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Crack climbing, Sport climbing, Slab climbing, Squamish has a large variety of climbs to challenge everyone....(updated Nov 11/2000)
I first went to Squamish with a good friend of mine who eventually became my best Best man at my wedding. We had spent the week before with Josee; we were all climbing in Skaha. Josee headed home to Banff, Don & I to SQAMISH. We found a campground that past Squamish, 5 min. This campground had showers and green grass to play hackie sac on. We traveled back and forth every day to the climbing area, and it was not that bad of a drive. We warmed up in the Smoke Bluffs, before taking on the Chief.
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Josee on Up Up and Away 5.9 / Smoke Bluffs
Climbing in the Smoke Bluffs is like sport climbing, crack line after crack line. There are quite a few sport routes that are popping up everywhere. Up Up & Away is a great layback for a short distance. The corner flake crack is best climbed this way. |
Kelly Leading Brown Ale 5.9 / Malmute
Climbing at the Malamute area is exciting, the cracks are so challenging with a train roaring past just meters from where you are belaying. Brown ale is easy to recognize, a left facing corner, big crack, steep and interesting looking. The challenging jams or the strenuous laybacks, decisions have to be made and made quick for the pump is slowly coming on. |
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Shannon Falls , Just outside Squamish Townsite
Shannon falls, right along the roadside, visible from the car and very large. There are numerous routes here, found to the right of the waterfall on the slabs. Local Boys 10d, Magic Carpet Ride 11a, Klahanie Crack 5.7, all classics that cannot be missed. Right across from the waterfall is a restaurant / campground. Some very nice boulder lined campgrounds here; there is even a crack climb that is not very hard but fun to do. Just on the other side of the campground is the Bay that feed Squamish town site.
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Camping in the Klahanie Campground / Breakfast Restaurant
Camping at the Klahanie Campground, across from the Shannon Falls is magic. Everything is close and also quite quiet. The Restaurant that is located at the entrance to the campground is where you register to stay. The early morning are usually spent in the Restaurant drinking coffee and eating a big breakfasts. The large windows give great views to the weather outside. Sometime hours are spent hanging out waiting the weather. I made sure my campground was equipped with the tarp for any unwanted rain.
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Michel Dufresne leading - Up Up & Away 5.9 / Smoke Bluffs
Climbing on Penny lane Wall in the Smoke Bluffs, a great place to spend the day cragin. Many routes of all styles from cracks to laybacks to face friction, and knobs, and in the end they range from easy to very difficult lines. Here Michel takes one of those great classics that every one talks about, Up UP & Away 5.9. This gives you a great opportunity to try the challenging Air Time to the right. Crossing in the trees to create top rope anchor above the climb. Penny Lane 5.9, must be climbed if here for the day, a wonderful jam crack. |
Don Puttee leading Klahanie Crack 5.7 / Shannon Falls Area
The slab climbing found at the Shannon Falls area is a funny thing to try. The rounded knobs on Local Boys do Good 10d, 3-pitch route, and the wild slick slabs give this place a neat kind of climbing all on its own. Klahanie Crack 5.7 just happens to be their, right there on one of the slabs. The crack is straight in and takes many friends of the same size. Magic Carpet Ride is not far off from here, walk to the right about 20m and climb the black slab. 4 pitches get you to the top at a 5.11c difficulty level.
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Kelly leadiing Crescent Crack 5.10d / Malmute area
Down at the Malamute, you will see this striking line, making this arcing curve up the face of this clean wall. The crack starts off just above the swamps that are there between the tracks and the wall. The crack is quite easy at the beginning and then gradually gets steeper and steeper by the time you hit the end. The final move to the right across the slab is also very exciting. The gear is great and the multiple cracks to stem into make this climb awesome. |
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