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Stu Smith Sends New Squamish 5.13+ at Smoke Bluffs

Stu Smith has been on a roll this year on the West Coast and has sent a multi-year project at the Pleasure Palace area near Boulder Gully at the Smoke Bluffs. The “long forgotten crag,” as Smith stated, has a splitter seam that cuts across a pillar.

Smith first learned about the route by local route developer Alan Stevenson aka Hevy Duty.

Smith rappelled and cleaned the route a few years ago and deemed it too hard at the time. A year later, he returned hoping he could dyno past the thin holds. The following year, he could make the dyno, but not stick the final jug. Earlier this year, he worked on a new sequence through the thin holds.

Stu Smith on Every Minute 5.13+. Photo Jordan Tieszen
Stu Smith on Every Minute 5.13+. Photo Jordan Tieszen (follow here)

This week, he sent the hard all-gear line he called Every Minute. “It climbs a slabby ramp then traverses left around a blunt arête to a seam which splits a smooth, slightly overhanging wall,” said Smith.

“This is a pure gear route and I did not have to place any bolts as there is an old sport route which finish at the top of the same pillar.

“As for the grade it’s hard to say, will have to get some of the local strong climbers to confirm but in my opinion is much much harder then any 5.13c I have climbed and in bouldering grades I would say the crux is V10 to 11.” Follow Smith on Instagram here.

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