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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 4, 2015 - 08:14am PT
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Lol Tami!
Crazy story Ryan L!
I often wonder if you had half ropes in that situation if it would make a difference or just cut both lines.
I found this shot of me on Hamie's favourite climb, while going through my flickr awhile ago.
Thought it might work well for old photo thursday.
Big Mike on slab alley
Phil Tifo Photo
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cavemonkey
Ice climber
ak
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any of u canadians have pictures of carlyle climbing in squamish? She has been in my thoughts since I stumbled across here name here. Wish I had some pics of squampton to post, but last time I climbed there was before digi camera's!
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Anyone got any news on the next McClane comprehensive guidebook? It seems to have been at the "about to be released" stage for 5 years or so.
I see that amazon is offering the old one for $100/copy!
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Ghost upthread:
And as gnarly as the climb may be, the approach is an order of magnitude worse.
:-)
just take me back to California!
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 5, 2015 - 08:21am PT
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Not I cavemonkey. Sorry. Hopefully someone else might post a few up?
Anyone got any news on the next McClane comprehensive guidebook? It seems to have been at the "about to be released" stage for 5 years or so.
So, word is that he's got Andrew Boyd on the case now and it will be released this fall....
But I heard it was going to be released last fall too.. Lol
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Ryan L
climber
PORT MOODY
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Apparently there is also a new app/guidebook coming out for the smokebluffs called "Cragger"?. They have been around the bluffs the past couple weekends getting drone shots of the all the climbs.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Wishing Bruce Kay well.
Thanking recent contributors.
Great thread, Big Mike.
Question for Scrubber:
Is there a story behind the name of the climb Canadian Compromise?
thekidcormier
9 Nov 2011
Most of the lower malamute is relatively clean and climbable although illegal, except the few that bruce mentioned along with the two access pitches to quagmire; canadian compromise a 'wild' looking flaring flake
RyanD
9 May 2012
The only negative is you need to rap in or climb your choice of a heinous chimney flare(canadian compromise?) or dirty barley route (smithereens) or Fungus razor (good luck) to get there.
RyanD
19 June 2013
do Canadian compromise to quagmire crack on the way out. It is not closed & quagmire is one of the best 5.10s anywhere- Bring 2 blue camalots for cc.
Among the 3 of us we had 6 blues but ended up using 1 blue and one Robert. You could probably cut that gear by 1 blue.
Gnarly. A kneepad wouldn't hurt.
A railroad truck drove by and talked to us but were completely friendly. No discouraging words.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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So was there an anthrax scare on the Chief today or something?
We got to the base of the Grand Wall kind of late (maybe 10:00) and...
...and we were the only ones there! Gorgeous Saturday, bound to get stinking hot later, so the morning should have seen lineups on every climb along the base. But there wasn't a soul until we reached the right end and found two guys getting started on Millenium Falcon.
A bit later... Uh, okay, a lot later, we all topped out at about the same time. The Millenium Falconeers, us on Europa, and two other guys who arrived later and made quick work of the Grand.
But that was it. As far as I could tell, there was no one all day on any of the shorter climbs along the base, and no one coming up behind any of us on the longer routes.
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TheSoloClimber
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Here are a couple shots from my solo adventures as of late.
Kyle went up South Arete ahead of me a couple weeks ago and got some shots of me coming up St Vitus. The camera angle makes it look steeper than it actually is. I wouldn't want to climb this with a wasps nest on my head!
Relic took this of me earlier today on Worlds Toughest Milkman. I hadn't been on it before today. It's short, but super fun. I let the feet cut because... why not?
I contemplated this one for a while, but hit it up on a surprise day off during the week. Had a solid stem just below the crux, so whipped out my phone for a selfie haha. I needed a memento. Felt great, and I linked it into Ultimate Everything. Made an awesome outing.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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As far as I could tell, there was no one all day on any of the shorter climbs along the base
We're all going tomorrow.
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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BM
Nice shot of Slab Alley, thanks. The "elephant steps" look deeper/bigger than I remember them. How much do you weigh? :) :)
Ghost
TR for Europa/Crap Crags? Pix? Comments?
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 10:46am PT
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Apparently there is also a new app/guidebook coming out for the smokebluffs called "Cragger"?. They have been around the bluffs the past couple weekends getting drone shots of the all the climbs.
I think this is Hevy's new project. Sounds like the idea is a comprehensive guide to the bluffs in an app form.
Marc Bourdon recently released an app version of his select guide which included only the bluffs section of the guide.
Andy, so nice to see you here and thanks for the pics from Canadian Compromise! Looks fun in that awkward grindy offwidth sort of way.. Lol
Dave, nice to hear you guys had fun out there. Maybe everyone got scared off by the heat?
Nathan you crazy bro. Crazy. :)
Hamie- That's actually right after the really deep ones. Starting out on the upper slabs. Maybe the shadows make them look deeper?
I'm about 220 in that photo probably.. A bit leaner than my current state.. Lol
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 07:48pm PT
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Sandra and i got out for a few pitches this afternoon.
It was a gorgeous day. Any guesses where?
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 07:59pm PT
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Todd,
Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Ghost: TR for Europa/Crap Crags? Pix? Comments?
TR? You really want a trip report of an old guy getting hauled up a 5.8?
The TR is pretty simple. We drove up to Squamish on Friday, climbed Europa on Saturday, and then went for a beer with some old friends.
The slightly longer version is that Mari, as usual, wanted to do something hard; while I, as usual, was thinking "I could have stayed home and done a full weekend's work in the garden." But at some point on Friday night I said something about "Well, maybe I'd enjoy some moderate multi-pitch climb," and after plunging into the guidebook she came back up and said, "Right, how about Europa?"
So we agreed on Europa. Her, because even though it was too easy, it was at least something she hadn't climbed before. Me, because we agreed that if we started early enough, we'd be able to get to the top of the fourth pitch (where a rappel escape is possible) before the sun came over the rim and turned the Chief into a giant reflector oven.
We got on it by 10:30 or so (that's an alpine start for seniors), and, sure enough, were at the top of the fourth pitch with a bit of time to spare before the broiler turned on. Also sure enough, there were bolts and chains so beefy you could lower a locomotive off them. Which was good, because the climb to that point had followed a rising rightward weakness, without a single bolt, and bailing would not only be difficult, but also expensive.
So, with four pitches in the bag, I said, "Right, time to go home and see what's in the fridge." "Uuhhh..." sez she, "look what we'd be rapping into."
Hmmm. Total jungle. But the anchor was obviously there for rapping, so we tossed the ropes, and Mari dropped down the twenty feet to where they were piled up in the bush, and wisely said: "This is f*#ked."
It wasn't me down there, but, given that she knows what she's doing, and that a bushwhack rappel with no knowledge of what was below seemed stupid, she came back up (not without some cussing), and we pulled the ropes, and a variety of bushes that were tangled in them, back up, too.
I figured we'd probably die on the next three pitches, and that someone climbing the route on a cooler day would find our desiccated bodies, but it turned out that the sun didn't come over the rim until we'd finished the fifth pitch, and that the sixth and seventh pitch are in the shade almost no matter what the angle of the sun.
So that's pretty much it. We topped out at the south end of bellygood ledge, and hiked down the backside trail (running into Dave Vernon and Richard Suddabe en-route), and drove home. After showering, we went out for a beer and a bite with some old friends who live in Squamish.
But that's not what you wanted to know, is it? You want to know about "Europa vs Crap Crags."
I loved Crap Crags. It was a true Squamish adventure that I've had in my memory for thirty-five years. I climbed it with Steve Loomer, who was not only my closest friend back then, but also a terrific partner. Yeah, sure, half of it involved pulling up on tree roots and branches, and most of it wasn't very hard, but there'd been a real sense of setting off into the unknown, and we'd both enjoyed it.
So what has it become? Well, there's still one tree. The start of one of the upper pitches is an overhanging Bachar ladder of tree branches. The rest is vegetable-free, but, oddly, still offers a feeling of adventure. It is anything but another immaculately-cleaned Squamish crack. It is pitch after pitch of weird, blocky, mountain-like climbing. It's physical, too. Burly far beyond its grade -- the complete antitheses of modern granite climbing.
Hamish, I think you'd like it. It even has a squeeze chimney.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Good choice to continue. We watched a party rapping from it today, on the few occasions they were visible among the brush. They may still be up there.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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We watched a party rapping from it today, on the few occasions they were visible among the brush. They may still be up there.
Hmmm. Likely Bob Koen and his young son Alex.
I mentioned above that we'd joined a couple of old friends for food and beer afterwards. But along with Ed and Helen came Bob and Alex. I vaguely remember Bob from way back, but he apparently had a knee replaced recently and is now getting back on the rock, and his son is just getting into it.
We tried to say this might not be the best choice for a day out with the kid and the new knee, but Bob's been around the block a couple of times, so I figured they'd probably survive.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Ah, James, tell us more.
When we were supping with Ed and Helen, the subject of "Cleaning Europa cost an incredible amount," came up. Of course, having cleaned my fair share of pitches at Squamish, I immediately thought, "Yeah? Like what? A few hundred dollars?"
But Ed and Helen both said no, it was something like $14K.
And you say $17K?????? What the f*#k is up with that? And bolts? What do you mean about bolts? There are only seven bolts on the entire seven pitches (the belay at the top of p4, and bolt ladder that starts p6).
Anyone who's done any serious cleaning at Squamish knows that there's a certain investment in gardening tools and a couple of static ropes, but other than that the only cost is your time. Was he billing for his route-cleaning time? And did someone actually agree to pay him?
Tell us about this one. Seriously. This is beyond intriguing.
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Rolfr
Trad climber
La Quinta and Penticton BC
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If I could charge for my time route building, I could actually retire
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