Rock Climbing Weekly #8: 5.14, Saskatchewan and Access
New routes, hard repeats, access news and climbing in Saskatchewan's far north
There’s a lot to cover in the world of rock climbing, so we’re bringing it to you in a quick-to-read story that highlights some of the most noteworthy sends and misses of the week. For indoor-only climbing, visit Gripped Indoors and for paddling, camping, skiing and hiking visit Gripped Outdoors.
Despite the smoky skies, Canadians are busy getting after big alpine, hard sport repeats and burly boulders. In Squamish, Bonnie De Bruijn climbed Rock Fun V9, check out her post below to watch the send, and read about her top seven Squamish V5s here. On Instagram, De Bruihn said, “My first day on this line, I couldn’t do 2/3 of the moves and the crux felt especially impossible. I’m still kinda in disbelief that I put it together.”
Also on the coast, Graham McGrenere sent Middle Child 5.14a at Cheakamus Canyon, and said, “Freakin’ finally. Tried this way back when before we put in the link bolt, got close, Mike sent, and I lost motivation, and finally came back after injury to try and finish it.” Also at Cheakamus, Dan Beland climbed Separation Anxiety 5.13c, and said, “Almost hit the boulder after falling at the last draw. Make sure your belayer is paying attention. A little extra slack and you’ll be on the boulder for sure. Aside from that, the moves are cool.” And Tyan Sklenica sent Down System 5.14a at The Circus.
The classic Young Blood 5.13a on the Cacodemon Boulder has seen a number of repeats lately, including by Adrian Kask, Sophie Buitendyk and Jeff Yoo (watch below). All the big route on The Chief are getting regular attention, and the serious rockfall events that were taking place have all but stopped.
In interior B.C., Daren Tremaine made the FA of The Sequel to Your Life 5.12d and Pant Pants Re-evaluation 5.10d at the Slocan Bluffs. And Allen James Rollin made the FA of Flower Power 5.11b at Tulip Falls, a crag said to be “The best shady summer crag in the West Kootenays. Sculpted gniess at its finest. 2.5 km from the Syringa campground. Mostly in the 5.10+to 5.12+ range, with lots of outrageous features.”
Some first 5.14s in Alberta
At Lake Louise, Duncan Gregson repeated Complete 5.13a and said, “Found some higher percentage beta for the top of incomplete which made being able to send this much easier instead of falling all the time before the actual 5.13a section.”
At Acephale in Alberta, Nick Rochacewich sent Flying Ants 5.14a, Sean Whalen climbed Army Ants 5.13c, Alex King climbed Sweet Thing 5.13b, Bart Urbanski climbed his first 5.14a, James Barrand climbed his first 5.14a with Leviathan, Maddy Marchuk sent Super Dave 5.13d and Mihoko Tani sent The Hood 5.13b. In Echo Canyon, Mike Doyle repeated Fit Bird Direct 5.14a.
At Ravens Crag, where the famous Fight Club 5.15b is located, Mason Tessier made the FA of Shame pt. 2 at 5.13c and said, “After a lot of work over many years, I’m happy to finally finish it off today with perfect conditions.” At Stoneworks crag, not far from Ravens, Dexter Bateman repeated Plastic Man 5.13c.
Saskatchewan and east
In Saskatchewan, seven women paddled to the remote Eulas Lake to explore possible rock climbs and top-roped a number of climbs, read about their expedition here.
A lot of route development has been going on in northern Ontario, close to Thunder Bay, including Happy Fish 5.12a at Silver Harbour. A full new-route report will be in the next issue of Gripped magazine. At southern Ontario’s Niagara Glen, Emily Thuro made the FA of Chuu! V3. Watch below.
In Quebec, Jake Tiger repeated The Belly of the Whale V10, and wrote on Sendage, “Was stumped on this my first session. I was trying a harder beta. Jumping to the slopy pinch at the lip. It was pointed out to me there’s a little three finger incut further right. It went much easier when I used that hold. I thought it was called slapping the belly of the whale, like slapping a sloper. Not slap the belly-button of the whale. Amazing boulder though. Aesthetic, good landing, easy topout, fun climbing.” Watch below.
And in New Brunswick, Peter Adamson has released a new guidebook app with every route in the province, check it out below.
Access
Be sure to follow your local access group: Squamish, Kootenays, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland. For tips on how to be a good steward of the land visit here.
In Squamish, the stairs at the Petrifying Wall have degraded and need to be rebuilt. Squamish Access Society and Arc’teryx have partnered for a stewardship event as part of the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy later this month. See here for more info.
At the Bow Valley’s Acephale, Evan Hau reported that a number of routes have suspect glue-in bolts. He said: In my opinion, all glue in bolts placed in 2011 at Upper Wall are suspect. Affected routes are: Le Bleu du Ciel, Le Stade du Mirior, Bataille Dale’s Extender, The Angry Inch, The Warm-Up, Porthole to Hell, Sweet Thing, Fully Jingus, Jingus Americanus, The Hood, Hairball, Altius, Endless Summer, and Existence Mundane. Many bolts on these routes exhibit significant sideways twisting motion within the slot by hand. There appears to be no movement in and out at this time. The affected bolts appear to be high traffic bolts – crux bolts, first bolts, and common fall zones on the more popular routes. In particular, almost all the bolts on Jingus Americanus, The Hood, and Altius display this behaviour. TABVAR, the local access group, has responded and is looking into the issue.
In the West Kootenay bouldering scene, local expert Allen James Rollin announced: Ladybird Creek Bouldering area is now a BC Recreation Site! The entire bouldering area is now protected, there are 3 private, forested walk in campsites (between Swamp Donkey and the parking), there’s a fresh smelling new outhouse, a kiosk and a bunch of awesome new signs. This is a work in progress, and the bouldering community will be tasked with ongoing maintenance and upgrades. This is the first Rec Site in the West Kootenays created for the purpose of protecting a climbing area and it’s surrounding environment! Get out and enjoy it, forecast looks good this weekend. And thanks to TAWKROC for the help and Torin Glasenapp and his crew for all the work. SO STOKED!
Southern Ontario climbers are awaiting an official word from Ontario Parks about ongoing access concerns at Devil’s Glen. There haven’t been any updates from the Ontario Alliance of Climbers (OAC) over the past week, with the last word being: Yesterday, climbers at Devil’s Glen were approached by Ontario Parks wardens and advised that climbing is no longer tolerated on the cliffside areas located on Ontario Parks property. (This applies to all routes east of, or to the climber’s right of, the Nutcracker area. Routes farther west are located on Crown Land, which Ontario Parks has no authority over.) The OAC has contacted Ontario Parks to obtain an official statement on these new enforcement measures. Until we receive a formal statement, we will not acknowledge a change in access status to this public land. Climbing at Devil’s Glen is considered Tolerated and climbers have long been great ambassadors for this beautiful area. Climbers are encouraged to continue climbing at Devil’s Glen in the meantime. If you encounter park staff and are asked to move, please obtain the contact information of the staff member and provide them with the OAC’s email address (info@ontarioallianceofclimbers.ca). If you are threatened with a ticket, please ask them to clarify what the exact offence is and the amount of the fine. If you encounter park staff or local homeowners, please be respectful and provide details of your encounter to the OAC as soon as possible. Thank you for your support as we work towards resolution.
Weekly Updates: Ice Season 2020/21, Rock 1, Rock 2, Rock 3, Rock 4, Rock 5, Rock 6, Rock 7
Gear and Tips: For spring rock climbing gear, check out the best climbing harnesses for 2021, best crack gloves and the best cams for 2021. Here are the seven best hiking boots for this year. For a great summer alpine book, visit here. For safety, here are five reasons to wear a helmet, tips to be a better bouldering spotter and 10 tips for a more fun spring. Always wear a helmet!
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