New Short Crack Climbed at Thunder Bay Bluffs

Northwestern Ontario’s basalt cliffs are finally dry and warm enough to climb. In the city of Thunder Bay is the Centennial Bluffs, which have a short cliff line that spans for over a kilometre. Many of the routes were established during the 1970s and ’80s. The area has fallen into slight disrepair as graffiti covers some of the ancient stone and trash is spread across the base of the wall. Local climber Aric Fishman, who owns a guiding company called Outdoor Skills and Thrills, has been putting in many hours to bring new life into the old area as he works on a new guidebook.

One of the most popular roues at the bluffs for climbers to lead, as there are dozens of quality cracks, is called Zig Zag 5.7. Between it and Randy’s Crack 5.10 to the far right are a number of short established lines. Fishman and Paul Desaulniers re-cleaned an old route call Heidi’s Horror 5.8 and unearthed a new one they called Time Well Wasted 5.7. There are few places in Canada that have such easy access to this much climbing from down town, which makes these two short routes worth noting. Watch Fishamn climb a new 5.12 at Grey Wolf, a new area with 60-metre walls and hundreds of potential lines, near Thunder Bay.