Climbing is hard. So is getting old. Combine the two of them…. Well…. You will see…
It had been two years almost to the day that we were last in Squamish. That trip, also documented here on PGH was fantastic, and we were planning on replicating that. It was the same cast of characters. Just a bit older, and only one of us was any stronger. Regardless of the various and sundry physical and mental limitations there is nothing like the feeling of myth one experiences in that mossy, dappled green forest; be it for the first or the hundredth time.
The forest of course has been there since the proverbial mists of time. As have the boulders. Well, at least since the last ice age I suppose. The boulderers are a much more recent addition to the landscape.
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people of the region date back over 8,600 years, as substantiated by an archeological site found at nearby Porteau Cove. Without a doubt, those people had an intimate connection to the land. It would be poetic to think that some of the ancient inhabitants went bouldering, but alas that’s probably unlikely. And from the time they met the first European explorers in the 1790’s they had many more things to concern themselves with, including diseases, land theft, assimilation, and discrimination. Yeah… they probably weren’t climbing too much.
The first white men settled in around 1874. Farmers, prospectors, trappers, and eventually loggers. These hard working people weren’t climbing either. And that’s pretty much all that went on until the late 1950’s. Even at that, the few early climbers turned their collective attention to the Grand Wall, and other multi-pitch rock climbs. Many of the climbers were mountaineers, only using the Chief to hone their climbing skills for ‘real’ climbing. The earliest recorded boulder problem that I know of is Baldwin’s Problem from circa 1961. My mates and I knocked about on some easy boulders in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, but it wasn’t until well into the 1990’s that bouldering really took off in the area. However… once it reached escape velocity it really took off.
Although bouldering is amazing in Squamish, it’s certainly not a true beginners area…
Here’s my public service announcement: Beware the guidebook my friends. In thumbing through it you will find dozens of problems that are rated V0-V1. Decidedly easy grades. Woo hoo! Just what this old coot needs. Once you find them however, if you find them, you discover one, or a combination of up to three things: Scary Highballs. Scary sketchy landings, or problems with 4 inches of moss covering them that don’t look like they have seen an ascent in decades. Laugh if you will, but it’s the truth.
Maybe a tad bit harsh. In a place that boasts over 3,000 boulder problems, there are going to be some approachable easy climbs, as you will hear if you can suffer through the remainder of this tale. Now of course remember that most, if not all of the problems at Squamish exist and got to be climbs in the first place because someone heavily gardened them. Not unlike sculpting from stone. Sometimes it takes real vision and hard work to uncover and create these problems. So if like me, you don’t like the fact that you spent an hour rummaging through the forest to find moss and lichen on that problem you so wanted to try; I guess bring along scrubbing brushes and other horticultural tools and clean it up. If you have ethical concerns about this kind of micro-deforestation then I respectfully submit that you probably shouldn’t be climbing at Squamish in the first place.
Our first order of business upon arrival in Squamish was picking up three rental pads at Valhalla Pure. We used these guys in the past with great success, and this trip turned out to be no exception. We had already decided where our first area would be; The Farm. Doug has a long standing grudge match with a problem called Big Chicken. He was hep to get on it first thing after warming up. Not too much easy to warm up on there, so the fingerboard would have to suffice. Caleb and I futzed around on some things but without much success. We eventually left Doug to his own devices and wandered over to the Animal Kingdom and did Yak Attack, and Heroin Hero. Then it was back to the Farm and Doug’s many attempts on Big Chicken. It was a great day, and with virtually no one there but us. We finally moved on up the road to the Clean Boulders, where we sent Water is Life, and Double the Points, plus a few other things. Would have done some other stuff but the other climbs in my wage bracket were mossy and overgrown to an incredible degree. We had met a couple of blokes at the Farm, and they came and climbed with us here as well. Nice guys. Eventually we had climbed ourselves out for the day and headed back to KK’s in Vancouver.
Next day we got an early start. Traffic is awful in Vancouver. Getting to Squamish early has its definite advantages. Not least of which is that most boulderers are young people and as such are allergic to doing anything early on in the day. Thus, we headed to the Grand Wall area and had the place practically to ourselves. We mostly reprised stuff we had done on our last trip. Things like Dumb Slab, Twister, Titanic, Stu’s Dyke, Made in the Shade, Shade Dyke, and Smear Traverse. Caleb wanted to try Hulksters Humpfest, and we all wanted to get a look at Black Slabbath. Look was all we did though… that mother looks hard, scary hard. Doug gave a few good attempts on Baba Hari Das, and soon after we headed back over to the Farm so he could give a few more goes on Big Chicken. Talk about a popular spot. Insanely popular. I think that I counted about 30 people here at one time. It looks almost like a climbing gym. A lot of young un’s. There are even parents dropping their kids off and picking them up later in the day. Talk about feeling old. But for the most part all the folks are pretty chill. All in all this was certainly our most prolific day with us doing at least 15 climbs.
Wednesday it rained so we spent the day doing some touristy stuff in Vancouver, including a nice coffee at Revolution.
Thursday had has back to… yep you guessed it. The Farm and environs, with many goes at Big Chicken as well as a side trip back to the Clean Boulders, where I was able to do Crossover, and Mr. Green. V0’s only, but about all I could handle.
Friday was our last day, and some of the areas we wanted to climb at were closed due to bear activity. That was a first for me; seeing that type of closure. We headed to the Farm again, being one of the only areas open. Unfortunately for Doug, Big Chicken didn’t go this trip, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. We finished off the trip doing some things at Little Smoke Bluffs. Great area for single pitch climbs. The bouldering there whilst good, has the problems rather scattered, and I’m not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze, and again… several problems were completely obliterated by moss and vegetation.
When you go to Squamish… be good, or be prepared to hunt around a bit, and maybe be a bit disappointed, but also be prepared to be in a truly magical place.
And as usual a super big heartfelt thanks to KK and Dorothy for hosting us and making our trip so much more comfortable, and enjoyable.