New Squamish Seven-Pitch 5.10b on Apron is Born Again
The latest route by longtime route developer Kris Wild and friends
A new seven-pitch 5.10b was completed on the Apron in Squamish called Born Again this year. The route combines a number of new and old pitches to create a modern trad line up one of the most famous features in Canadian climbing.
“We finally closed the last chapter of our Apron project,” said west coast route developer Kris Wild. “If you’ve wondered about that new white streak growing down the Apron over the winter, here you go.”
Pitches one, two, four, some of five and seven were completed by Wild, Fraser Young and Phil Bonham, according to Wild’s new route info. Pitches three and some of five were first climbed in 1971 by Gordie Smaill and Eric Weinstein via their route Bloodlust. Pitch six is part of Bandwagon, a 1971 route by Jack Bradshaw and Garrett Gardner.
In 2014, Wild and Paul Sobchak established Long Time No See, a nine-pitch 5.9 up the Apron, for more on that see here. In 2017, Wild and Fern Webb established Read Between the Lines, a five-pitch 5.10, see here for more. Earlier this year, St. Bernard was added to the Apron by Aaron Kristiansen and Cameron Hunt at 5.9 in four pitches, see here for more.
“This route links together some new and some overgrown old pitches of surprisingly moderate climbing at the right hand edge of the imposing Central Apron,” said Wild. “This assembly of pitches is about half crack and half slab, and creates what is likely the best-protected 5.10 on the Apron.” New bolts replaced old 1/4” ones or decrepit pitons where modern trad gear technology didn’t provide alternatives. You need a standard rack to three inches with doubles of small cams to 1″.
Born Again
Pitch one: Ascend the slab past several bolts and discontinuous crack features to a ledge on the right (5.8 35m)
Pitch two: Thin moves with close bolts leads to easy rambling and a station 10m above the large ledge (5.9 30m)
Pitch three: Step right into the thin corner and follow it all the way to the top. A few face moves to the left take you to the anchor. Many nut and small cam placements (5.9 45m)
Pitch four: Past an old chain station at the top of the corner, and horizontally out right across the slab. You will be crossing Dancing in the Light at your 4th bolt. Continue right to the base of a crack system (5.10b 25m).
Pitch five: Up intermittent cracks until forced to step right around the arete into flakes on the sidewall of the Diedre corner. Up these for several metres, then back left past two bolts into the next crack system. You may need to give climbers on Diedre space when in the close section. Belay at the large ledge with a cedar tree (5.10a 30m)
Pitch six: The splitter hands-to-fingers corner, and face crack above. Begin on the right behind the tree (5.9 35m)
Pitch seven: Step right into a scoop, and follow the blunt arete to a station just below a ramp leading to Broadway ledge (5.9 50m)
Descent: Probably wise to keep the rope on to get up onto Broadway, then down right to the top of Diedre. 40m 4th class. Standard Apron descent to the South.
Squamish Access Society
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