UKC

my girlfriend and i will be visiting canada this august. the first week of which will be spent in vancouver (and possibly squamish if i'm lucky), while the latter part of the trip (9 days) is set aside for a roadtrip further afield.

she has a friend in nelson that we'd like to drop in on, so we're looking at possibly visiting the valhalla national park for a long hike/climb. we're heading over prepared for backcountry hiking and alpine climbing, but are lacking in route recommendations... so -

1) if you had a week in the BC alpine - what would you tackle?

and somewhat more relevantly:
2) as above, but had an aversion to crack climbing above 5.8 and/or slab climbing above 5.10...

thanks!

In reply to thomb:
I've actually just moved back from BC - You've picked an awesome place to visit!
First thing, Squamish is an incredible climbing destination. I'd rank it up there with Yosemite/ the Creek/Smith rock. it's totally a must visit.
For alpine climbing in BC the go-to resource is alpine select. If you visit squamish camp ground i'm certain there's plenty of people who could show you a copy. (those i know will be in the bugaboos/rockies through august i'm afraid) http://www.mec.ca/product/4016-745/alpine-select-guide/
There's the tantalus range, which is close to vancouver. Its a dramatic area, not huge technical difficulties (unless you want them) but big on adventure (lose rock etc).
For maximum rad points i'd recommend doing the 'Tantalus traverse'. google should give you trip reports. Huge amounts of interesting terrain in a really spectacular location. It's pretty physically brutal though. It can be done by helicopter (generally recommended). I did it on foot - more peaks, more value! (this turned it into four - huge - day mission including river crossings, bush whacking and a tyrolean traverse. recommended for an epic)
You're biggest problem will be glaciers. BC had a fairly low snow year, and i think by august they're going to be really broken up. I was in tantalus at the start of this month and things were still in good nick. Ask the locals!
... yet another reason to go to squamish.
You're other option, which is probably the best one, is the Bugaboos. A collection of amazing granite spires all centered around one hut/camp site. It's a really world class alpine destination and August is the prime time of year to go there. It has its own guidebook.
Enjoy!
let us know how it goes
Edit: the bugaboos aren't that far from nelson

In reply to thomb:

I assume you are arriving via Vancouver and are renting a car, or have a vehicle. I'd recommend spending the time around Vancouver at Squamish. Nearby are some good small alpine climbs which can be done in a day, e.g. Sky Pilot and Mt Habrich. I think it is a bit ambitious to go into the Tantalus Range, because if you don't fly in then you are likely using two days to hike in and out.

If you are going to Nelson then try to spend as much time as you can in the Valhalla range. It is not visited very often and it might be a unique experience. The south arete of Mt Gimli is becoming a classic.

If you decide to go to the Bugaboos, depending which way you travel there are many mountains along the way, but much of the access is along logging roads which may or not be open.

My ultimate recommendation is Rogers Pass. It is closer to Vancouver than the Bugs by a few hours and has easy access to big mountains. There's a campsite at the west side of the pass and an ACC hut nearby. A recent guidebook to the area is available at MEC. Getting there from Nelson is a shortish (Canadian distances) drive via Nakusp and Revelstoke.

Here's some info:

http://www.highcol.ca/downloads/Preview%20Edition%20-%20Rogers%20Pass%20Alp...

I live near Vancouver, so if you want more info send me an email.

Andrew

In reply to loose overhang:

I'd second the S. Ridge of Mt. Gimli recommendation. Weather's more reliable than the Bugs. Easy hike in, very scenic, 6 or 7 pitches up a proud looking arete (climbing to 5.8+), easy hike off. Doable car to car in a day but spending a night out there just makes it more fun.

Not really alpine (~45 min approach to the base), but Yak Peak has some fun slabby climbing. Yak Check is a soft & well protected 5.9 and something like 13 pitches long. Nice day out.

For Mt. Habrich (above Squamish), you really need a high clearance 4X4 to reach the trailhead; the other 2 options above are doable in a sedan.

In reply to rpc:

Right, I'd forgotten about Yak. The other place I was thinking of recommending is Washington Pass. A little out of the way, but like Yak a drive to alpine elevation. One small advantage of Washington Pass is the fuel costs less in the US if driving to Nelson that way.

By the way it is quite hot in BC right now. There may forest fire issues if it keeps this way.

In reply to all:

thanks for the recommendations - am aware of the brilliant climbing in Squamish - i have some unfinished business there and intend to take at least one or two trips there in the first week!

good to hear Mt Gimli has come up, we were looking at that one in particular - Valhalla Park looks like a beautiful place to spend a few days.

will definitely have a think about Rogers Pass - looks like serious mountaineering territory though, which may be a turn-off - i guess we're really looking for 60% camping and hiking combined with 40% climbing.

cheers, tom

In reply to rpc:

Yak Check looks great! just enjoyed this video: youtube.com/watch?v=HluhYS2C6dI&

it's now on the list.

In reply to thomb:

Yeah, Washington Pass is great (pdf guidebook here: http://www.supertopo.com/ ) Even if it's not the main goal, keep it in your backpocket in case the weather at other locales craps out. The Pass is on the east side of the main Cascade crest & so gets drier weather (rain shadow). Last resort for bad weather is Mazama 30min east of WA pass with multiple multi-pitch bolted lines.

Another wet weather back-up is Marble Canyon in BC (couple routes featured in the Western Canada Selects book). Limestone multipitch.

In reply to thomb:

You know about the Valhallas, so Gimli is obviously on your radar.
Further north and west on the Coquihalla Highway is Yak Peak with the iconic Yak Check (10a). Weather kept us off it on our last visit to B.C. but it is definitely still on the list ...