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sac
Trad climber
spuzzum
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Niiiiice dude!
Gracias!
Hey, is that Guy Edwards w/ Mr. Beckey in that pic?
Looking forward to checkin' out the new routes "up there"
... once "the darkness" has passed.
Mooore!! please
A.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C. Small wall climber.
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That photo does look like Fast Eddie, from the mid to late 1990s.
For clarity, the Eldred is less than 150 km northwest of Vancouver as the ladybug flies, but there are two intervening fjords, including Howe Sound. Hence the ferries, and the time needed to get there. Most of the valley bottoms have been logged and are now regrowing, and the road is being kept open for use by a hydro-power generation project. Bears are a non-issue, although undoubtedly there are both blacks and grizzlies around. Bring bear spray if you're paranoid - Canada customs will happily confiscate any firearms you're dumb enough to bring, and deport you. (Edit: You can buy bear spray at MEC in Vancouver.) Generally the bears are more frightened of you than you are of them, and the first you know is when you hear a noise, look up, and see one bounding away. The exception, of course, is camp areas, especially food storage. Need to be careful there.
I've only been to the Eldred once, but it reminded me of climbing at Squamish decades ago. Small friendly community, emphasis on fun and adventure, no one too worried about who does what as long as the forest doesn't get burned down. It is a bit remote, being an hour from Powell River, a Squamish-sized place, and it can rain a lot there. And creating new routes usually takes some effort, giving vegetation. But there are lots of opportunities.
Colin and friends organize a get-together and work weekend there on the third weekend of May each year, which is great fun. There are a dozen or more climbers living in the PR area, but my guess is that apart from summer weekends, visitors would often have the area to themselves.
If you go north from Vancouver, you cross six, possibly seven, regularly traveled roads before you hit the Arctic Ocean - over 2,000 km north. The first half is rather mountainous. We're on the edge of the wilderness, although many fail to realize it.
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ryanb
climber
Seattle, WA
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Looks awesome!
There are innumerable fjords up the BC coast, most of which have fine granitic walls, but most are very difficult to reach without a good boat. Howe Sound (leading to Squamish) is the southernmost, although there are fjords closer to the equator in Newfoundland, Chile and possibly New Zealand.
I think parts of puget sound (particularly hood canal) in WA state are also technically fjords? No granite cliffs close to the water though...
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C. Small wall climber.
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Yeah, I wonder about that myself. I suspect that geologists and geographers use the word fjord more precisely than the public. The all-knowing wikipedia says Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord
The article refers to fjords in Newfoundland, Galicia (Spain), Washington (Hood Canal), western New Zealand, and Chile. Not sure about Puget Sound - was it glacier-filled? Maybe either side of the Olympics?
Norwegians use fjord for both glacial valleys leading into fresh water or salt water - which would mean that wherever there are glaciers and lakes, there may be fjords.
Tourism boosters in Squamish like to claim that the Chief is the "second largest granite monolith in the world", which is beyond absurd. A few also like to claim that Howe Sound is the fjord nearest the equator, which clearly isn't true, but may not be far off, however pointless such a claim may be.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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I've always thought Vancouver is a beautiful and sophisticated city, but I didn't know it had areas that appear relatively undeveloped in such close proximity.
John, what Anders said about how you'd only cross about six regularly-traveled roads between Vancouver and the Arctic Ocean doesn't even begin to convey how empty the mountains are. Yes, there are plenty of popular peaks in the immediate vicinity of Vancouver, but for the most part the mountains running up the BC Coast see almost no visitors. And you really don't have to go far from the city of Vancouver itself to be in true wilderness.
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ryanb
climber
Seattle, WA
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Most of puget sound (perhaps the whole Salish Sea?) was carved by glaciers during one of the ice ages I think:
http://www.pugetsoundkeeper.org/about-puget-sound/geology-folder
The kitsap peninsula (the arrow head shaped peninsula between Hood Canal and Puget Sound proper) is actually mostly glacier till with a few scattered glacial erratics...some fun problems on smooth rock but no concentration at all (I grew up there).
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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That's not Guy E in the photo.
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pazzo
climber
Vancouver BC
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Anders, you always have a lot of stuff to say (good stuff, that is). I love reading about local history when it comes from you.
So rich in knowledge. I can't speak for the funds though :D
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kinnikinik
Trad climber
B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 9, 2009 - 08:34pm PT
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The dude with Fred came once .with Fred from somewhere like Missouri, Unfourtunately I,ve forgot his name. Nice guy though. We are mostly climbing routes ground up, but occaisionally using whatever tactics work. Stance drilling with power drills being the most popular method.
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pazzo
climber
Vancouver BC
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What are the hardest 'all free' climbs that have been developed?
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kinnikinik
Trad climber
B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 9, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
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The hardest all free climbs are Eldred 9+ (could be as hard as mid 10)
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pazzo
climber
Vancouver BC
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Nov 10, 2009 - 12:34am PT
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That's it? What about lines waiting to be freed?
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Climbing dropout
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
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Nov 10, 2009 - 12:50am PT
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Maybe a good place to go and un-dropout myself next summer. That campsite looks fantastic. I still have my gas powered Ryobi hammer drill.
But how bad is the damn Sasquatch problem up there ?
Anders how long were you up there for ?
Now the whole world knows about the place ....
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Nov 10, 2009 - 01:05am PT
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Now the whole world knows about the place ....
Well, given that there has been an actual printed guidebook available for at least a few years, it was hardly a secret. And posting about it on a forum devoted to the worship of what happened in Yosemite thirty years ago (and whining about what is wrong with politics today) isn't going to bring hordes of climbers to PR.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
Will know soon
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Nov 10, 2009 - 01:15am PT
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Nice Thread and Thanks ..... great pictures, info, and looks like much Fun. Peace, lynne
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
climber
. . . not !
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Nov 10, 2009 - 03:17am PT
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That place is completely . . . M E N T A L .
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kinnikinik
Trad climber
B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2009 - 09:52am PT
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Here is a list of routes completed in the Eldred,by formation,approximately in chronological order.
Psyche Slab:
Psychopath5.10 1988 10pitches
Sanitarium5.9+R 1995 10pitches
Delusional reality5.9+ 1996 12pitches
Schitzophrenia5.10b 1998 12pitches
Falkland Crisis5.9 1998 6pitches
Solstice5.10 1999 3pitches
SeretoninReuptakeInhibitor5.10- 1999 8pitches
Day Pass5.7 2004 4pitches
Racknphobia5.10+ 2006 3pitches
Scattered Conditions5.11-A0 2007 8pitches
Never-Neverland5.10C2 2008 8pitches
Decoy5.10 2009 8pitches
Carag Dur:
Funk Soul Brother Wall5.7A4+ 14pitches
West Main Wall:
Mainline5.11A4+ 1994 20pitches
Mad Buggers Wall5.10A3 1997 10pitches
Call of The Granite5.12A2 2004 24pitches
Amon Ruhd:
On The Verge5.9+ 2001 10pitches
A bunch of other stuff has been worked on by various people, particularily on Carag-Dur and the West Main Butress but is too incomplete to be listed
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pazzo
climber
Vancouver BC
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Nov 10, 2009 - 11:15am PT
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Thanks Colin. It would be interesting to see some *really* strong climbers freeing those aid sections.
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Nov 10, 2009 - 12:42pm PT
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Mikey Schaefer was up[ there this summer to do Call of the Granite but I heard did not redpoint...
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