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kindredlion
Jun 4, 2003, 4:29 PM
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Hey All,
I am planning on heading down to climb the Chief next week, and was hoping for some last minute beta.
I have not been able to find any topo's for U-Wall, Cannabis, Uncle Ben's etc...
I have been clinging to the visions of picking up a guide book from a local proshop, or photocopying/tracing a local dirtbags soily pages... Any guidance?
I will have about two weeks in the area, with a competent partner, we are hoping to bang out 2-4 of the Ultra area classics..
Firstly - what are the crowds like about now? Is this somewhat of a realistic goal, considering the growing crag population?
Secondly - I am opening the doors to all beta, positive or negative...
Flame on..
Take Air,
Adam
Maybe I'll see some of you folk out there...
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psych
Jun 4, 2003, 4:43 PM
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drtopo.com has a GREAT topo for the bouldering there (in nice pdf format, print double sided and make a neat little booklet!), not sure if they've got a topo for actual climbs though. Worth checking into...
Mike...
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flying_dutchman
Jun 4, 2003, 4:44 PM
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Theres a good guidebook for the squamish area which can be found at any of the local climbing stores. Its got stuff on all of the big routes on the chief.
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crankenstein
Jun 4, 2003, 4:49 PM
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I found this for the Grand Wall: http://www.squamishrockguides.com/grand_wall.htm
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kindredlion
Jun 4, 2003, 5:13 PM
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In reply to: drtopo.com has a GREAT topo for the bouldering there (in nice pdf format, print double sided and make a neat little booklet!), not sure if they've got a topo for actual climbs though. Worth checking into... Mike...
Thanks psych, that will prove useful on rest days... I appreciate the quick response maing!...
In reply to: Theres a good guidebook for the squamish area which can be found at any of the local climbing stores. Its got stuff on all of the big routes on the chief.
How current is said book? I heard a lot of the good guides have been out of print for a while... I guess you are referring to "The Rockclimbers Guide to Squamish" by Kevin McLane? and/or "Squamish new climbs" same author ? or are there bigger badder and better books now?
Obviously the most current beta would be the best? Does anyone have any first hand "just came down" beta? Like any real sketchy bolts that might need replacing, or the "loose block" on P5 is gone type beta?
I must be spoiled with the SuperTopo's of California... sheesh !
In reply to: I found this for the Grand Wall: http://www.squamishrockguides.com/grand_wall.htm
Thanks crank - saw that one already - What a beautiful area! Stoked!
These are great responses guys... Keep em' comin'
Thx lots,
Adam
Have there been any peregrine closures yet this year? I haven't heard of any...
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travisty
Jun 4, 2003, 5:27 PM
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Okay so here's the deal.
Get McLane's Guide, the topos for those three climbs is there. I should warn you the bottom of Cannabis wall goes at 5.10a face climbing below the flake. If aiding the bottom it's probably A2 hooking with an expando above. The second and third pitches rely on fixed heads, and pitch three was the most difficult for me, although I haven't been above pitch 4.
The first two pitches of U-Wall are very steep, but easy, just conserve your energy.
I've never been on Uncle Ben's, but supposedly the best of both worlds.
Go here for more...
http://www.cragx.com/articles/issue14/squamish/index.htm
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winter
Jun 4, 2003, 5:43 PM
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You also have to watch out for the railway people. Unless you dont' mind that kind of brush with the law, stay away from the crags that have the belay points near the tracks. See the posts a little while ago here with teh links. Have fun in that damn vancouver rain. :wink:
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peas
Jun 4, 2003, 5:46 PM
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Hi Kindredlion,
All of the climbs that you've mentioned have decent topos in the McLane guide. No need to get a hold of the new guide with the yellow section in the back, but if you're buying a new guide you may as well get that one. Rumour has it that an aid guide to Squamish is coming out, but I wouldn't hold my breath on it.
U-Wall: I've been up to the bottom of the 2nd last pitch. Up to there the anchors are all solid bolts. The first pitch is steep, the 2nd is more straightforward. After that it's a cruise. It is all clean, but bring a hammer to clean nuts. Can be done in a day if you're efficient and leading in blocks, etc. If you're planning on bivying, the tree is not a great option to set a ledge next to, although I think there might be a bolt way out left that you can hang the ledge off of. If you're photocopying topos, make sure that the copy turns out well, becuase I ended up getting off track on the 2nd last pitch off of a bad photocopy. The pitch doesn't traverse all the way into the corner!
Cannabis Wall: I've been up to the bottom of the last pitch. I don't think many people do the last pitch since it's rumoured to be loose and low quality. Bring some heads in case some of the fixed ones have come out. Other than that the first 4 pitches can go clean. Nice hooking. First pitch is pretty boring with most of it consisting of a bolt/rivet ladder. 4th pitch is rated A1 in the guide but it scared the asdf out of me. I seem to recall that all of the anchors are bolted.
Uncle Bens: I've been right to the top. Yay! Merci Me is the approach climb. Run out 5.8 bolted climbing on a dyke. Did I mention it is run out? Just bring draws and bolted anchor material for this one. Leave the pig on flake ledge, but trail up a little extra haul rope because your haul will be 60m+. The first pitch of UB goes at 10c or A1 and traverses. Haul from Flake Ledge after you've done the traverse pitch. The classic bivy is pretty plush. I have a pic of it up on rc.com. I think the 2nd last pitch traverses back right with some free climbing. Communication here was a bit of a problem and seconding the free part was a bit troublesome. If you don't plan on freeing a bit of the last pitch at a laybacking 10a or so, then you should bring a 3.5 or 4 camalot. I didn't have big gear for this, so I ended up hooking off of a non-existent crystal of granite. Uncle Ben's doesn't connect with Bellygood Ledge to easily, so you should plan on rapping the route. We did it clean, but there were a bunch of fixed heads in place, so you'll probably want to bring some heads. All of the anchors were solid. No sketchy bolts to be found.
If you want any more specific info, feel free to pm me.
Brock
edit: as for the last post, please read the latest CASBC bulletin about the Lower Malamute if you are thinking of going there.http://casbc.bivouac.com
As for traffic on the aid walls, you can pretty much expect to have them to yourself. Merci me might be a bit of a traffic jam if you're there on the weekend and the weather is nice.
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travisty
Jun 4, 2003, 6:46 PM
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Oh yeah, some other recommendations...
Blazing Saddles on the Sheriff's Badge and...
if you're looking for a good warm up aid climb with a bit of a hike, do Cobra Crack at the Cirque of the Uncrackables! 8)
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bigwalling
Jun 5, 2003, 3:27 AM
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There will be an aid guide coming out. I know Matt and Andrew are working on it. I can't remember when Andrew said it was coming out. I think next fall. I have it somewhere in my emails. You don't need a topo for canabis. The line is way obvious. My buddy blew a fixed head on the 2nd pitch of it and pasted a new one. The route is kinda slabby. I think Uncle Bens looks pretty good. At least it is steeper.
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kindredlion
Jun 5, 2003, 3:44 AM
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Hey guys Thanks for all the super beta!!
I have to say I am a little frustrated right now.. I normally copy all the text in a long response to the clipboard before submitting but, I had other things on mind... any ways I lost a Huge response.. the end portion of said response was to say [Important] That my boss called while I was responding, and informed me that my buddy/co worker was canned, and that we were tight, so I should consider cutting my time off a little short..
So... I am still gonna try for a week....
********************
Anyone have a dream Trifecta in Squamish?
I still would like to bang out two or three walls, and proximity will really help save time...
Anyone have any suggestions on tweaking my plans for three dream walls that don't involve long approaches luggin' the sows....
Once again I need to really thank all you for the key beta!
Take Air,
Adam
I will know more about the situation after everyone gets to sleep on it...
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bigwalling
Jun 5, 2003, 4:35 AM
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None of the walls have long approches. Cannabis can be done in a day since it's only 5 pitches. Or you could fix a line or two.
I've carried gear up to the badge and that takes about half an hour with a heavy load.
I'm also not sure about falcon closures. They nested on the grand last year so check on that. I think Ten Years After looks pretty stellar. So you might want to check it out.
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psych
Jun 5, 2003, 5:53 AM
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In reply to: Hey guys Thanks for all the super beta!! I have to say I am a little frustrated right now.. I normally copy all the text in a long response to the clipboard before submitting but, I had other things on mind... any ways I lost a Huge response.. the end portion of said response was to say [Important] That my boss called while I was responding, and informed me that my buddy/co worker was canned, and that we were tight, so I should consider cutting my time off a little short.. So... I am still gonna try for a week....
Dude, that's lousy...my condolences for your shortened trip. If it's of any use to you, I took a picture of one of the sign/maps at Squamish when I was there in May, here's a slightly compressed version:
http://www.mikesphotos.ca/map.jpg
Shows the general placements of the "other" walls, besides the Grand Wall. And for reference, the hike to the south peak takes about an hour or hour and a half, but it's alllllll uphill. So the other walls aren't too too much of a trek. Just branch off to the "second peak" trail to reach the right hand walls. It's posted, but the trail isn't maintained, so they say. Should be a snap though.
Mike...
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peas
Jun 5, 2003, 5:17 PM
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Cannabis Wall and Wrist Twister can both be done in a day without much sweat. U-Wall can be done in a day if you're pretty efficient. There are probably some aid walls in the dihedrals that can be done in a day, but nobody really goes there much. Other than that, if you're talking aid, you'll probably have to spend a night on the wall or at least part of one day fixing and then the next day going for the top. If you are particularly efficient, you can do some of the other walls in a day, but not many people do.
There are quite a few good free climbs that go to the top of the Chief. You could link a couple of them in a day if you're gung ho.
Have a great time.
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kindredlion
Jun 10, 2003, 9:50 PM
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:P :P WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!
:P :P
I will be leaving after work today....
I will be driving as of tonite, and will pull in tommorow nite sometime. (hopefully)
I would love to meet up with some of you guys (bigwalling, peas, travisty et al). As you know my schedule will be very hectic, but I think I will try and camp near the base of the shield (if I can get away with it), and run routes from there.
I'll leave my cell on (650.867.9800) and my radio will be channel 10 sub channel 2 (10:2) if any of you guys feel like stopping in. I will be cooking up strong expressos in the am, and sluggin' the OE, in the pm.
Umm... I will have another three or four hours before I hit the road, any last minutes anyone wants to volunteer let me know asap!
See Y'all soon!!!
Take Air,
Adam
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