Squamish 개요 (영문자료)

 

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Serve as a basic introduction to Squamish area climbing 

Provide current information on climber related issues around Squamish 

Serve as a repository for information that may not be included in standard references - e.g. trip reports, history, photos, extended beta, etc. 

Document new route activity (routes not covered by current guidebooks) 

Unfortunately, things are far from complete. Between work commitments, and actually going climbing, there isn't enough time in the day to keep everything up-to-date. If there's some information you'd like to share, or you have some content you want to submit, please do so!

 

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Also, this isn't a guidebook, although some sections may look like just that. Doing all the scanning, graphics manipulation, documentation etc. to produce a real online guidebook is beyond our willingness to invest time, and the existing print guidebooks are already very good. However, one of our intentions is to eventually have a more or less complete list of the climbs in the area, crosslinked to information about each climb that is not in current guidebooks, such as topos, bolt status and history. The current definitive area guidebooks are both by Kevin McLane: The Rockclimbers Guide to Squamish and Squamish New Climbs. These books give more information than will (probably) ever be available here. I've often used these, and past guide books, for reference material (the names of climbs, and the FA information) but the descriptions of climbs are all our own.

 

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Secondly, we're not what you could call great climbers, so our descriptions of many of the harder climbs will be from the ground only. Of course, contributions are more than welcome. This also raises the question of multiple gradings on routes - the line of University Wall for instance is pretty inspiring, but there's no way we could hope to free-climb it, so we will be maintaining information on aid (clean of course) ratings for climbs like this.

 

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Lastly, while this page currently only covers climbing in the Squamish area, it would be great if it could eventually be expanded to cover the full gamut of climbing available in South-Western B.C. If anybody has anything to contribute towards that end (say, a trip report on climbing Slesse, that new climb in the Coquihalla canyon, or whatever) then by all means submit them and I'll add it.

 

 

 

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Contact & Submission Information

If you have information that you think could be added to this guide, in any form, or notice mistakes to be corrected, or have general advice on what could be done better, then don't hesitate to get email the webmaster.

 

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General Information

Squamish is one of the premier rock climbing destinations in North America. Featuring solid granite, there is every sort of climbing imaginable, from bolted sport routes, to 2000 ft trad routes to some incredible slabs, to A5 nailups. Situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, Squamish climbing has something to offer every climber. The primary feature is The Stawamus Chief, which features a 600m face, the Grand Wall, on which many spectacular climbs are situated.

 

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Getting There

Squamish itself is located at the top of Howe Sound, in south-western British Columbia, Canada (see the map below) Most people approach from the South, through Vancouver. From Vancouver, you follow Highway 1 till just before Horseshoe Bay, where you continue north on Highway 99, The Sea to Sky Highway. Following this highway, it is about 40 km to Squamish, passing several climbing areas on the way. Continuing north from Squamish to Whistler, several more climbing areas are passed through, including the crags comprising Cheakamus canyon.

 

 

Local Facilities

There are full camping, shopping, drinking and eating facilities in and around Squamish.

 

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Camping & Lodging

There is a B.C. Parks campground at the base of the Chief, accessible from the carpark directly in front of the Chief. There are 15 vehicle sites (suitable for climbers vans, but not for RV's thank God!), and 45 walk in sites. Toilets and running water are provided. Camping costs $7 a night.

 

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B.C. Parks also maintains a campground at Alice Lake, 10 km North of Squamish, which, while being further away, does boast a great lake to swim in after a hot days climbing!

 

There is another B.C. Parks campground at Porteaux Cove, 15km South of Squamish. While there is no lake, there are shower facilities. Expect to be sharing the place with lots of Scuba divers (apparantly this is also one of the best spot's in the area to dive as well...)

 

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Finallyin the camping line, there is a campground in Loggers Lane (I'll get a map sometime!), operated by the Squamish District, phone (604) 898-3604. We haven't checked it out, anyone want to write about their facilities?

 

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For those interested in more than nylon over there heads, Squamish has a number of motels, and the Howe Sound Brewing Company (see drink section below) offers hotel accomadations. For the more budget conscious, the Squamish Hostel might be an option. Located within walking distance of the Little Smoke Bluffs, several of the workers there are climbers and can provide information and/or help set you up with partners:

 

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Squamish Hostel 

38490 Buckley Ave 

Squamish B.C. V0N 3G0 

(604) 892-9240 

$15/night, $40/3 nights, $70/week 

Lastly, Dryden Creek Resorts offers a variety of camping, RV & motel accommadation.

 

 

 

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Food

Several supermarkets exist in/around Squamish. There are also several good places to eat, the two of the most popular being Big Mountain Burgers and the Yiannis Taverna. The best is the Howe Sound Brewing Company (see the drink section below) which has great food and views, as well as beer. There is also the standard fast-food fare, McD's, KFC, etc. Drive around and you'll find something.

 

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Drink

Never far from a true climbers heart, the best place to get beer and meet other climbers is probably the Howe Sound Brewing Company. Real beer, brewed on the premises (and you know they must be climbers, with a Cooper & Baldwin Ale!), that has to be some of the best in the lower mainland. Another place to go is the Cliffside Pub, in the Vallycliffe mall, just behind the Little Smoke Bluffs.

 

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Climbing Supplies

The Moutain Equipment Co-op maintain a store in Vancouver, and are usually the best bet for equipment although there area number of other stores in town that may also server your needs, particularly Altus and Coast Mountain Sports. Locally, there is a climbing store in Squamish, Vertical Reality Sports Store, located at 38152 2nd Ave, ph. (604) 892-8248. In Whistler, there's The Escape Route, on Lorimer Road.

 

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Other Facilities

The Squamish Aquatic Centre (on Loggers Lane, next to the campground mentioned above) has a pool, hot-tubs and showers.

 

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Ethics

Squamish has developed as a primarily "traditional" area, and this should be respected at all times. No-one really cares about how you do a climb, as long as you're honest about it (i.e. don't claim a free ascent if you had to pull up on a piece), and as long as you don't modify the climbs in any way. In particular, don't place extra bolts, and we wouldn't give you much of a life expectancy if you were caught chipping. Some areas have been developed in a ground-up fashion, and prospective first ascenters should respect this tradition. All the dire warnings out of the way, rappel inspection, cleaning and bolting are common, and there are a number of "sport" crags around, notably in the Cheakamus area.

 

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At some of the shorter and/or more accessible bluffs, top-roping is becoming increasingly popular. Nobody has a problem with this, but you should avoid having large groups monopolise the route for long periods of time - remember that other people want to climb as well.

 

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Climbers Access Society

The Climbers Access Society is a B.C.-wide organisation, dedicated to access, land-use, liability and environmental issues arising though climbing, and is worth joining if you're a regular climber in the area. Membership costs $20 a year. Contact:

 

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Address: Box 72013, 4479 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6R 4P2 

Phone: (604) 228-1798 

Fax: (604) 228-1798 

or take a look at their web site.

 

 

 

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News and Views

This is intended to be the place where recent news about Squamish climbing and related issues is placed. Basically the sort of things climbers would find interesting, or necessary to know, and which are current news. Paragraphs which are new (since the last update) are marked with a graphic. Many of these items are lifted from CASBC bulletins. Check out their homepage for more details on BC climbing and access news!

 

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CASBC recently replaced (again) the anchor bolts at the top of Burgers and Fries. The old ones were removed by persons unknown. If anyone has any information they should contact Anders Ourum of the Climbers Access Society.

 

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Squamish recently posted "No Parking 10 PM - 6 AM" signs at the Loggers' Lane parking lot. We don't know if there any plans to enforce this, or if plans for active management of the lot will be implemented this year. Otherwise, the new outhouses seem to be a great success - it even turns out that they're self-draining, so reducing the need to pump them out.

 

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CASBC has offered to pay for and place signs with the agreed code of conduct at the parking lot bulletin board and at the base of Burgers & Fries, and is waiting for word before proceeding. The signs will be placed in the outhouses.

 

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The Code of Conduct:

 

Do not disturb residents. Be courteous to all users. 

Please minimize your noise impact. 

Do not park at any time in the residential areas - use the Loggers Lane parking lot. 

Please use the new toilets. 

No camping, littering, or fires. 

Do not gather on top of Burgers & Fries and Alexis. Minimize your presence at these cliffs, and avoid climbing there during early mornings and evenings. 

The Federation of Mountain Clubs has offered to transfer the land it holds in the Bluffs to Squamish. This land was purchased in 1987. It begins in front of Burgers & Fries, and extends north almost to Crag X. It doesn't include any cliffs, but protects access to the Bluffs. We don't know whether in return for this land Squamish will make a commitment to manage the area as a park. However, the land would be subject to a covenant restricting its use to recreational purposes such as climbing. CASBC has suggested that the covenant be in favour of several climbers' groups, to ensure that it is always enforceable.

 

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Stuff thats changed since the current guidebooks were published:

The upgrading of the Chief campground is now complete. There are 15 vehicle sites (suitable for climbers vans, but not for RV's thank God!), and 45 walk in sites. There are 3 toilets and drinking water available. The campground also has an additional 90 space day-use carpark just beside it, which should go some way towards relieving the chronic lack of spaces during summer. All of the sites seem to be on gravel pads, with the tree's separating most sites. No open fires are allowed, so don't forget your stove. All this work on the campground, and the associated maintenance, don't come for free however - there is now a $7 per night camping fee. The park is being operated by B.C. Parks in partnership with the Squamish Rock Climbers Association. Revenues generated by the $7.00 camping fee will retained for the operation and improvement of the Parks facilities. This option for the Chief was decided on with input from many of the user groups, including representation from the local and Vancouver climbing organizations. If you are climbing in the Squamish area please camp in the designated areas and pay the fee.

 

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Parking at the Smoke Bluffs is currently prohibited in the upper lots. Don't park there!. Use the lower lot instead. The Squamish Council has acquired sufficient land around the current Crag X parking area for a proper 200-400 vehicle park, and have constructed a 100+ place park. There are plans to have an attendant, to reduce the level of breakins and vandalism, and charge for the parking. Proposed costs are $2-3 a day or $15-20 annual.

 

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The Apron car park has also been upgraded, and now features space for about 50 cars. Access is no longer from Highway 99, but from the logging road just below the Apron.

 

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There is a new trail to the Petrifying Wall. Turn right 50 meters befire the outhouses on the west side of the lake. The trail was built by B.C. Parks and an Environment Youth Team.

 

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The Art Gallery climbing area is currently posted no trespassing, due to access difficulties revolving around the possibility of ricochets from the Rod & Gun Club. Don't climb there, unless you wish to make the access issue murkier than it already is. In fact, you won't be ablt to climb there, even if you wanted to, as all the bolt hangers have been removed (with the permission of the First Ascent parties)

 

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Some of the BC provincial parks have now changed from fist-come-first-served to book-in-advance. This will probably affect access to both Alice Lake and Porteaux Cove, for those on impromteau visits. More details soon...

 

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Finally, Ron Goldstone is (re)forming the Squamish Rockclimbers Association, for Squamish local climbers, to help present a locally unified voice. If you live in the Squamish area, give him a call at 892-5181.

 

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Not a Squamish issue, but definetely of interest to many will be the information that the B.C. Ministry of Forests posted the Statlu Lake trail as closed in summer 1996. The closure comes after several hikers deaths in recent years on the exposed sections of the trail. Does anyone know the access conditions now (i.e. I presume you can still use it, the official closure is just to protect the MoF and those unprepared?).

 

 

 

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Other Information

The best written resources are all by Kevin McLane:

 

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The Rockclimbers Guide to Squamish, ISBN 0-9696201-0-1 

The primary guidebook for the area 

Squamish New Climbs, 1992-1995, ISBN 0-9696201-5-2 

Updates the above, with all the new information and climbs put up since it's publication. 

Squamish - The Shining Valley, ISBN 0-9696201-4-4 

A "coffee-table" style book, detailing the history of the Squamish community, and containing some great pictures of the region 

These guides are published by Elaho Publishing, who's web site may have more information on these books (including news of updates etc.).

 

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Many other guidebooks have been written over the years, and several contain information not in the current guides (e.g. some aid routes, and topo's for some of the longer routes). They may be worth picking up if you can find them (they're all out of print):

 

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A Climbers Guide To The Squamish Chief 

Jim Baldwin, 1962 

A Climbers Guide To The Coastal Ranges of B.C. 

Dick Culbert, 1965 

A Climbers Guide To The Squamish Chief 

Glenn Woodsworth, 1967 

Alpine Guide To Southwestern B.C. 

Dick Culbert, 1974 

Squamish Chief Guide 

Gordon Smaill, 1975 

A Climber's Guide To The Squamish Chief 

Anders Ourom, 1980 

Squamish - The New Freeclimbs 

Kevin McLane, 1984 

Rock Climbs Of The Little Smoke Bluffs 

Jim Campbell, 1984 

Squamish Rockclimbs 

Jim Campbell, 1985 

Two other books are invaluable for those interested in general alpine climbing in South-Western B.C:

 

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Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing & High Routes 3: Rainey Pass To Fraser River, ISBN 0-89886-423-2, by Fred Beckey. 

A wealth of information on much of the area 

A Guide to Climbing & Hiking in Southwestern British Columbia, ISBN 0-919574-99-8, by Bruce Fairley. 

Not as good as Beckey's guide where they share common information, but covers much more of the area. 

There is at least one other project dedicated to making an online guidebook for the Squamish area. The best of these (better than this page in many respects) is the Squamish Chief Online Rock Climber's Guide.

 

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The Bivouac Mountaineering Directory has lots of information on alpine climbing and mountaineering in British Columbia.