UKBouldering.com
places to visit => abroad => Topic started by: chappers on December 16, 2005, 02:10:41 pm
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dave and other pimps who have been........
when be the best time to hit Squamish up?
aug too hot???
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we were there in june and it was warm and wet, often very sweaty in the forest especially after rain - however the temp would have been fine if it was dry. was a comfortable temperature on the apron though for doing routes cos its got more wind, but i assume you are bouldering. I would assume august is very hot, but then again it may be the best place to go if you have to go in august - just don't expect your skin to last forever. some of the north wall areas are supposed to be more shady (and got better landings) which may be more suitable. If you can get hold of the squamish bouldering guide it will tell you the beta - i've got a copy but its at home, will try and look at it later. I seem to remember it saying kinda september/october was the best time, drier than spring but not too cold.
In summary, i expect august in squamish is better than a kick in the teeth, but i expect a month or so later would be better. try posting on boldering.com (at your peril).
Even if you're just thinking of bouldering if you can fit in rope and rack the routes there look amazing and a shame to miss out on totally. Even if you can only fit in a rope a harness, a few of quickdraws and a few nuts then you can do like a classic .8 slab route like banana peel or the diedre or summert. believe me its worth it. we did banana peel it was excellent. the grand wall looks ill, squamish butress after a route on the apron would be an amazing long day out. ditto for angels crest. make sure you at least walk to the top of the cheif.
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was there aug 15 thru til end of sept. very smeggy in aug (ask irish si, we had daily fits about it) towards end of sept was excellent tho. wud recommend mid sept thru to mid oct, but the later you are the more chance you take with the rain.
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thanks guys,
im applying for the ole working visa so there is potental to be there for a while, its just i may have to take the option of saving my lille white ass off then going for one month then it will probs be just aug (poss back by september to become a student again :lol: )
hay ho like you say dave better than a kick in the teeth.
did either of you travel elsewhere in canada?
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Hey chappers - I'm moving to the 'couve in February - send me a pm and I'll let you know what the score is re conditions and bouldering etc - I bought the guide when I was out there a couple of months ago, and it looks like there's plenty to go at.....
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sweet cheers andy. will do.
this visa application is more complicated than it sounds............
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I might end up being in Vancouver sometime in May, so obviously a trip to Squamish is on the cards. Firstly, where can I meet some randoms to climb with as I'll be by myself. Secondly, what are the classic problems? Are there any decent websites with info and graded lists... I just want to see the big numbers to be honest :lol:
ta
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So I think I might head to squamish tomorrow. Where is the best place to stay that's near the rocks. Someone mentioned this place;
http://www.squamishhostel.com/
Any other tips on accomodation?
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So I think I might head to squamish tomorrow. Where is the best place to stay that's near the rocks. Someone mentioned this place;
http://www.squamishhostel.com/
Any other tips on accomodation?
Thats where we stayed last Sept. Well nice for a hostel. Mostly smallish private rooms, some with bathrooms, tvs, etc. Big clean kitchen/dining area. Internet access etc etc. Its across the main road from town, about a 10min walk from the main supermarkets/gear shop/starbucks. It's not far along the road to the Chief, takes about 5 min driving, didn't walk it but I guess 10-15 min. Busy road though, not fun to walk.
The only accomodation right below the Chief is the campsite. Basic facilities (eg. bad toliets >:() and no shops.
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the hostel is basically THE place to stay. it really is cheap as fuck, and decent. When we went last year our 5 nights there cost about the same as one night in a hotel in vancouver. Be warned the woody was out of anction indefinetly when we went - bit of a pisser as it was my fallback idea for the wack weather. best place to eat and drink is the howe sound pub at the other end of town. http://www.howesound.com/
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Was there last week, weather hit and miss at the moment, raining on and off..
If Squamish wet you can head to numerous other localities for rock in BC.
Bouldering outside of Squamish can be found in the Hope Valley, close to Hope, Nicola Lake off highway 5a just outside of Merrit, Scuittio Lake outside of kamloops (currently developing these boulders)..
Crags too numerous to mention but a good place to head would be Skaha near Penticton. Check out www.rockclimbing.com for more BC rock, loads of established places and loads to be established.
Squamish also has a good bouldering guide, I'll see if I can get you the isbn #, but most stores in in Vancouver and the area will carry the guide, its the same lay out as the Rockfax's back home, think it retails at $30..
Need anymore info let us know, cheers Phil D..
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Hey Phil - where's the stuff near Hope? Have seen it mentioned a few times, but haven't found any details.
Nice and sunny in Vancouver today, with a good breeze - should be good up at Squamish!
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Hey Andy, will get you some directions, not bouldered there myself but climb with a lad who visits regulary and raves about it, he's a sound lad and cranks hard so trust his judgement...Looking forward to getting down there myself and checking it out :)
I'm just heading out to Nicola Lake for the afternoon, close to Merrit, great place, lots of developing still to do.
Will get back to you re the Hope boulders directions, Cheers mate ;D
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Nice one Phil - cheers for that.
Am hoping to get out towards your neck of the woods in the summer - might drop you a line to see if I can get a tour - I'm fat and weak at the moment, so your projects are safe ;D
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Sounds good mate, just let us know when you're heading this way.
Just got back from boulders at Scuittio Lake (gave Nicola Lake boulders a miss), just added five new lines on the top tier, V0 to V4 stuff, nice lines..Plenty more to go at!
Going to be back home on the grit for most of June but will be around after that.
Later mate :)
"Climb like ya drink"
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Any other recommended bouledring spots in BC? other than the obvious squamish, and these new spots nicola lake, and scuittio lake?
cheers
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I'm only just starting to find out myself.
Went to the boulders at Pemberton last weekend - some great gneiss with flat sandy landings - well worth combining with Squamish. There's also quite a few other venues between Squamish and Whistler, like Chek, but I haven't been to these yet.
Other than that, I know there's quite a lot of stuff around Hope, but buggered if I can get any decent details.
There's a new venue on the Island near Tofino as well.
Starting to get the impression that there's a lifetimes worth of stuff a bit higher up as well, in the sub-alpine areas, but zero details available.
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Cheers Andy
Good bit of info, d'you mind posting any knowledge if/when you get to these new spots? be handy to check back on here while I'm away.
Thanks
Andy
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Cheers Andy
Good bit of info, d'you mind posting any knowledge if/when you get to these new spots? be handy to check back on here while I'm away.
Thanks
Andy
Yep - no problem.
I'm on the island in early August for hols, so will go and check out the area near Tofino, as that's where we're staying.
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Cool, have a good trip, maybe see you on the island after we finish in squam!
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Will do - cheers.
If you're in squamish in July, then I may bump into you - am trying to get up there for a few hours most weekends.
Look for a greying punter falling repeatedly.....
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Right ho, will be there with rob for a fair bit of July I hope, failing and trying not to miss the stingy sized pod!
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:great:
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Some of the holiday snaps
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1572.jpg)
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(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1586.jpg)
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spotting frenzy on crackhead
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1768.jpg)
easychair
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1791.jpg)
tatonka
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1803.jpg)
cutting edge
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1854.jpg)
the fuzz
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1875.jpg)
(http://www.jimhughes.plus.com/andy/images/dscf1956.jpg)
cheers for the space jim
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nice photos, the top one's titanic right? is the second one black mark or something like that. How is that one, i never got on it but it looked a bit tricky for v4.
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cheers dom, yeah you're right that's titantic and black mark.
Black mark was nice, alright for a 4 and easier with a bit of a pop I reckon, although rob got the mother of flappers on it, were you out there this summer then?
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yea i was out there at the start of august, then again in september for better sending temps. I ran into a group of boulderers from sheffield area but i don't think it was you (from the photos). Cool photo of the cutting edge, definately have to get on that one next time.
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I moved on at the end of august, so prob just missed you, Did conditions get better through september? I know it pissed it down as I went north. You'll enjoy the cutting edge, top set of moves, check out sloppy poppy too if you didn't already, another quality 4. Keen to get back myself, have you seen some of the prices from Canadian affair? ridiculously cheap!!
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conditions were mint in september, sent sloppy poppy first go then, when i was sliding off the top slopers every go along with everyone else in august. I'm heading back up there for most of june and july next year so should be good, hopefully get some routes up the chief in as well. Canadian affair is well cheap, if only i had known about it last week, my mate book his flights over with fly zoom, still pretty cheap though.
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Good effort on SP, It was a bit of a sweat fest over summer eh. Sounds like you're psyched for the BC granite then, did you get over to the north walls, magic kingdom etc? Paradise valley is worth a look too if you haven't already, not to mention the mountain burger house! I totally managed to miss it but heard there's loads of new routing and boulders round nanaimo, if you're going over to Vancouver island?
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cool, last time i was there we just stuck to the grand wall boulders. I'll check out those places next time when we've got more time. I think i might head up to the pemberton boulders as well, i've heard a lot of good stuff about them.
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Runt - where's Paradise Valley?
Can attest to the goodness of the Pemberton boulders - well worth a visit if you're in the area.
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Struggling to remember exact directions, but head north out of squamish, I think it was the same left you take for chek, keep on that road, over one of those single lane DIY bridges till you get to an activity centre on the right. I think you can park at their place but we didn't just in case they got the hump. Used a layby on the right 50m up the road, then you walk back down the railway the way you've come (and get nervous about the amout of fresh bear turds), after about 1/2k cross over the rail line and there you are. You'll see that highball on the back of the guide in the first area. I'd have stood no chance finding it without the locals, worth asking the warden at the chief site, she had the way there wired.
sorry that's a bit vague, you been busy on the grand wall stuff?
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left off the 99 opposite the alice lakes turning, this is the squamish valley road, after a bit it forks, take the righthand - paradise valley road and follow this as runt says, past an activity centre, campsite place(very close) but dont park there,
continue a few hundred metres and take a lane that comes back on the other side of the railway to the trail head. continue beside the railway until you can enter the woods on the left,
the boulders are fairly close to the river/bog, and are in at least two main groups, a pleasant spot, with some really good rock.
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just checking out your photos, 'the fuzz'! good little problem that, staying a bit cooler by the stream side.
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Thanks for those directions - another venue to hit.
Runt - I've had a spectacularly unproductive latter half of summer due to buying house, doing a bit of alpine stuff and dislocating my r-hand middle finger :wall:
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just checking out your photos, 'the fuzz'! good little problem that, staying a bit cooler by the stream side.
Yeah a real nice little spot over there, did you have a crack at the problems to either side of it?
Andy- that had to smart, over indulging in mono wrongness? At least you now probably have a bit of snow to enjoy, or is it pissing it down still?
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Andy- that had to smart, over indulging in mono wrongness? At least you now probably have a bit of snow to enjoy, or is it pissing it down still?
If only - drunken wrestling resulting in dislocated fingers.....
Snow up at Whistler is starting to settle, but has been pretty damp here in Vancouver - 25 mm of rain in one hour here at the weekend - like standing under a waterfall!
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Hopefully in the Vancouver bikini mud league?
And I thought wales was damp, bet the north shore stuff is evil right now
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Hey Andy how's it going? Nice pics. Did you get Tatonka done? Awesome problem, the moves pulling into the hanging rib are a bit gut wrenching! How did you get on in Squamish? I loved it there but Rob said he didn't think much off it. What is the matter with that boy!? Are you off to Font soon? Rob said you might be moving to Sweden or something?
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Hopefully in the Vancouver bikini mud league?
And I thought wales was damp, bet the north shore stuff is evil right now
I wish - I've yet to stumble on the underground bikini mud-wrestling league.......
Rain is biblical right now :alky:
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Hi John, Yeah enjoyed squamish, did tatonka without any hernias, bonus, d'you get on gtv? nice. Rob was more psyched for the kayaking and the west coast really. Your spies are correct, we're off to font end of november, and then I'm off to Sweden, will post up some photos of all the projects, once the 3ft of snow melts off them!
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after next week at the whistler snowfest i'm off to squamish.
seen various threads on here, so looking at staying at the squamish hostel - is anyone else out there and wants to share costs of a private room? or just lend me a bouldering mat?
cheers
btw - have spare space in room at the snowfest if anyones looking for somewhere to stay
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time to bring this thread back to life - fly out to Vancouver on the 8th Sept to catch up with Agent Smith and Sparky and am in need of some Squamish recommendations to keep my occupied whilst they slave away in the office...
routes (E1-E3 range) and boulder problems (up to about V7)
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when I went the weather was warm and wet and we only had 1 pad, but still I can reccomend Viper at V5 is one fo the best V5s anywhere. theres loads of classic v4s to knock off quickly like easy chair etc, and I did a nice V7 called Mindbender, its on the same block that sharma V13 "proposal" thing off Rampage is.
If you can get over to the north walls area some of the stuff there looked like monster lines.
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easy chair is wank. Other than that the bouldering is very good, I have no idea why they seem to promote the crappest problem.
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have three pads from locals lined up (I hear the landings are a bit crap) and there's a couple of us from HK heading over so spotting should be sorted too
anyone got any route recommendations (other than Grand Wall)?
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easy chair is wank. Other than that the bouldering is very good, I have no idea why they seem to promote the crappest problem.
cos its one o' the first things you see and its got a flat landing probably. anyway i think its a perfectly good problem, stacks better than many so-called classics elsewhere (t-crack, le statique, magic wood etc...).
The only route we did was banana peel on the apron. its fantasic if you fancy a 7-pitch friction slab with pitches no harder than VS. its got a bolt at the crux so take a quickdraw.
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Better than T-crack? Are you fucking insane? Are we talking about the same problem here? Can you not do T-crack or something?
Routes-wise, the Grand is fun but not amazing. Freeway is amazing, also Dream Symphony, very good, University wall is supposed to be tops too.
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Better than T-crack? Are you fucking insane? Are we talking about the same problem here? Can you not do T-crack or something?
do you kiss your mother with that mouth? how many chips and inconsistent rules does a grit problem need before it becomes "classic"? with talk like that you should get down the tor more.
I've also been recommended Angels Crest as a good finish to any of the apron routes.
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easy chair is wank. i thought some problem about a cupboard was decent, but nobody else did
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Exasperator (10c) is my favourite route hands down. Do both pitches as one.
my favourite boulders at each grade that i've done at Squamish
Titanic V3
Shots Fired V4 -they are going to blow up this block in the next month or so, so get on it now
Viper V5
SDS Holmboy V6
Golden Boy V7
i'm going to be back in a couple of weeks too :thumbsup:
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easy chair IS wank, its polished to fuck. theres way better V4's to be found
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This looks to be a good list if you've not already seen it...
http://www.squamishrockguides.com/classics.htm (http://www.squamishrockguides.com/classics.htm)
I remember 'The Great Game' on the Squaw being excellent.
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cheers richie - that list should keep me busy for a few days...
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Im pretty sure North Wales strong man Neil 'ding dong' Dyer will be in Squamish during September. Keep and eye out for him, he's awash with knowledge, practically a local these days. A handy rope gun too.
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cheers richie - that list should keep me busy for a few days...
Me and Sparky should be able to think of a few things to point you at.
Be good if you can scope out Pipeline for us......
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I'll treat anything you and Sparky point me at with both trepidation and caution...
See you for beers on Saturday night.
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All the routes I've done on the Chief have been enjoyable. Remember that 1 star routes here would probably get 3 stars elsewhere.
Angels Crest is huge, a good day out, however be prepared for quite a few 'trapesing uphill through trees' pitches. It can get a bit tedious for example when you think your near the top you end up abbing down a couple of pitches only to reclimb the back of the ridge. There is one stunning diagonal crack pitch quite near the bottom, and a couple more nice cracks near the top and the chimney finale is pretty good fun!
We did the snake on the apron. Good fun, nothing too hard.
The Grand Wall is certainly a world class route. Both the Sword and Split pillar pitches are deservably famous. But there are plenty more gems along the way. Just when you think it's all over the last pitch to the ledge has some evil undercutting, not helped by getting cramp in both arms when your half way along the traverse! :o By the way Perry's layback is by far the hardest pitch, harder than both the Sword and Split pillar.
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I've heard a few people say that Perry's layback is the hardest bit. Honestly I thought it was comparable to 5.9's I've done elsewhere in the States. Possibly most people get tricked by clipping all the (ten million, 6-inch apart) bolts and box themselves stupid, when if you only clip a couple and keep moving its a doddle. I wouldn't downplay it either, I thought it was a brilliant route and deservably praised, if not quite in the same league as Freeway in terms of quality.
Easy Chair is ridiculous with relation to the hype, but the rest of the bouldering more than compensates.
Other tips - yammer jammers (sweet potato chips) at the Howe Sound Brewery, along with their lovely beers.
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I'll treat anything you and Sparky point me at with both trepidation and caution...
See you for beers on Saturday night.
Right on - see you then.
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climbing:
loads of good stuff to go at at nightmare rock, steep cracks and stuff. an murrin lake to cool down in afterwards.
over the road are some good new mixed routes on jalap buttress with 2 minute walk in. vip parking due to the roadworks. topos in the new routes book in climb on.
also try the all new grit lane on the slab at the top of penny lane (topo in the new routes book in climb on). 11a r or e4/5 6a. scary. most stuff at penny lane and neat and cool are good. psychopath is a good almost e4 highball, the right hand finish is definately e4.
local boys do good at shannon falls is supposedly awesome at 10d but not got round to it yet. also klaharnie crack at the same place.
multipitch away from the crowds at the squaw
can confirm that the grand is awesome (but potentially v busy) and shitty in a shitty chair is shitty. superfly is really nice, stuff round the cutting edge on the apron boulders dries quickest after rain. viper is awesome, sloppy poppy not worth bothering with, titanic is also really cool. all the stuff on the apron is really nice, banana peel is a really nice solo - only 2 real moves in 500 feet.
non-climbing:
half price appys in the brewpub and the shady tree on thursdays, new club opening in the chieftain bar this friday, the op has strippers wed, thurs and friday if thats your bag, the watershed grill has ace views, grizzly bar for late night drinking with the local rednecks, and use the accent, the girls love it, we're exotic ;)
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cheers all - one and a half days left after almost two weeks of perfect weather (two rainy days so far but managed to make them rest days)
only down side is the $600 bill from Whistler Clinic after a slight 'incident' in the mountain bike park (I currently look a bit Franknstein like....)
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Faceplant?
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not 100% sure - I went over the handle bars on a lovely twisty turny run called Angry Pirate and some how the front of the saddle managed to find its way through a small gap in a full face helmet and take me straight in the eye socket - leaving me half way up a hillside, blind in one eye (only temporarily fortunately) and with a rather bloody face
half a dozen stiches in the eyelid and nose (each) and a broken nose were the end result - however, I got off lucky - the girl in the cubicle next to me is looking at the rest of her life in a wheel chair and on a respirator after a very nasty slam on one of the table top jumps (note to self - future rest days are for resting and doing sweet FA instead of trying to kill myself hurtling down steep hillsides on a mtn bike)
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ouch
another reminder to keep my wheels on the floor
don't pick the scabs
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mtn biking is the most dangerous sport in the world. i await fatdoc's obituary
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:agree:
My Mum's been climbing for 23 years with no major injuries. She decided to take up mountain biking about a year ago as her husband and mates are into it. Of the four of em who go one has a fucked up elbow, one has a broken collarbone and my Mum's just dislocated her shoulder and now has suspected nerve damage, some sort of rotator cuff injury and needs two operations.
I'll stick to bouldering ta.
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my good handsome self after my little tumble...
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/1428830238_8b03ed92f1.jpg)
plus a few bouldery shots from the darkness of the woods
Titanic
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/1428819868_55073ed7ee.jpg)
Black Mark
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1428826236_b7cbc5531f.jpg)
Thighmaster
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1246/1427948441_b475bcc839.jpg)
Easy Chair (which isn't as bad as everyone says - I quite enjoyed it)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1103/1427949341_1ab91ec830.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1406/1428828184_5c0ae9a70b.jpg)
Caterpillar
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/1427949487_5650f79e27.jpg)
Tradkiller
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/1427951389_19b643e0de.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1333/1428829928_6df904b715.jpg)
and no Squamish set is complete without a few shots of The Egg
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1029/1427952359_2b1adf398e.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1166/1427952771_eb0ee9c7eb.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1139/1427953141_b17a9e698e.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1138/1427953515_3adc48b6b7.jpg)
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I'm sure it's perfectly safe if you have the common sense to aquiant yourself with the place and you rental bike gradually instead of hoping straight onto the twisty turny black runs....
Common sense was never my strong point though - hence the trip to hospital on only my thrid run down the slope (the blues / blacks i'd done up to that point - a line / B line / Dirt Merchant etc) were all really good fun though
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Toying with heading there mid sept for a couple of weeks. Reckon that's the best time for doing a few of the bumbly slabs (up the 5.10) and some bouldering. Other than really hurting yourself on a mountain bike, is there anything esle to do if the weater craps out? Is sea kayaking popular? Have heard mutterings of surfing on Vancouver Island, is it worth doing, or only worthwhile if you live there (can't be worse than North Sea surely?).
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The ferry to the island is quite expensive, but worthwhile - takes about 45minutes. Trying to remember how much it was - maybe $70 for two people and ridiculous gold SUV. I dont think its cheaper the less ridiculous your vehicle. Once you get there its 2.5/3hrs drive to get to Tofino/Ucluelet which is afaik the surfing center. Strong surfing vibe to the place, apparently its good but we didnt try whilst we were there. Tofino is very nice. Middle beach lodge is where we stayed - lovely, nice views etc etc. Good out of season deals. Just next door were some crazy shaped beach hut things. You'd have to google to find out what they were called.
Really nice part of the world. If you do go, check out Pemberton - supposed to have been quite a bit done up there in recent years. Its a real goldmine if you are into biking or climbing, but squamish is pretty thin on the ground in terms of other things to do.
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Who did peeps fly with? We are scouting around at the moment but the flights are all pretty expensive to Vancouver in Sept (ie/ £700) even the 'budget' airlines - Zoom, Flyglobespan and Canadian Affair are of a similar price (plus crappy baggage allowance!).
Did consider flying into Seattle and driving north from there but the saving doesn't really make the extra driving and border crossing worthwhile.
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ridiculous gold SUV.
Would Westwood have been proud of you? Sounds good. Are there board hire places?
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Who did peeps fly with? We are scouting around at the moment but the flights are all pretty expensive to Vancouver in Sept (ie/ £700) even the 'budget' airlines - Zoom, Flyglobespan and Canadian Affair are of a similar price (plus crappy baggage allowance!).
Did consider flying into Seattle and driving north from there but the saving doesn't really make the extra driving and border crossing worthwhile.
try airtransat - me bird flew with them vancouver to manchester return a few weeks ago, cost her 850 bucks, so just shy of 500 quid.
think they only fly on fridays and saturdays, or something similar.
i did the seattle route over christmas, bout a 4 hour drive up to vancouver from there.
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We flew FlyZoom, and besides it going via Glasgow and hence taking 12 hrs instead of 8 it was fine. According to my friend who lives there, Canadian Affair are terrible. I dont know why but that certainly is what he said.
Yes to board hire places - loads, and wetsuits etc etc. Watch out for floating disembodied feet at the moment tho! (actually, thats not at tofino, thats at the other end). Westwood wouldnt have been proud of this vehicle :
Huge ridiculous vehicle - CHECK
Garish colour - CHECK
Double exhaust pipes - CHECK
2.7L 256bhp V6 - CHECK
3tonnes kerb weight - CHECK
NOT MADE BY SUZUKI - FAIL!
NOT BASED ON A GRAND VITARA - FAIL!
It was one of these :
(http://www.gayot.com/images/auto/suzuki/xl7_2007/main.jpg)
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I've flown with AirTransat a couple of times. Found them pretty good. They have a free sports equipment allowance above normal baggage but can be quite specific about what is sports kit. Check the small print as this may have changed.
Tofino is amazing, we really liked it. Did the touristy thing and got a float plane to go whale watching (successfully) later saw a bear and cub cross the road in front of us. Went surfing, cold but amazing, several beaches, some sheltered for beginners, some truly experts only.
Couple of nice restaurants also. The drive across the island is lovely passing through 'Cathedral grove' or something, biggest redwoods in that part of Canada!
Squamish is amazing for windsurfing/kitesurfing but only if it is sunny (it gets a 20mph thermal wind, small speed, same direction every day) but not for beginners as there is a large shipping terminal downwind. Lots to do in Whistler in Summer, ZipTrek is good fun if a bit touristy, probably still worth doing in wet weather.
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I went Canadian Affair, after being reccomended them by a canadian as the cheapest option. No problems, overlooked me being over the baggage allowance on both flights.
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both times i've been recenty we booked with canadian affair - cheap and the flights you actually get are generally with thomas cook or mytravel (thomas cooks ones are better if you can get em).
I ain't been air transat for about 13 years but back then it was shite, hopefully it's improved since then.
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Cheapest we found, after searching everywhere including the above, was KLM Abz - Amsterdam - Vancouver. Flying on the 17th Sept!!!!!!!!!
Cheers for all the advice, better get back in training.
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Is sea kayaking popular? Have heard mutterings of surfing on Vancouver Island, is it worth doing, or only worthwhile if you live there (can't be worse than North Sea surely?).
Sea kayaking is very popular - now we've hit summer, every third car seems to have a kayak on top right now.
If you're based in squamish, the easiest way to go kayaking for a day is to head down to north van and rent a sea kayak from deep cove outdoors - if you get stuck, let me know, as we have a couple of sea kayaks and we live in deep cove.....
If you want a 'proper' sea kayaking trip, you should head to clayaquot sound or up around the sunshine coast - unbelievable multi-day trips in the wilderness to be had there - sunshine coast is pretty easy to get to from squamish - short 25 min ferry ride.
If you plan on hiring kayaks for multiple days, much cheaper to hire them from MEC rather than the outfitters.
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i flew canadian affair a few years ago. if i go back it would probably be with them
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Does anyone have a boudering guide they wouldn't mind lending me? Will definitely buy it when we get there, but would like to start compiling ticklists! And a bit dear to get the guide here. If not, can anyone tell me if it covers Pemberton too?
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Does anyone have a boudering guide they wouldn't mind lending me? Will definitely buy it when we get there, but would like to start compiling ticklists! And a bit dear to get the guide here. If not, can anyone tell me if it covers Pemberton too?
yeah i can lend you a guide. based in manchester if you're around here, or can mail it to you.
it does cover pemberton but i think there's been a lot of development since then.
as a starter ticklist my favourite probs were superfly (v4), shots fired (v4) and the fly (v5), all 4 star. never got round to it but mantra was recommended as a great v8.
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Viper is a superb V5 , but to be honest i wouldn't worry about a ticklist, just find whatever looks the best when you get there - things like Superfly and Viper and some of the first problems you get to so are pretty obvious. I saw some good looking stuff on the north walls boulders, superb lines, but it was we when we were there.
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development in pemberton? you must mean they've found other boulders surely? there were only a couple of hard projects left to be done
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Did anybody hire a campervan when they were there or do most peeps just hire a car and stay in a hostel/motel? I know New Zealand is really geared up for campervans but wasn't sure about Canada (although I have found some pretty decent deals) and would give us a bit more flexibility with escaping the rainy spots?! :)
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you don't see many campervans on the roads apart from those that are privately owned. If people are hiring, they usually go for RVs, which are not cheap to hire, and certainly not cheap to run (gas at $1.50 /L right now).
It's shaping up to be a good summer, and projections are for warmer and drier weather than normal. If you look like you're going to run into a prolonged damp spell, just head east towards the okanagan - you will not get wet there in september.
Camping is the way forward in BC - absolutely oodles of cool campsites in all areas, and cheap tarps in MEC for shade/rain pro.
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development in pemberton? you must mean they've found other boulders surely? there were only a couple of hard projects left to be done
yeah, i think some new areas were developed, but i can't remember any details
as a starter ticklist my favourite probs were superfly (v4), shots fired (v4) and the fly (v5), all 4 star.
and i dont know where the fly came from, i meant viper
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which are not cheap to hire, and certainly not cheap to run (gas at $1.50 /L right now).
=76p/litre. >:( UK average currently 119.1p/litre, but probably gone up again in the last minute.
After saying that I agree with the camping suggestion. We looked into hiring a camper and it was very expensive. Take the opportunity to rent a SUV in a region you arguably actually need one! When we were there 2 years ago the main (and only) road into Tofino on the island was a 4 lane dirt track for about 100miles!
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which are not cheap to hire, and certainly not cheap to run (gas at $1.50 /L right now).
=76p/litre. >:( UK average currently 119.1p/litre, but probably gone up again in the last minute.
At least everything else in the UK is really cheap........ :whistle:
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which are not cheap to hire, and certainly not cheap to run (gas at $1.50 /L right now).
=76p/litre. >:( UK average currently 119.1p/litre, but probably gone up again in the last minute.
At least everything else in the UK is really cheap........ :whistle:
It's lucky we all get paid huge salaries to make up for it...wait...a...minute....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! :'(
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Thank fuck we didn't end up Zooming it (the only reason we didn't go with them was their crap baggage allowance)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/29/theairlineindustry.oilandgascompanies?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/29/theairlineindustry.oilandgascompanies?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews)
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Thank fuck we didn't end up Zooming it (the only reason we didn't go with them was their crap baggage allowance)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/29/theairlineindustry.oilandgascompanies?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/29/theairlineindustry.oilandgascompanies?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews)
Aye - my mum was meant to be flying out with them next week - thankfully our credit card covers the cost.......
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Had a good trip.
Got stuck into a lot of the moderate crack climbs and made the most of the generally good weather (too hot a couple of days, especially when stuck on a belay on Diedre by very slow moving parties) so can't complain. Didn't do any biking as on the days that it rained it Really rained, and didn't get to the Island either. Sea to Sky highways is currently a clusterfuck due to upgrades for olympics but will be great when done.
Did a day of bouldering; Easy.. is OK, not worth the hype and soft. Superfly good, Sloppy Poppy wierd. Viper hard, not my bag.
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Sea to Sky highways is currently a clusterfuck due to upgrades for olympics but will be great when done.
you've clearly been in squamish with that kind of language ;)
i just hope you gave her stink and didn't get short-dicked. sounds like it was a gong show on diedre
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Sea to Sky highways is currently a clusterfuck due to upgrades for olympics but will be great when done.
you've clearly been in squamish with that kind of language ;)
i just hope you gave her stink and didn't get short-dicked. sounds like it was a gong show on diedre
Word. Props for the guidebook btw, will return it soon.
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I am looking to plan a trip to squamish for next september/october time (after kids are back at school and flight prices drop). Just wondering if this is a good time to go. The plan is for bouldering and roped stuff.
Need to work stuff out now so I know how much I need to save each month.
Any advice on where to stay will be three of us. There will be there for a week+ in squamish.
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Sept / oct is marginal, aim closer to September if youm can. We were there at that time and we got a bit of rain, but generally OK. We were apparently lucky.
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Can't help with that time of year as we were there late June/July - but if you have a car and it rains, you can always head to Skaha as it practically never rains there!
Also, can't help with accom - we camped.
Can help with psyche - the place is awesome go go go go! Don't forget to drop into the Howe Sound Brewpub!
Aawwww, I wont to go back!
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I am looking to plan a trip to squamish for next september/october time (after kids are back at school and flight prices drop). Just wondering if this is a good time to go.
I have not been there later than mid-August but I do have a few friends resident in Squamish/ Vancouver and their climbing activity does seem to tail off sharply in September. I was there mid-June once and it was tediously wet, though I think we were unlucky. It's definitely not a place to be in bad conditions. Skaha should be OK but it is a pretty long drive.
Hopefully AndyR will be along shortly to give the definitive local perspective.
September can be pretty good - you'll be unlucky to be washed out, and chances are you'll get some reasonable spells of good weather - this can be the best time for long trad... But October is pretty dicey - lots of potential for several days of crappy damp weather - Skaha will pretty much still be a safe bet though - about 5 hrs drive from Squampton.
That time of year, still a tonne of mountain biking action if you're into that sort of thing - trails around Squam are world class.
Dunno re accom - that said, I know a rather nice house in Garibaldi Highlands I could help you break in to....
Enjoy.
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Ah, local knowledge....excellent! I'm heading over to moose-land (Vancouver) next march. Have march and april free for bumming around climbing. When is the earliest squamish is worth looking at for trad/bouldering? Or any other canadian spots of that ilk that could be good if Squamish is grim? Fallback plan is to head down to the desert for a while, sandstone cracks look niiiiiice :)
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If Squamish is wet, head to Whistler and get some powder. Win win.
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Ah, local knowledge....excellent! I'm heading over to moose-land (Vancouver) next march. Have march and april free for bumming around climbing. When is the earliest squamish is worth looking at for trad/bouldering? Or any other canadian spots of that ilk that could be good if Squamish is grim? Fallback plan is to head down to the desert for a while, sandstone cracks look niiiiiice :)
Feb/March is good times for Indian Creek/Utah from what I've heard!
That is a place I MUST go to at some point in my life!!!
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If Squamish is wet, head to Whistler and get some powder. Win win.
my cousin lives in vancouver and his girlfriends family have a cabin up there apparently so it is on the potential list
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I was talking about chillax going in March April. I don't think snowsport starts until November.
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Time to resurrect this again (sorry).
After my plans fell through this year I am now off to a wedding in canada next september so I have manage to convince someone to head out climbing for 3 week.
Is there any direct flights from UK to vancouver? any recommended airlines?
If we are going to be there for 3 weeks whats the camp site like? i.e. how basic?
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Yes. Canadian affair are worth checking first, flights from LDn or MCR.
Campsite is very basic, squares of dirt, composting toilets, no showers. You can shower up at the rec/ leisure centre ($5 includes swim, hot tub, sauna) or at a hostel in town (I think still). Its a fair hike to town, and miles to the rec, so if you've no car expect to smell.
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Klahanie Campground (http://www.klahaniecampground.com/) is a minute or two up the road with much better facilities.
Alternatively there's quite a few hostels in town. Several years ago we stayed at 'Inn on the water' which has hostel style rooms and motel style rooms.
http://www.innonthewater.com/index.html (http://www.innonthewater.com/index.html)
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Ah yes, that's where I had a shower in 2006. Its the closest one to the Chief.
Located minutes north of Klahanie Campground, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park is Squamish's latest provincial park. The Stawamus Chief, one of the worlds largest granite monoliths, stands at 652 meters (2140 feet) high and is the second highest free-standing granite outcropping in the world, number one being the Rock of Gibralter.
Amazing how such complete bollocks gets perpetuated.
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I think we ended up going BA for not much more than Canadian Affair; Aberdeen - Heathrow - Vancouver. Check skyscanner for options.
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Worth checking how luggage allowances varies before you book anything. When we went with Air Transat through Canadian Affair they allowed 'sporting goods' for free. Dead satifying when I had a huge bag full of kit for free when the family behind us with a overweight suitcase got charged loads.
Looks like it's still the case http://www.canadianaffair.com/en/useful_info/detail/luggage.asp#B2 (http://www.canadianaffair.com/en/useful_info/detail/luggage.asp#B2) although they don't mention camping/climbing kit which I'm sure they used to. Could be worth using the old 'golf bag' trick. ;) Has worked a treat in the past, they never used to ask to open it to see the clubs.
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We paid for an extra bag with Canadian affair this summer. 24kg per passenger, no mention of sports gear.
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Time to resurrect this again (sorry).
After my plans fell through this year I am now off to a wedding in canada next september so I have manage to convince someone to head out climbing for 3 week.
Is there any direct flights from UK to vancouver? any recommended airlines?
If we are going to be there for 3 weeks whats the camp site like? i.e. how basic?
Car or no car?
Type of climing preferred?
Level of comfort preferred? 1=total dirtbag, 5=posh hotel
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Ah yes, that's where I had a shower in 2006. Its the closest one to the Chief.
Located minutes north of Klahanie Campground, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park is Squamish's latest provincial park. The Stawamus Chief, one of the worlds largest granite monoliths, stands at 652 meters (2140 feet) high and is the second highest free-standing granite outcropping in the world, number one being the Rock of Gibralter.
Amazing how such complete bollocks gets perpetuated.
I know - it's granodiorite.
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Time to resurrect this again (sorry).
After my plans fell through this year I am now off to a wedding in canada next september so I have manage to convince someone to head out climbing for 3 week.
Is there any direct flights from UK to vancouver? any recommended airlines?
If we are going to be there for 3 weeks whats the camp site like? i.e. how basic?
Air Transat (Canadian Affair/Thomas Cook), Air Canada, British Airways and Virgin.
Several campsites in Squamish - if you're carless, then, as mentioned, the Chief and Klahanie sites are the most popular. If you have a car, then you can also use the Dryden Creek and Paradise Valley sites, which are both much nicer. There's also free camping at the base of Chek, up the Squamish river valley, and several other locations.
Weather in September is typically dependably good (rain started this weekend after 4 1/2 months of no rain) - if there's a few days of rain, you can also head up past Whistler to Soo River/Green River Bastion/Lillooet edges, which will be dry. If the weather is going to crap out for >4 days, I would head east to Skaha.
Either me or Thesiger can prob give you more local info, or simply ask on the Squamish Climbing forum.
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Right thanks for the feedback.
To answer a few questions:
Plan is to conbine camping and stay at a hostel a bit.
Currently there is two of us but have a few other mates interested.
We are mainly interested in doing big stuff trad sport or mixed, but not going to write anything off.
I think we will have a car.
Either me or Thesiger can prob give you more local info, or simply ask on the Squamish Climbing forum.
Local knowledge is always good.
although they don't mention camping/climbing kit which I'm sure they used to. Could be worth using the old 'golf bag' trick.
Good suggestion
Thanks everyone.
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Thanks
I will probably ask for more details nearer the time once I know what going on properly.
We are just trying to get an idea of how much the whole trip will cost at the min.
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okay looking at booking flights now any recommendation on internal flights in canada? I need to get from vancouver to toronto for a wedding before I fly home.
Also what are canadian affair like? I have heard they are like ryanair but for long flights, if so I might try flying BA for a bit more
I asked them about bouldering mats as sports equipment they said no but I could carry it on as hand luggage if it was less than 10kg ... :-\ not sure they quite understand how big a buoldering mat is
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We flew with them this summer and found it not too bad, apart from both our bags getting a bit trashed on the luggage belts (although that's hardly their fault and they did replace one of the bags no hassle). Definitely not BA but you get a couple of meals and plenty of drinks included and it was significantly cheaper than the alternatives for us.
If it hasn't already been mentioned be careful with any stuff left in your car if you're up on a long route, especially down the "Squaw" forest road - loads of break-ins when we were there. At least one every couple of days. That was the main reason we opted to stay in one of the cheap hotels in town (weekly rate worked out dirt cheap).
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I thought canadian affair were really good. Nothing is like ryanair. U won't get a pad on as hand luggage, there's obviously a mong at the other end of the phone
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there's obviously a mong at the other end of the phone
Yeah 'cause everyone should know what every conceivable piece of sports equipment is even if they don't partake in that particular sport. :no:
I wouldn't call it a pre-requisite for the job of working for an airlines call-center either.
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To be fair to dense I agree.
I did send them a link to the website incase they did not know hat one was.
So they knew the weight and demensions of the bouldering mat (if they clicked the link)
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Also what are canadian affair like? I have heard they are like ryanair but for long flights, if so I might try flying BA for a bit more
I took this attitude and was rewarded by BA cancelling the return flight without informing anyone until we arrived at the airport (I'm not convinced the flight ever existed, since it was not possible to check-in on line). They compounded this by seemingly not telling the whole story about other flights available: I was told there were no direct flights and transferred to KLM via Amsterdam. Others seemed to get onto direct Air Canada flights. I've avoided BA ever since, it's a shame Virgin don't fly to Vancouver.
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To be fair to dense I agree.
I did send them a link to the website incase they did not know hat one was.
So they knew the weight and demensions of the bouldering mat (if they clicked the link)
But Dense didn't have that knowledge so was instead being unnecessarily derogatory.
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We flew Canadian Affair, as I did last time in 2006. No complaints really, we paid a few quid for an extra bag (I think £60), though there are allowances for certain sports gear - the old golf trolley/ ski bag trick might be worth a go.
Worth noting we had to cancel at the last minute and rebook due to illness. Despite being told we'd only get taxes refunded they sent us >2/3rds of it in the end with no hassling from us. Almost to the point where the bit I claimed back on insurance was less than the cost of the insurance.
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To be fair to dense slackers I would have thought, and indeed still do, that someone doing a job would know what they are doing.
Ie hello, insert airline name here, can I take a 10ft python to Canada as hand luggage? No sir, I'm afraid not the python would have to travel in the hold. Im afraid I don't have the necessary expertise to guide you on this but I'd be happy to transfer u to our department that handles such matters.
Or conversely, hello can I take a foam pad as part of my hand luggage. Could u tell me the dimensions of the pad sir. Insert figures here. I'm sorry sir that won't fit as hand luggage, it will have to travel in the hold, could you tell me what the pad is used for since i see it's an unusual size from looking at the dimensions? Ahh it's a bed, well that would come under sports eqpmnt, I mean ure more than welcome to lie to us what it's for but if one of our stewardesses is in a mood and challenges u u will ave to pay the full price. Is this understood? How did I know what to charge u sir? Well it's my job and the price list for unusual or bulky items is not located at the end of a long walk down an unlit corridor like everyone thinks
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To be fair to dense slackers I would have thought, and indeed still do, that someone doing a job would know what they are doing.
Ie hello, insert airline name here, can I take a 10ft python to Canada as hand luggage? No sir, I'm afraid not the python would have to travel in the hold. Im afraid I don't have the necessary expertise to guide you on this but I'd be happy to transfer u to our department that handles such matters.
Or conversely, hello can I take a foam pad as part of my hand luggage. Could u tell me the dimensions of the pad sir. Insert figures here. I'm sorry sir that won't fit as hand luggage, it will have to travel in the hold, could you tell me what the pad is used for since i see it's an unusual size from looking at the dimensions? Ahh it's a bed, well that would come under sports eqpmnt, I mean ure more than welcome to lie to us what it's for but if one of our stewardesses is in a mood and challenges u u will ave to pay the full price. Is this understood? How did I know what to charge u sir? Well it's my job and the price list for unusual or bulky items is not located at the end of a long walk down an unlit corridor like everyone thinks
Then they are lazy at doing their job, and not a 'mong' as you described them which is term I detest, mainly because the people to whom it is traditionally used to refer to are those who are mentally disabled which is without exception not a choice they have made.
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okay looking at booking flights now any recommendation on internal flights in canada? I need to get from vancouver to toronto for a wedding before I fly home.
Sorry to bump this again but any advice on this?
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We did a 3-way journey this summer the other way round. Flew to Toronto for a wedding and then on to Squamish for fun. Air Transat across the Atlantic with an Air Canada flight in the middle. Booked it all at the same time and came in at about a £grand. Have you already booked the Toronto flights?
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Ah you got the gist of what I was saying but was offended by the words I chose, that's ok then
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not yet tonight or tomorrow going work out what I am doing about luggage with my mate then decide whether to fly
manc - vancouver
vancouver - toronto
Toronto - manc
or
manc - vancouver
vancouver - Toronto
toronto - vancouver
vancouver - manc
My mate/s are not going to the wedding so going they will stay in vancouver and fly back from there. Not sure whether to go to the wedding hand luggage only or take all my crap and meet them back in england.
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Thanks all great advise as always.
flights now booked. I got a flight to vancouver and returning from toronto for £598 to manchester with canadian affair which was over £200 less than both BA, virgin, KLM etc
Looking like we are going to book a room in the inn by the water which looks pretty good.
Can't wait :2thumbsup:
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not until September next year.
I am in squamish 31st august until 20th September. Currently there is 3 of us hoping to find a forth.
I also ordered the new select guide.
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I may well see you there as I'm heading out then as well! Glad I found this thread.
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UKB invade squamish, brilliant! Hope to see ye all there. If I can get another visa that is...
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does anyone know if there is any gite type accomodation in squamish. I have spotted some stuff described as holiday homes bt hese seem really pricey.
I tried e-mailing inn by the water about a private room but they have not replied.
currently 3 of us but we are trying to find a forth (or more) so we recon this could be cheaper in the long run
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We got a nice spot in Brackendale when we went, converted ground floor of a house. I seem to remember there was a fair bit to choose from, none was particularly cheap, but they did us a good deal as it was a two week rental outisde of peak holiday season.
Have you googled? Otherwise try the tourist office.
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okay so 6 months down the line still not having luck with accommodation.
Almost had a place but it fell through.
This is a last ditch search for knowledge before we give up and have to camp
There are four of us looking to stay for 3 week.
Budget started at $2000 but now increased it to around $3000 total (still not enough for a B&B everything)
Any suggestions of places to try?
So far I have contacted Squamish Tourist info with no luck
Inn on the water is book up until 2015 (never had a reply but got told by tourist info).
Tried e-mail and calling two separate companies about yurts but no reply and no answer.
Looking for a place to stay with four walls and a roof, some where to cook and has a shower. Beds are preferred but optional.
Any advice is useful :please:
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The wife and I stayed at the 'Chieftain Hotel' last summer. We just turned up on spec and asked at a few places in town. They had a weekly room rate which was pretty reasonable - think we paid just over $300 for 7 nights with microwave and kettle/coffee maker in room. We cooked in the room. From their website it looks like it's had a make-over so not sure if prices have gone up?
Just up the road was 'Hotel Squamish' above Scotties liquor store which had a similar weekly rate.
So you might get two twin rooms for 3 weeks for your $2000. We walked to the Smoke Bluffs from the hotel but drove to the Chief.
Hope you find somewhere!
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thanks guys have e-mailed a few hotels and B&B's to get quotes will check craigs list tonight.
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Nearly all motel/hotels in the states are per room, so $300 a week for two or three sharing is pretty good..
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Thanks all,
potentially got it sorted now (unless it falls through again)
a more high maintenance member of our group did not like the idea of a kitchenette so we have sacked the budget and are paying a lot more to stay somewhere more up market :( (really not what I need right now but probs worth it)
Incase anyone else is interested. The cheiftain hotel replied within hours (they probably were not even awake when I sent the e-mail). Here is there latest rates
We have rooms available for beginning of September
You can benefit from our weekly rate as follows:
- Queen size room for 1 person is $ 315 + tax per week (7 nights)
- Queen size room for 2 persons is $ 385 + tax per week (7 nights)
- Double room for 2 persons is $ 385 + tax per week (7 nights)
Also if anyone else is looking for somewhere to stay as a group: we are trying to book here http://www.vrbo.com/402965 (http://www.vrbo.com/402965)
My friend is sorting it out one thing to watch for, they are not keen on a group. We got away with as we are a couple and two singles
It worked out to £1900 (£475 each) for three weeks I am not sure if that included tax.
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Definately cant go any higher than the place we are trying to book. I was twitchy with the current price. I'm yorkshire spending any money does not sit well ...
If there was more of us that could be an option.
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Any route recommendations? I am after multipitch and single pitch, sport, trad and bouldering. I have not climbed on granite before.
Currently leading E1 ish Trad
Sport onsighting around 6b-c and 7a in a day
Also I am after my first 7A problem (unless I finish this thing at holmfirth). Any recommended problems in the V3-7 range to give me something to work over the three weeks inbetween multipitches.
I have my heart set on Stairway to heaven 5.10c http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=222708 (http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=222708) is that a realistic prospect. in my current grade range
My mate wants to do grand wall 5.11a http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=50899 (http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=50899) will I be able to second it without resulting in jumars?
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I'd get some crack training in before you get there.
Diedre is an obvious option for multipitch, but expect queues, and horrific queues on weekends. Do it either at first light, or late evening. Banana Peel is good fun if you are OK running out on slabs, and you can get to it from the start of Diedre is it looks too crowded.
High Mountain Woody on the Malamute was good, and it will be very quiet there, with great views.
Slot Machine - great but roasting hot; do it early morning or late afternoon.
Penny Lane.
Loads of good stuff, you can't really go wrong. Will you have a car?
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Don't get your foot firmly wedged in the crack on Laughing Crack!. I was belaying and found it pretty amusing, but my dearest leading at the time was not amused. I only bouldered for one day, if you follows the stars you can't really go wrong. I got a fair bit done in the V1 to V4/5 range remember Supafly being good fun, Easy Chair a bit underwhelming.
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,4846.0.html (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,4846.0.html)
to prevent old ground being covered.
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YYFY finally got a place properly booked :)
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thanks will add it to the list
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nice cheers got both the latest squamish selet and bouldering guide so going to check it out and tick as many as I can. just want to climb a shit load of things big and small.
My mate is keen to check out a mountain bike trails centre. is it worth it as a rest day activity. Also I have not been on a mtb in about 12 years and never done any serious runs. Will I be okay on the begineer runs?
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There's a nice 10a sport slab / face can be done near slot machine, we intended to do it, but I was fried after slot machine in late afternoon heat and didn't fancy sweating up it.
There's http://www.tantalusbikeshop.com/Home.html (http://www.tantalusbikeshop.com/Home.html) on the way out of town where you can hire bikes and get info on trails; there's all grades from piss easy to super hard. Or you can head to whistler for the day and scare yourself shitless on the DH stuff.
As to whether it's a rest day activity or not depends on your fitness! Be a good option if weather is marginal though.
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On the biking thing I can strongly recommend "Half-nelson"
It's very good fun and not too bad. I did it on a hard tail after going to a rave in the woods the night before and having not slept. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and it did turn out to be a amazing one!
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/half-nelson-trail-squamish-2010.html (http://www.pinkbike.com/news/half-nelson-trail-squamish-2010.html)
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Ony advice on the biking thing, and coming from someone who loves to bike, is that the color system spans the equivilant of 5.5 to 5.14 in green, blue, black. Be very careful going to black, as a couple of the trails would have had x ratings in climbing.
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thanks guys
as I said not been on a bike in years so wont be pushing it. It will only be just a rest day activity to try grow some skin back and keep moving.
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Unless you are biking fit, it may well not be a rest! You can hire canoes in town and paddle up the inlet. We intended to, but good tides never coincided with rest days. day in Vancouver and Aquarium etc is a more sedate option.
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Grubes - you'll have a great time here. The climbing is good, the cafe culture very good - all nice and relaxed (if the weather plays ball).
If you've got any Windsport skills then I'd recommend using them, the Squamish spit is covered in kitesurfers every day and it looks awesome (good place to watch). I've never used a kite but I'm pretty psyched to rent a Windsurfer and see if I can remember any of what I learnt in two weeks in Egypt! If not I'll stick to taking photos with a long lens.
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Thanks paul can't wait.
I think your back before I go so might run into you at some point.
Not done any wind sports before but I am willing to give any thing a go.
Have you done the grand wall?
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No, Nat has requested we take it a bit easy after Yosemite so this week we've been mostly (eating Raspberry Pop Tarts - sorry) just ploughing through the Top 100 list, mainly sticking to very accessible and pretty steady stuff. The Grand Wall is of course on my list (although our lists don't often align fully), was their a concern you had regarding it?
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Mainly if I can get my fat arse up it without having to aid entire pitches ...
My mate is keen as hell for it and so am I. Hes a better climber than me and happy to lead the crux pitches.
I heard most of the pitches are E1/E2 ish which should be fine after a week or two of adjusting to the rock type and building route fitness.
The crux pitches (the sword and split pillar) I heard is significantly harder (around E3/4). So just wondering what yours (and nats) experience of them was.
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Mainly if I can get my fat arse up it without having to aid entire pitches ...
My mate is keen as hell for it and so am I. Hes a better climber than me and happy to lead the crux pitches.
I heard most of the pitches are E1/E2 ish which should be fine after a week or two of adjusting to the rock type and building route fitness.
The crux pitches (the sword and split pillar) I heard is significantly harder (around E3/4). So just wondering what yours (and nats) experience of them was.
I did it with my missus. Check out my logbook on UKC (same user name) if you want to see what kind of grades I normally climb. I'll give you my thoughts on the pitches but obviously usual disclaimers apply...
P1/2 - Easy slab but run out. Can run 'em together on 60's.
P3 - Starts easy but a couple of tricky/powerful moves to get to the bolt ladder, then easy aid to get to the belay ledge
P4 - Split Pillar Starts easy and then gets bigger and harder culminating in a few run-out chimney bit. This is probably the most north-american style crack pitch. On our first go in the cold I pumped out and fell off and then we abbed back to the floor as we were cold and miserable! 2nd go did it fine but still got very tired! We took nothing bigger than a friend 4 so had to run the top out a bit but it felt fine.
P5- The Sword - Brilliant. Great face style climbing on good holds/good gear above a huge amount of air with a powerful fingery layback to get to the aid ladder. Probably E3...
P6 - Perry's layback. Fully bolted. Felt like a powerful 6b. I only just onsighted it. Keep going on it. All the holds are good.
P7 - Slightly wierd slab move on it. Kate pulled on the bolt because she couldn't reach the hold. Fine if you're above about 5'9" I reckon.
P8 - Make sure you go up the right bit. I went wrong (to the right if I remember but my memory is shit) and ended up on a big ass loose flake! Spicy. Fine going the right way though!
Done.
We finished up the black dyke which is fully bolted at about 6b. (4 pitches).
Enjoy if you get on it. It was the only goal we had for our trip, but all the routes we did were brilliant.
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There are three common starts - with potential for variations. The first time we did the usual layback crack off the deck, then easy slabs. Last summer we came in from the right to overtake some punters - no guide so made something up further right than normal - joining Cruel shoes I think? The two pitches up to the Split pillar tree ledge were good and didn't require any aid - but harder than the other options.
Split pillar is tricky to grade in British money - E3 5b? Never desperate but very sustained. Bits will be bold, not because there is no gear, but because you can't carry or place that much gear. I used a combo of laybacking and jamming.
Sword is good british style climbing - varied, choice of holds, hard E3. The aid ladder is a pain if, as is likely, you haven't done much aiding and you haven't got aiders. I wouldn't recommend taking any aid gear, just make sure you know what you're doing first.
Perry's layback is burly laybacking up an off-width flake. There are too many bolts. I remember cruising it on second but ended up resting last summer - if there were half as many bolts I reckon I'd have made it! Just too tempting to clip them... crux is at the end where you have to make a bit of a reach.
P8 - the loose flake is in the corner to the left, and ends in a poor bolt covered in tat. We made this mistake too. Correct version follows a line like and upside down question mark - undercut out right, then layback up then back left.
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There are three common starts - with potential for variations. The first time we did the usual layback crack off the deck, then easy slabs. Last summer we came in from the right to overtake some punters - no guide so made something up further right than normal - joining Cruel shoes I think? The two pitches up to the Split pillar tree ledge were good and didn't require any aid - but harder than the other options.
Oh yeah, we just walked along the ledge to do the slab start. Because we're wimps and didn't want to do the Apron Strings start if we had a big day ahead of us!
Is Perry's layback harder than the 6b I was sandbagging on about then?! Yeah there is too many bolts but I was glad of them. Did I mention I'm a wimp?
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No idea how to grade it really - though for various reasons I know a few who consider it the stopper pitch. We did it on our first day last year, boiling hot and badly jetlagged. The whole route felt a touch harder than I remembered.
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So me and the gf are heading to Vancouver next week to visit a friend and we're planning on staying in Squamish from Monday to Friday for two consecutive weeks. Mainly planning on bouldering around the Grand Wall area. I have been so busy with work that I haven't properly looked into anything yet.
So has anyone got any recommendations with regards to:
- accommodation; camping, airbnb?
- travelling there, is it worth renting a car in Vancouver?
- nice places to eat/visit around Squamish?
- should we go up the chief at some point, do we need a trad rack?
- must do boulder problems up to V11
- ideal number of pads to have
- good rest day activities, mountain biking?
- any other must do things whilst we're there?
cheers in advance
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You can walk up the chief, or do various route options to get there either all the way, or traversing off to the path at ther top. We walked to the top with a minimal rack and did a few of the easy slabs just below the summit.
I'd definitely hire a car, or borrow one if you can?
Great mountain biking around Squamish, loads of bike hire options, or you can drive up to Whistler if you fancy some uplift. You can go kayaking in the sound, we meant to, but weather was iffy and never happened.
One or 2 pads should suffice, you can hire them in Squamish.
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Worth taking lightage. Looked to me like a lot of people did night sessions to get the conditions.
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I must be a total pleb as I loved the Howe Sound place and also Mags99. I even had to go one last time on the way back to the airport! The Howe Sound was good pub stuff - I suppose I like that crap.
In contrast I thought the Sushi place was not that great. All a matter of taste at the end of the day - me and Habrich are on a different league obviously ;-)
Likewise I echo the Whistler art gallery thoughts - me and Pete had a really good hour or two in there visiting and talking the employees. Really great. I saw quite a few people who looked broken from the mountain biking - be careful!
edit: actually, it can't have been the one Habrich mentioned as that wasn't around. Must have been another.
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I was a fan of the food at the howe sound too. Think we ate there 11 out of 20 days.
But I could of been the great beer made us ignore average food.
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I liked Howe Sound too, but then I am a Burger and Fries kind of guy. Shame we had to drive to our accommodation in Brackendale, so one of us had to stay sober.
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I liked Howe Sound too, but then I am a Burger and Fries kind of guy. Shame we had to drive to our accommodation in Brackendale, so one of us had to stay sober.
I thought beer didn't count towards drink driving in Canada, only the spirits. :shrug: :o
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Given that Squamish was basically a set of roadworks when we were there (just before Olympics with S2S getting major upgrade) we struggled getting back even when sober!
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No one's mentioned anything about the bouldering, is it all choss?
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You could just look up some of the previous threads...
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=12446.0
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No one's mentioned anything about the bouldering, is it all choss?
Seems to be a matter of personal taste. I thought it was great. Nice setting, great guide and good lines. Lot of funky compression and heelhooking type moves.
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I loved the bouldering maybe more than the routes but was on a routes trip so did not do too much.
The grand wall boulders are pretty well shaded by the trees issue can be humidity thought as the air was quite still when I was there.
I can not rate summer vacation enough. Lovely high ball V0 well worth doing even though the grade is low. I remember looking at it thinking that is high and only having 1 small mat then started climbing. I only realised at the top out how high it was and how my mat was in the wrong place. it jus climbed so well and the moves were so much fun.
Sure this is a controversial statement but I enjoyed the bouldering there more than font and I love font.
However I can see why some people would not like or get on with it.
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I thought the bouldering was terrible. Not enough cracks.
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Not enough holds! As shark says lots of compression / heelhook / lip traverse type problems. Which might feel minging in the warmth.
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No one's mentioned anything about the bouldering, is it all choss?
After 10 years here, it's still one of my favourite places to boulder - you will need 2 pads, though as our resident cultural correspondent noted above, the place is usually crawling with yanks in the summer and you will likely find yourself in a ten-pad posse if you're trying to project some of the more popular lines. Temps in the boulders (apart from Apron boulders) stay surprisingly good as they're in the shade - trying super friction dependent problems may not be best option, but there are lots of classics with holds.
Grand Wall boulders are great and there will be lots of people around for beta - I prefer the North Wall boulders this time of year - better temps and fewer folk. Get the latest Bourdon guide and you won't go too far wrong.
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The bouldering's brilliant, top quality rock.
North Walls to avoid crowds on the weekend, although on hot but breezy days Gwall is often better - N Walls usually get less breeze.
Top problems excluding all the obvs one's by the trail:
Ramen Raw - this is fantastic
Reckoning
Resurrection
Land that time forgot
Phantom Power
Tim's Arete at the Sherrifs badge trail
Be On Four
Re. food, Kozo id decent for a change from the imperious Sushi Sen
Crabapple in Brackendale is nice for a quiet meal
Fergies is great for breakfast if you ever head out to the Paradise Valley boulders (they're worth it)
If you drink coffee skip the Zephyr and go to 1914 - infinitely better.
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Not enough holds! As shark says lots of compression / heelhook / lip traverse type problems. Which might feel minging in the warmth.
compression/heelhook/lip traverse is completely my style.
I can not rate summer vacation enough.
Just watched a clip of it. It looks incredible, definitely on the list. Thanks.
Cheers for the North Walls beta John and Andy. The Reckoning and Phantom Power are both already on the list. Just about to look up the rest. I got a copy of the latest Bourdon guide recently and I'm very psyched now. :bounce:
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Ramen Raw - this is fantastic
Reckoning
Resurrection
Land that time forgot
Phantom Power
Tim's Arete at the Sherrifs badge trail
Be On Four
All fantastic and fairly good landing most of these. Be on Four is a GNARLY Landing.
To add in:
The Fuzz - a bit out of the way, but well worth it.
Mantra
Viper
Trad Killer
Crackhead
The Rookie (easiest v8 you'll ever find)