UKC

Hey
I am plannig on heading to Squamish later this summer. Is there anything people can tell me about it. I know very little so far.

Is there any sort of gear in particular that it is better to take more of?

many thanks.
HughP

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

Dear Hugh

I thought it was like climbing in the Cairngorms, but with longer routes. So take what you would for the Cairngorms.

Norrie

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn: The Chief (main cliff) is reminiscent of the Etive slabs on the right hand section, whereas the main steep bit is... well, I didnt venture on to the likes of grand wall, but it looks to be vertical huge cracked diedres and MASSIVE. The bluffs which are the wee outcrops dotted about are ridden with granite mingin hand jamming cracks with feck all for your feet. take lots of medium to large cams is my reccomendation as I had only 1 big cam and I cacked my pants.

great place if you get the weather but dont assume you will... there is/was a good hostel run by a climber whos family are from Scotland originaly, good place full of travelling climber types and some strange French canadians of course, just ignore their pish patter..

the bars in squamish are crap and the village is/was a bit run down

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

the standard squamish free rack is a set of nuts, a set of cams with doubles on the finger-hand sizes, 6 draws and 6 longer slings. single 60m rope is best.

In reply to Erik B:

Dear Erik

I went there in 1973, so it has not changed much. I arrived and went into a bar and had a few bevvies, then asked if there were any climbers about. Well I must have met the village idiot, so we arranged to met up to climb on the chief.

In the morning we met up, and he emptied his sac and said we'll we will take just 50 krabs and 50 pegs and nuts. As it look just like the Sheltersone Crag, I said, stuff that 6 krabs and 6 nuts will be enough. After a few pitches, I thought, it is bigger than I thought. Aye, it is MASSIVE, it gave the local something to think about, this wee Scot up there, not putting runners in so he could get a good belay in case the local fainted.

Norrie

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

PETZL / ARC'TERYX
2005 ROC TRIP
SQUAMISH BC
06.24 - 06.26

Said Belhaj Harry Berger Katie Brown Mauro Calibani Dave Graham Lynn Hill Joe Kinder James Litz Steve Mc Clure Sean Mc Coll Jérôme Meyer Gérome Pouvreau Lisa Rands Liv Sansoz Chris Sharma Sonnie Trotter Patxi Usobiaga Daniel Woods CLIMBING ACCESS SOCIETY BENEFIT PARTY DJ LAFOUCHE & MORE To benefit the Climbers' Access Society of British Columbia

Day 1
Check-in Trail maintenance Dyno comp Trade fair Athlete slide show (TBA) Day 2
Ultimate Route Contest (Elite & Open) Clinics given by top athletes Timmy O'Neill slide show & Party with DJ Lafouche Day 3
Bouldering Fest Clinics given by top athletes Wrap-up & Awards

http://www.petzl.com/petzl/frontoffice/Sport/static/news/squamish/RocTrip_s...

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

Standard rack should do you fine, make sure you have 2 sets of wire since the cracks there eat wires. If weight is an issue just take a single rope, nost of the lines go pretty much straight up. As well as the Chief, check out some of the other crags like Upper Malamute and the Papoose. Smoke Bluffs is ok after rain or for a short cragging day, but not great. If you fancy an adventure, try Solar System or Life on Earth on Mt Habrick.

To get there from Vancouver airport, take buse to Vancouver Greyhound station, and then the Whistler bus to Squamish, they're verey couple of hours. You really don't need a car there, unless you polan to go to the Rockies or Bugaboos or somewhere.

Accomm - there's a nice new hostel walking just off the highway with good views of the Chief, and good place to meet climbers. There's a campsite at the foot of the Chief but i've not stayed there, since it was almost as much as the hostel but without the showers, kitchen etc.

Bars - the brewpub is fine and serves a reasonable pint by Canadian standards. Wednesday night is cheap pizza night, if I remember correctly. For 'livelier' entertainment, there's free peelers in the Ocena Port every thursday, and a 'discotheque' around the back of the Chieftain every Saturday, which is something of a couger den (I'll let you find out what a couger is, but if you've 2 arms, 2 legs, mostly your own teeth and a foreign accent, you'll def. be prey).

Oh yeah, and July, August and September are normally the best months for weather.

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:
Take plenty of suncream cos its gonna be HOT AS that time of year.
Have fun
Tris

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

Isn't that the great looking bouldering venue in Sessions?

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

If you want cheap accomodation, the campsite at the sports center is only about $5 a night per tent (or it was a few years ago) including all the wood you can burn. Plus you can have a swim, jacuzi and shower for $1.50.

The brewpub in town does some pretty nice beer, and resonably priced food too.

As for gear - the ususal for granite slabs and cracks. There is a mixture of bolted and trad routes, with many routes being partially bolted (ie. on slab sections) and relying on natural pro for crack pitches.

In reply to Glen:
Half price pizza at the Brewpub on a wednesday is definitely worth doin!

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

i live in vancouver so squamish is my local crag. Nuts and small to medium size cams are always handy, i dont have anything bigger than a #3 camolot (the blue one) and it has been fine. and yes, a 60 meter single rope would be fine, thats what most people use here.

smellyfox is right, if you are here right in the middle of summer, you will need sunscreen but you can easily pick that up here.

i think i will still be over in the Uk to climb this summer otherwise can show you around a bit. I would be happy to recommend some routes if you let me know what grades you climb and what kind of routes you would like to get on. should also check out murrin park.

there is also some nice sport climbing in chek about 30 mins north of squamish.

i think you will love squamish.

In reply to Anonymous:

that was my message above, forgot to sign in when i posted that, so feel free to send me an email if you need more info.

kay

Kay,
Is lower Malamute access all sorted out now or is this still an issue with the train company?

was there last summer, great place.
Gear- take as many cams as you can and try to get some large ones if you fancy having a go at some of the big cracks. usual nuts and slings.

The camp site is very cheap as it's done by the plot so most people go round and find someone to share with. Normally everyone on the campsite are climbers so finding partners is no prob. not great for facilities but the swimming pool costs 50p on fri for swim hot tub ect!
The walk into town takes about 20mins but walking on the rail track is slightly quicker, or hitch with some climbers from the campsite.

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:
just a note that the easiest grade on the main area is around VS and the easier routes get very busy in the summer so early starts are neeeded the but most of the belays are bolted.
there are easier routes in the smoke bluffs tho

In reply to mikie:

yeah, access to lower malamute still an issue as of last summer, think they are still trying to sort it out though. so fingers crossed.

Kay

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

also, the hostel in town (right by the smoke bluff) is another option, i think only costs a little bit more than the chief campsite and you get a bed, shower and kitchen ...

Dear All:
Thanks a lot for all of your useful advice.

Dear Norrie:
“like climbing in the Cairngorms”
I have never climbed there and have no idea what kind of gear is needed for the Cairngorms.

Dear Erik B:
Thanks. I don’t really know the Etive slabs so cant compare. I will look into getting some more cams though.
The accommodation info is useful. How far away from the crags is the hostel?
Luckily I am mainly going there for the climbing in Squamish so crap bars aren’t too much of a problem.

Dear Polished Circus:
1 set of nuts, tick. Set of cams, only two at the moment. At least 6 quickdraws, tick. Slinigs, tick. 60m single rope, tick. Cool, I am pretty sorted then.

Dear Norrie:
I’ll watch out for village idiots.

Dear Polished Circus:
“Petzl Roc Tip”
Unfortunately I will be in Hong Kong when that is taking place.

Dear WillinLA:
I will think about investing in another set of wires. I only have a single rope, so that is not an option really.
I’ll look into the other crags. I have only really heard about the Chief so far. Are they all situated quite close?
I’m coming up from LA so I guess I’ll just get a bus to Vancouver and then from there to Squamish. I might make a trip to the other local areas when there with some student travel company or some local company, to have a small rest.
How new is new? Not that it really matters. Again, how far is the hostel from the crag? I don’t currently have a tent but I might think about camping, depending on my money situation.
I am not much of a beer fan, but I do like the sound of cheap Pizza. I’ll definitely look into it when there. I have four limbs, all my teeth and a very British accent so I am looking forward to finding out about Cougars.
I am going to be there at the best times then.

Dear Smelly Fox:
I will buy plenty of skin protection when there.

Dear Glen:
Camping does sound tempting as does having a swim. Is there a big lake near the crags that you can go swimming in?
I am more of a food fan than a beer fan.
I was unaware that crags mixed protection, I just assumed that it would be either trad or sport.

Dear Yak:
I’ll update my profile so you can see what grades I am able to do. I really need to get in some trad leading practice so I think I might start with seconding and then move up to more leading. What is at Murrin Park?
How do you get to the sport climbing north of Squamish?
How big are the routes, they all look pretty big. Is there some single pitch mixed into the multi-pitch? Is it multi day stuff or single day climbs.

Dear Shopping 4 guns:
I am a bit scared of cracks, but I am looking forward to them so I will look into investing in cams.
Where is Smoke Bluffs?

All:
What kind of stuff is there in the local town? Is the local town Squamish? Do they have gear shops where you can replace lost or broken gear?
What kind of grades are there in the area? Is it possible to find something for everyone if you use other local crags other than the chief?
Info:
I am going to be there from the 8th of August to the 11th of September. Give or take a few days as I have not yet booked the flights or bus trips.

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:
Local town of squamish has everything you need including internet access.
There are racks of other stuff within 20mins walk of the chief at all grades.
The bus is pretty regular to vc, takes about an hour.
Enjoy!

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn: The hostel is walking distance from the climbing (so is everywhere in squamish village though)

In reply to Hugh Pitcairn:

take a look at the climbing links here:

http://www.virtualdave.ca/wx.htm

In reply to All:

Thanks, keep any more info coming.

Hugh