Five Squamish Crags to Practice Slab Climbing
Perfect your friction climbing techniques before committing to a long multi-pitch

The Apron in Squamish is packed with amazing multi-pitch climbs where friction slab skills are essential. Routes like Banana Peel 5.7, Slab Alley 5.8, Diedre 5.8, Over the Rainbow 5.9, Born Again 5.10b, One Scoop with Delicious Dimples 5.10c and Unfinished Symphony 5.11b are just a few of the must-try lines. Although many of these climbs are of a modest grade, they should not be taken lightly as they often contain runouts on slabby terrain.
If you’re new to friction slab climbing and want to practice some techniques before heading up a more committing route, we recommend you visit one of these five crags. These spots are great for working your way up in the grades and building confidence.
While there are a few great slabs to climb north of Squamish, in places like Chek, they don’t mimic the low-angle climbing you’ll find closer to town. The Apron has pure friction smearing, which involves looking for the biggest and most textured crystals for your feet. The rock at Chek is a different type of granite, with way more edges to stand on.
If you’re new to Squamish or you’re just now looking at trying out some slab, be sure to visit these five crags before heading up high.
Squamish Slab
Shannon Springs Wall:Â Found near Shannon Falls, the relatively new Shannon Springs Wall is a high-quality crag of slabby crack and face climbs. The wall was developed by local route developer and skiing pro Nick McNutt in 2019 and 2020. While the stone is quite featured, you’ll still have to trust some smears. The crag gets morning shade and sports a very easy approach.
The Corner Unit: The Corner Unit is another great slab wall addition by McNutt. It’s found on the backside of the Papoose, just to the left of the popular Condo Crack 5.6 two-pitch climb. Unlike Shannon Springs, the crag gets afternoon shade. Blown Budget 5.8, Bidding War 5.9, and Stress Test 5.10a are great fully-bolted friction slab climbs. The gear lines at the crag often feature bolted slab sections as well.
Stooge’s Slab: At the top of the southern portion of the Malamute you’ll find Stooge’s Slab, a small slab section of wall with great stone and an even better view. The routes Larry 5.9, Curly 5.9, and Moe 5.8 are excellent choices for top-roping or leading. Larry and Curly are better bolted than Moe. To TR these routes, it’s best to set an anchor and rap in to the small ledge at the start of the climbs.
Burgers and Fries: The Smoke Bluffs is packed with high quality slab climbs, many of which can be easily top-roped. Burgers and Fries is one crag containing lots of slab climbs of varying grades. Many of these slab lines contain serious run outs and thus top-roping is common – a great way to practice your slab skills. Other good Bluffs crags for working your smears include Free and Easy, Parking Lot Wall, Funarama, and Second Avenue (when clean).
AMO Wall:Â Once you’re starting to feel comfy, a great multi-pitch area to check out before jumping on a bigger Apron route is the AMO Wall in Shannon Falls. It contains a bunch of very slabby routes up to four pitches long, most in the lower grades. The friction smearing you do here translates very well to easier Apron slab climbs. Some pitches at AMO have run-outs but most have decent bolt spacing.
Where to Find Topos:Â Detailed topos of Stooge’s Slab, Burgers and Fries, and AMO Wall can be found in the guidebooks Squamish Select or Squamish Rockclimbing. Shannon Springs and The Corner Unit are newer crags and aren’t currently found in any published guide. You can find free topos of the two walls on Quickdraw Publications or Sea to Sky Climbing.