[benpritch]

i'm going to Squamish for a few days before heading to the mighty Yosser. Has anyone got any recommendations ie, classic probs V7 plus?

Ta.

[Johnny Brown]

Didn't try much above V7 due to the stultifying humidity in the trees, but Black Slabbath, Baba Hari das, forget the names of the rest. Viper is good at a lower grade. I wouldn't ignore the routes if you've not done any - Freeway is as good as The Rostrum and a bit harder.

[benpritch]

what time of year were you there? i'm going to be there 26th of sept ish

[dave]

I went in June and it was warm and wet, and I bumped into fuck-all locals to take a decent mat. Viper is extremely good. Only thing above V7 i tried/did was Mindbender, which was good. I would also do a route, even if its only something piss/soloable like the Deidre or Banana Peel.

[Nigel]

As JB says, classic V7's are Ride The Lightning, Black Slabbath, ATD, Baba Hari Dass, though bear in mind the first two of these are highball so you'd need a couple of pads and a spotter. There is also another one which looks awesome but the name escapes me right now. It begins with C though, and was quite long. Up the hill a bit.

I suspect you will be crushing harder than that if the temps are good, so V8's such as The Weasel, The Fuzz, The Manta you will no doubt enjoy.

Of the harder problems, it has to be said that some are shit and some are amazing. If I only did one problem there it would be Wormworld Low which is brilliant, kind of a granite Lou Ferrino but better. Reckon you would also like No Troublems, burly roof on OK holds. There are also loads of Sharma campus V11's as I recall, these might have your name on? The Egg might suit you because the first move is a big slap, but you will prob need conditions. Shit problems to avoid include Zen Zero.

I also second what JB says about routes. I thought Freeway was one of the best routes I've ever done, also Grand Wall is fantastic in its upper reaches. If you can get a partner it'd be worth it, they are a lot less hassle than the Yosemite routes and just as good.

[Johnny Brown]

We were there first week of Sept. The forest is much denser than The Valley, its just blocks the breeze. We had been much further north previous though so may have been us. Black Slabbath at least had an in-situ pad, as had the big cave down near the path.

Make sure you hook up with a local (Clifford etc?), I found very little until we got the tour. Easy in an easy chair is the most famous problem and is shit, but easy to find for instance.

[dave]

there's also a big heelhook-mantle-lockout thing called the backseat that I recon would be worth a look, its about 7cish. its also a rampage tick!

[SA Chris]

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,4846.0.html

Some good info here.

The Clifford is always around. You can probably contact him through the Blurr website.

I wouldn't like to solo that minging exit of Diedre, had to mantle wet kitty litter and pull hard on some tree branch.

[AndyR]

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,4846.0.html

Some good info here.

The Clifford is always around. You can probably contact him through the Blurr website.

I wouldn't like to solo that minging exit of Diedre, had to mantle wet kitty litter and pull hard on some tree branch.

It's been an incredibly dry summer - we've had almost no rain since late April, so most of those routes that often have damp streaks etc are now bone dry.
Saying that, the weather has just broken in the last week, so the threat of a shower has just started.

The forest is still busy with standard euro and yank visitors, so you'll probably find a 'posse' to mooch about with if you need spotters etc - the campsite beneath the chief is a good place to meet people, as is the brew-pub.

benpritch - If you want any specific logistics info, drop me a line and I'll see if I can help.

[tim palmer]

I don't think the conditions should be too  much of a problem, i went there in mid july 2007 and it was fine.  I would say my favourite problems were
 V7: the fuzz, ATD (absolute classic must tick)
V8: Mantis, fixing the car
V9: Defenders of the faith
V10: No troublems (my favourite top out in squamish)
V11: The egg (there are edges to crimp so i wouldn't worry too much about condition)

Ones to avoid: zero zero, the great escape (both split my tips).

[Tom J]

Monkey gone to heaven - one of the best v6/7's i've done

[tim palmer]

Monkey gone to heaven - one of the best v6/7's i've done

yeah i would second that, feels well scary.  Ride the lightning is another problem requiring a large pair of testicles.

[andyh]

Would highly recommend you spend a day in the Smoke Bluffs as well. Lots of easy solos and some classic just about highballs in the Neat and Cool area like Kangaroo Corner and Psychopath and various other harder things i can't remember the name of. There's an Andy's Wall or something like that that's given 12a but is essentially a 7bish highball, or so I was told.

There'll always be people there with a guide you can check out.

Then finish off with a solo of the 4 pitch Smoke Bluffs Connection - hardest pitch is 10a and it's beautiful.

[Fultonius]

Would highly recommend you spend a day in the Smoke Bluffs as well.

Really? I thought the smoke bluffs were, by far, the most dissapointing area. Polished, busy and not half as good as other areas!

I didn't really do any bouldering out there, just superfly on the way back down from doing a route on the grand wall base.

[andyh]

Would highly recommend you spend a day in the Smoke Bluffs as well.

Really? I thought the smoke bluffs were, by far, the most dissapointing area. Polished, busy and not half as good as other areas!

I didn't really do any bouldering out there, just superfly on the way back down from doing a route on the grand wall base.

Yeah, the bluffs are ace! It was a 3 minute walk from my house : )

Hundreds of quality routes, the cracks in Penny Lane area are all world class. Stanage is busy and polished too...

[n_man]

Highballs at Squamish really are high and usually with a shit landing. As so many probs so far are high ball....

Try Anubis V7 - my joint hardest flash there - a low roof with holds awesome.
Gibbs Roof was cool V8.
Worm World Cave V9.
No Troublems V9 / 10 (didn't do the bloody thing due to a pulled right hamstring on the heel hook, made a mess of my backslider attempts as well).

My best days out were running about doing heaps of problems though. Look for the 5 star jobs in the guide and follow them round.

[benpritch]

i'm excited now. not knowing any probs has kept my enthusiasm in check so many thanks for all the info.

[dobbin]

I second defenders of the faith, and wormworld. Also a man with your steely crimping fingers should have a look at when harry met sally. Shoudl be right up your street. I think something whcich is called Sharma start looks incredible. TC did a low start to it when I was there. About 8a+/8b though. if you need contact details for tc shout.

[Andy Harris]

don't forget to check out pemberton, it's a small area the other side of whistler and the weather can be different there. Only 30-40 problems but loads of classics in the v3-v10 range.

[SA Chris]

Polished, busy

Strange comment from a Dumby devotee.

[T_B]

Alaska Highway/daily planet (on the north walls) is one of the best multpitch routes I have done anywhere int world. And then there's my 3-pitch variation on Freeway 

Spent a month there in August just as the bouldering was being developed. Amazed it's turned into a world class bouldering destination, though I guess a lot of it must be hidden away.

[Fultonius]

Polished, busy

Strange comment from a Dumby devotee.

It's only the footholds that are polished at Dumby and, if you've ever watched me climb, you'll know that I barely use my feet anyway!

[SA Chris]

And in the crazy world of Squamish, some people use the same holds for the feet and their hands.

Nice work on the Dumbuck tick.