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graniteavenger
May 14, 2004, 10:54 AM
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Hi Ya, I am an ex-pat Canadian currently living in The Lake District in the UK. Finally moving back to Canada and am looking for some info on A:What the climbing scene is like in Van. B:How is it set up for climbing gyms? Where are they located & are they expensive? C:Is there any Trad areas that are reasonably close to Vancouver, that I can use public transport to access? I climb at around a UK grade of HVS - E2(@ 5.9 - 5.10c I think). D: Does any one know of any cheap/affordable accomdation to rent in Vancouver. Looking for a 1 - 2 bedroom place, close to the MEC area (I will more than likely be working in an outdoor shop again, as is my fate!! :lol: ). Thanks a bunch in advance for any help/info!
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graniteavenger
May 14, 2004, 10:59 AM
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I should have mentioned, we are coming over in June, if that has any bearing on the accomodation wanted side of things!
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vanclimber
May 14, 2004, 1:38 PM
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B:How is it set up for climbing gyms? Where are they located & are they expensive?
Cliffhanger has two locations, one near downtown and one in Coquitlam. They charge $17 or so a day for roped climbing and there are some different pass options. http://www.cliffhangerclimbing.com
The Edge is in North Van. http://www.edgeclimbing.com
There's also the Rock House in Richmond and Vertical Reality in Surrey.
C:Is there any Trad areas that are reasonably close to Vancouver, that I can use public transport to access? I climb at around a UK grade of HVS - E2(@ 5.9 - 5.10c I think).
A squamish Guidebook can be purchased at MEC. You can access Lighthouse Park by public transit, but I'm not sure if you can bus it up to Squamish. Check here: http://www.bctransit.com
D: Does any one know of any cheap/affordable accomdation to rent in Vancouver.
You need to do some searching online for this. Try http://www.canada.com/classifieds/index.html
Best of luck,
Don
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graniteavenger
May 14, 2004, 2:16 PM
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Cool, Thanks man.
I have been having very little luck on this end tracking down the climbing walls, that has saved me a bunch of time! :D
Ciao,
Nick
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winter
May 14, 2004, 5:12 PM
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Wow your post was hilarious.
Asking if something in Vancouver is expensive?! That just cracks me up!
First, nothing in Vancouver is cheap, the climbing gyms are expensive and crowded. And accomodation? Well depends on your standards...if you want to live in hovel with 6 other people that's close to anything than you'll be ok. Or you could live somewhere half decent that's far from everything and spend all day on the bus (popular vancouver past time).
Good luck man, Van is one tough place to live.
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missedyno
May 14, 2004, 9:18 PM
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linked this post to BC, so the beta will show up in the routes database.
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taorock
May 14, 2004, 9:30 PM
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You'll find this site very handy for looking for jobs, housing, entertainment and much more:
http://vancouver.craigslist.org/
T
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graniteavenger
May 15, 2004, 8:05 AM
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"Wow your post was hilarious.
Asking if something in Vancouver is expensive?!" I know, I know, I have a bad habit of living in really expensive places! Oxford in England was outrageous, a pint of Beer cost £3.00 (about $7.00!!!). :cry:
At least in Van I will be closer to some *Real* mountains! :D
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graniteavenger
May 15, 2004, 10:01 AM
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How is it for cycling around Van? Are there many bike lanes/paths? Is there much of a problem of bikes getting nicked, er, I mean stolen?
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sunsation
May 18, 2004, 6:31 PM
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In reply to: How is it for cycling around Van? Are there many bike lanes/paths? Is there much of a problem of bikes getting nicked, er, I mean stolen?
Cycling around Van for commuting is hard to comment on without knowing what you are comparing it to. Compared to Holland's system, we lack. A person can certainly get around but it also greatly depends on where you are going/coming. As for bikes getting nicked, it depends on what kind of bike and what part of town you are in. You'd definitely want to have a good lock but I expect that's the same in any city.
An early Welcome to Vancouver and I am sure you will love it here as much as we do!
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kman
May 20, 2004, 12:30 AM
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"Is there any Trad areas that are reasonably close to Vancouver, that I can use public transport to access? "
Yes...Squamish is only 1 hour ish from downtown. Bc transit does not go to Squamish. You can catch the bc rail train or take Maverick or Greyhound. The train lacks in times leaving / arriving though. Or for cheap you can take Bc transit to Horseshoe Bay and hitch hike from there. Shouldn't be too hard to get a ride...but I have not done this for over 10 years so things may be different. Squamish is an absolutely amazing trad area. Tons of stuff to keep you busy.
For cycling, if you are into mountain biking the North Shore has some of the best.
Rent is not that unreasonable in the Vancouver area. I always thought so untill I moved to Calgary and then Canmore. Everyone seems to think that it is cheaper out here, but that is not the case. If you want to live close to MEC or downtown then you will most likely be paying out of your a$$. Try looking into one of the surrounding areas such as Coquitlam or somewhere else. These surrounding areas are close and are all linked with transit. From areas such as Coquitlam there is a comuter rail service that gets you downtown in about 25 minutes. There are certain areas to live that you may want to stay away from such as Surrey ( Slurrey ), Port Coquitlam, East Vancouver, Richmond ( ditchmond ), New Westminister, Metrotown area in Burnaby. Those places suck to live. I am sure some people from those areas will pipe up and disagree, but they do suck. If you want the quickest access to climbing and mountains and ocean and mountain biking and skiing then check out North Vancouver. It may be a bit more on the rent though. It is also very close to downtown.
Enjoy the traffic.
If you have any questions then feel free to pm me. My profile says I live in Canmore, but I lived in most of the Vancouver areas all of my life untill about 4 months ago, so I may be able to answer most of your questions.
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queenofthewild
May 20, 2004, 12:54 AM
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Heya, I'm an ex-pat Brit who moved to Vancouver last year. Vancouver may be expensive for Canada...but compared to England it's cheap. I mean what's gas in the UK per litre, right now? CD$2 ? About twice the price as it is here...
Anyways, transport in Vancouver is good but you needs a car...or a climbing partner with a car to get up to Squamish or out to Penticton for good climbing... although for sunny evening there are a few walls really really close to the city. Cliffhanger at Coquitlam is an awesome gym but it's too far to go from Vancouver if you plan on going s few times a week. Cliffhanger in the city is kinda small especially if you like to boulder... But it's only about 10-12 blocks from MEC so if you want to live in that area....The Edge in North Van is nice and friendly, especially for making good climbing buddies. North Van isn't so easy by public transport from the area you want to be but it's not that difficult either...
Try this for accomodation too...it's run by the student union but lots of people advertise there: http://www.amsrentsline.com/
Good luck and hope to see ya on some rock around here sometime this summmer :wink:
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