Five Squamish 5.11 Pitches You Should Climb

Squamish is world-class for its long granite routes and hard bouldering so close to the road, but in between the short and the long are test-piece 5.11 cracks.

Many climbers can’t line up and send 5.12 after 5.12 on gear, but 5.11s present a difficulty that is not so out of reach for the seasoned all-round climber.

Squamish 5.11s range from run-out slabs with spacey bolts to nail-biting seams with dime-edge crystals. Here are five 5.11s every 5.11 climber should try in Squamish.

Kangaroo Corner is a stand-out climb up a sharp looking corner near the parking lot at the Smoke Bluffs. With a hard-to-protect layback/stem crux, the 5.11a grade feels hard because of the committing moves.

There are about seven metres of 5.11 off the ground and then about four metres of easier 5.8 climbing. Peter Croft once said it is a good line to break into 5.11 routes.

Crime of the Century has long been a popular 5.11c at the Smoke Bluffs. It starts a few metres left of Penny Lane and climbs a few bouldery moves off the ground, which leads to a great finger crack.

The 15-metre route has stumped many good climbers with its thin jam and technical foot work. The difficulties continue to the chains.

A rad shot by Timothy Sherry (@tsherrygeo) of Ryan Cerf on Crime of the Century 5.11c in Squamish. Visit Gripped.com five fun 5.11s in Canada's West Coast climbing town. #tradisrad #squamish #grippedmagazine #climbing

A photo posted by Gripped Magazine (@grippedmagazine) on Jul 6, 2016 at 11:26am PDT

Boogie ’til You Puke went viral online after top climber Jason Kruk got his knee stuck and he had a hangover accident.

The 40-metre 5.11 offwidth starts up a chimney that narrows to awkward hand and fist stacks. There is a piton about eight metres up that protects a technical bulge move. Near the top, it constricts to great hand jams. Use a 35-metre rope.

Rug Munchers is one of the most classic 5.11+ pitches in Squamish. Found on the Forgotten Wall at Check, it is stacked with technical moves and sustained reaches.

There is a small shake-out a few bolts up, but the pump builds past all seven clips. One of the best routes at the grade on the West Coast.

Too Pink To Think was first climbed by the legendary duo Peter Croft and Tami Knight at 5.11b.

As crack specialist Stu Smith noted, “There were two bolts protecting the roof and lip, luckily they were chopped leaving a pure gear protected route with a small but fantastic roof/lip encounter.”