Stunning Views From New B.C. Bolted 5.10b Multi-Pitch
Throne of Kings climbs a line above the Howe Sound north of Vancouver
Anyone who’s seen the mountains north of Vancouver knows that there’s a lot of rock climbing potential. Some of the terrain has been explored over the years, but few routes are considered modern, like those fully bolted and cleaned lines around Squamish.
In the 1990s, legendary Squamish climber Robin Barley bolted a climb on what would become the Howe Sound Redbout Wall above just north of Lions Bay and the popular Mount Harvey. The first ascent went to Guy Edwards, John Miller and Lena Rowatt, but few details were ever made public about the climb.
In 2018, Brent Nixon (who established Guaranteed Rugged in Marble Canyon) ventured up to Redoubt Wall in search of adventure. Nixon said that after some research, he was able to find the old Barley route, which was called This Fortress Built By Nature and graded 5.11-. The climb is overgrown and has old hardware. Nixon climbed it and said it’s likely more like 5.11d or even 5.12a; he mentioned that he did find a bail biner around the second crux.
Nixon returned with Lisa Newhook to develop a new eight-pitch 5.10b all-bolted climb they called Throne of Kings. They also revived the old approach trail. Nixon posted some great beta to the climb here. The pitches go at 5.4, 5.7, 5.9, 5.8, 5.8, 5.10b, 5.7 and 5.7. You need 10 quickdraws and a 70-metre rope. As Nixon said, “Take your time and enjoy the spectacular views out over Howe Sound.”
Throne of Kings Topo
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