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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Feb 14, 2012 - 04:09pm PT
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Oh ok, I was just perusing Malemute routes, getting psyched to do some. I always guesstimated that that name was referencing one of your cheesy bearded cohorts.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2012 - 02:01pm PT
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Hamish F- Welcome indeed! Thank you for expanding on the U-Wall legend, as always the real tale is much more interesting than the fable. I hope to hear more tales of your adventures if you are interested to share them.
Bmacd- Thanks for the heads up, I look forward to hearing Tami speak and meeting those in attendance on Thursday night. Sounds like it's gonna be fun.
kid- I wish I would have known climbers earlier in life myself, and I grew up in BC but didn't start climbing till I was 22..
Oplopanax- You are intriguing me with your pictures.. Would love to come check it out for myself one day..
Hamie- I would be interested in checking out the "Convenience bolt" with the kid when things dry up... Maybe I might even get a few photos of YPLS while i'm at it.
Tami- Just in case you missed it the first time, here is a pic of Relic for you.
D
See ya Thursday night!
I got a couple new shots last weekend when I went to Big White with my beautiful girlfriend and my sister. They have a 60 foot ice tower there designed and run by Jim Ongena.
Big White Ice Tower
Me low on the tower
Sandra Topolay photo.
My beautiful girlfriend swinging
I never expected this thing to top 500 posts. Nice work people!
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Feb 15, 2012 - 11:48pm PT
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my fave Hamish Fraser quote is the one from Gripped? some climbing mag, anyway... wherein he talks about the time (days) it takes to whore yourself out at a tradeshow to potential sponsors in hope of a free rope or pair of shoes vs. the time it takes (hours) to work at a good paying job to buy the same things :)
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Feb 16, 2012 - 12:05am PT
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MH
I never heard Jim B nor anyone else ever mention bouldering, let alone engage in anything remotely similar. It is perhaps significant that the paragraph on bouldering is the last one in his guide. He may have added it as an afterthought. Perhaps he meant "There are many 'potential' problems to be found...." He would have been well aware of the small amount of bouldering which was practiced in Camp 4 at that time.
Likewise I never heard anyone mention the possibility of climbing in the Bluffs. Less than a dozen climbers, including our American visitors, had the whole Chief to ourselves. We rarely ventured past the apron or the south gully. There was no incentive or necessity to seek out small crags and smaller boulders. I believe that it would be incorrect to say that bouldering, or interest in the Bluffs existed in 1962, or even in 1967.
HM
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 01:04am PT
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Luke and Ais
Where?
Story later....
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MH2
climber
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Feb 16, 2012 - 01:09am PT
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Topout of those hard cracks right of Squamish Buttress 10c pitch?
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 16, 2012 - 02:03am PT
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Perhaps Jim B noticed that there were promising appearing bluffs across from what was then downtown Squamish, and noticed that there were boulders scattered around under the Grand Wall, and projected possibilities. Although Big Jim says he did scramble on (probably) the Black Dyke boulder. And it was somewhat prescient of Jim to think that way.
I'm not sure what development there was on Bughouse Heights/Hospital Hill/South Ridge, or indeed on the east side of the highway, in 1962. Not much, probably. (Valleycliffe apparently was originally Skunk Hollow.)
My guess is that the photo is from the new crags about 40 km up the Squamish Valley. Does look a bit like the top of the buttress, but seems too broken and featured.
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hamish f
climber
squamish
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Feb 16, 2012 - 10:49am PT
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I would think these guys are sitting on top of heatwave. Not wanting to beat my chest too hard but that is a great pitch. True story there is Chris Wild spent a long time scrubbing that pitch into perfection, but couldn't quite lead it. I ran into him one day in Sqaumish and he told me about his beautiful, clean, long, should be a classic, route. He said to have at er. We did, and it was stellar. But it was Chris who should get the credit as he probably got some tendonitis from doing such a great scrub job. It seems to me Squamish has done very well from Chris's hard labour over the years; with hard-fought routes everywhere. Everyone should buy that man some beer.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 02:59pm PT
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Mh2 had it but Hamish F nails it for the win!
I have myself have experienced what a difference Kris has made to Squamish. I climbed Calculus crack sometime before he cleaned it, and remember there being *a lot* of dirt and moss back then.
Not to mention the new starts, which were still hidden in those days.
Kris, if I ever see you at the bar I will gladly buy you a pint or two...
What's your new 5.11 called again?
Ok.. I promised a story for that photo...
That was an early June day last year. The Canucks were still in the playoffs and me and Kyle and Nina thought we could do a three person ascent of the buttress with my half ropes, and still catch the game. On a weekend.
In truth, Aislinn should have been with us that day to make two parties, but I mistakenly thought she was going with Luke.
We got to the Apron parking lot late, and talked to big Jim for awhile before we got going.
We decided to Trimul Bananna Peel to save time, but stopped at the ledge above the crux to offer Nina a quick belay.
As we passed a party at the water solution pockets, the belayer asks me "What happens if you guys fall and you aren't connected to anything?". To which I replied "We allways try and make sure we have at least a couple pieces in between us". She looks up and says "Are you sure about that?".
I glanced up at Kyle, who was running it out to pass their leader, quickly slung a tree and called up, "Hey Kyle can you please put a piece in?".
After topping out the Apron things went pretty smooth until we hit a roadblock at the first pitch of the Buttress.. Three parties ahead of us with the roadblock being a party of three who were struggling with the one hard move on the first pitch.
I wish I had known about Relics variation that day! We decided to wait and one party in front of us bailed so things started moving along not bad. The party of three bailed left to the buttface at the boulder, and we were off to the base of the buttress pitch.
When I arrived to the base of the headwall, there was a girl flailing to make it to the piton on the 10c pitch. I set up anchor and brought everyone up. Nina and Kyle arrived just in time witness the leader take a 20 foot whipper at which point she decided to lower and have her partner finish the pitch.
We heard a yell emerge from above and looked up to see Luke and Aislinn sitting at the Heatwave anchor waiting for us.. Luke had climbed the Buttress with a different partner and Ais hiked up there to meet him. They must have sat up there for a couple hours at least.
Meanwhile the other team had made it back to their highpoint and this girl is flailing at the top too. She mentions something about "The guidebook says it's 5.9 if you aid the pin". "What guidebook have you been reading?" I replied?
Eventually she flails up it and Squamish cheered! It was as if they could see her, but we knew it meant that we had missed the hockey game.
When we finally got on the 10c pitch I managed to climb clean to just below the piton, but whipped as I lost my footing, and scrapped to the anchor in decent time. Kyle followed and then we threw his rope down to Nina so she could have both half's for her toprope.
We got to the top and had a quick saftey meeting with Luke and Ais, then headed down before things got dark.
BTW Thank you Sonnie for your Buttface variation. If not for your efforts that party of three would have been in front of us too!!
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bmacd
Mountain climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 16, 2012 - 03:27pm PT
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This would be a good time to let you guys know gf and I scooped a new line last fall that joins U-Wall at the tree. It went at a remarkably reasonable 5.12b
We were extremely pleased that the current generation local fly-boys have been asleep at the wheel on this one.
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Feb 16, 2012 - 03:38pm PT
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Luckily Jim Baldwin and I did not have to fight any crowds or line-ups on the 2nd ascent.
Here's today's quiz. Who wrote this, and what were he/she describing?
"The rock is often poor, the cliffs covered with bushes, and the cracks filled with dirt and moss; blank areas will require bolts."
MH and Nails are welcome to respond.
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thekidcormier
Trad climber
squamish, b.c.
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Feb 16, 2012 - 03:55pm PT
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Cool looking line BMACD, does it start of the escape flake? I look forward to giving it a go. Any Rack recommendations?
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bmacd
Mountain climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:05pm PT
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We want everyone to stay off it till we retro-bolt in stations and protection, it's presently extremely unsafe to go up there as we we forced to do a lot of simul-climbing once we committed to the face climbing on the pillar from the last natural belay stance. No protection, no belays.
"Do Not Attempt to Repeat this route until further notice"
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:10pm PT
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Bruce
When I first looked at your post, about 5 minutes ago, it was rated at 11b. It is now shown as 12b. That is a very rapid grade inflation--even for Squamish!! Remarkably reasonable indeed. The Pillar of Perfidy more likely.
Cheers, H.
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bmacd
Mountain climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:14pm PT
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Hamie, the bad news is we broke most of the major holds on the first ascent, due to the friable nature of the flakes which comprise the face climbing. It's likely the second ascent party will encounter 5.13 - 5.14 difficulties.
I didn't want to sandbag anyone too badly, hence the grade inflation.
Presently we are sponsored by
United Rentals
38921 Queens Way, Squamish, BC V8B 0K9
(604) 892-9006 or (604) 892-9004 (Fax)
to go back this summer in 2012, and with the use of one of their comprressor drills, to retro bolt the route, and in doing so, provide indisputable proof, to everyone, we did the first ascent in 2011.
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Scrubber
climber
Straight outta Squampton
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:31pm PT
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Everyone should buy that man some beer.
Kris, if I ever see you at the bar I will gladly buy you a pint or two...
What's your new 5.11 called again?
Hot damn!I like the sound of that!
Are you referring to the route to the left of the Upper Black Dyke? If so, it's called Grand Finale. 5p, 5.11a
Hamish, thanks for the kind words. Remember the alternate name, Uncle Hamish's Wild Ride , after I mistook you for Val's uncle at the rec center! Ha!!
For those of you who are keen, I'm looking to (possibly with help) re-buff those three routes again this spring, then stash a rope in a dry bag up there so we can charge up there after work and run laps with a soloist. I've got a long way to go before any laps will be charged, but if the rope is there... The routes are Heatwave, Gemini, and Progress Can't Wait for those unfamiliar with the spot.
This would be a good time to let you guys know gf and I scooped a new line last fall that joins U-Wall at the tree. It went at a remarkably reasonable 5.11b
WTF?!?!?! Seriously?!?!? Wow, talk about the unplucked gem. I haven't heard about that one.
EDIT Hmmmm.... United Rentals is out of business, and there is nothing but blankness over there. Not even April 1
KW
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hamish f
climber
squamish
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Feb 16, 2012 - 05:29pm PT
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Ya... lucky for me Val still looks 27. We were at Kal tire getting her winter tires put on once and the guy told her to tell her dad to come by later to pick up the summer tires. Ooops.
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bmacd
Mountain climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 16, 2012 - 05:44pm PT
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there is nothing but blankness over there.
Lower Pillar of Symmetry beta - Pitch 1 & 2:
Climb mossy cracks and slab with good pro at base of the pillar overlap. Follow slab/arch left to where weakness is breaking right to dyke. Now a Left facing groove allows movement back left to discontinuous face holds which gain arete at a large ledge with good natural gear for belay on the left side of the Pillar. Climb crack from ledge to undercling position and reach to high to gain face holds right of arete and using the very positive feeling arete edge on your left, establish one handed layback and then ascend this slightly off vertical feature to another very good stance at the base of a scoop, in the top left of the photo, which presents you with the crux pitch.
Pitches 3, 4 & 5:
From the base of the scoop, begins the hardest face climbing of the route, which is probably now, slightly harder than the face climbing on Grandwall. Stay on the right side of this highly featured groove which forms the pillars buttress. Climb under the mini humpty dumpty block on right before starting traverse to join the slabby crack protected catwalk. At the end of catwalk move left to surmount difficult face climbing which turns the corner into U-Wall at the tree.
Click to enlarge.
There are plenty of face holds on the pillar, you just can't see them when you are standing in the parking lot looking up. Take your bolt kit, as we left no traces of passage.
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hamish f
climber
squamish
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Feb 16, 2012 - 05:54pm PT
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Ya, maybe we'll talk to the powers that be and change that name back. Heatwave was always a little sucky for such a cool pitch.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Feb 16, 2012 - 05:54pm PT
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Hot damn!I like the sound of that!
Well, if you like free beer, and you like scrubbing, just come down to Seattle for a visit. We'll provide the beer, and lead you to the scrubbing.
When I moved down here I was worried about how I'd feed the scrubbing jones I'd developed over twenty years at Squamish. Little did I realize the extent of moss and dirt and tree roots that would be available to me here.
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