks, WV 12 hr drive

In reply to Wendy Watthews:

From Toronto I would follow rgold's advice and explore the States.

If you were in Calgary or even Edmonton it would be a different calculation.

Flying to Colorado or driving to Kentucky seem like good bets. In Colorado you'll be able to hike, run, climb, bike etc with plenty of partners, easy access to equipment (to hire/buy) and also lots of phenomenal hiking and nice mountain towns to hang out in as a solo traveller.

Remember - North America is short and very, very wide!