Squamish Climbing Suggestions

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Messages 41 - 53 of total 53 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Russ S.

climber
Aug 22, 2008 - 04:01pm PT
Justin - Squamish is a fabulous destinations, but sometimes the weather just shuts you down. One strategy we use is to take all of our northwest guidebooks along so we can hit the holes in the weather pattern. Being primarily a climber, I'd rather climb somewhere else than bike or hike in the rain at Squamish, YMMV...

There are numerous small to medium climbing areas within 200 miles of Squamish, so with a little internet weather connectivity and local climbing information you get in some productive rock time instead of watching road construction...
jsb

Trad climber
Bay area
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2008 - 04:35pm PT
TR coming soon!

We ended up bailing on Squamish b/c of the horrible weather forecast...

Instead we visited the land of corn, potatoes and speeding tickets: IdaHO! and WYOMING.
Paul_in_Van

Trad climber
Near Squampton
May 6, 2009 - 02:04am PT
What ever happened to that TR, not to put you on the spot or anything...

Paul
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
May 6, 2009 - 02:30am PT
jsb's "Sawtooth and Windriver Classics (Photo TR)" is at:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=666503
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 6, 2009 - 02:41am PT
If you climb Penny Lane, you have to pay me a royalty of a penny. New user fee - a get rich slow scheme.

Persons named Penny (one recently did the climb), who did a first ascent at Squamish before May 1978, or who can play a piccolo trumpet, are exempt from this fee.
MH2

climber
May 6, 2009 - 12:33pm PT
If you climb Penny Lane, you have to pay me a royalty of a penny. New user fee - a get rich slow scheme.

Persons named Penny (one recently did the climb), who did a first ascent at Squamish before May 1978, or who can play a piccolo trumpet, are exempt from this fee.




I think I can do that. You spin the piccolo and whoever it points to kisses the trumpet?

Otherwise I owe $1.98
Oplopanax

Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
May 6, 2009 - 02:07pm PT
If I nail my way up it can i pay Cooper and Rajala a penny instead?
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 6, 2009 - 02:17pm PT
If I nail my way up it can i pay Cooper and Rajala a penny instead?

Right on!

Everybody forgets the history of the climbs in the Bluffs. That they were covered in a 9,000-year accumulation of moss and that every crack was solidly packed with dirt tree roots. Plenty of them were nailed on the first ascent, and the rest were thoroughly cleaned on rappel before the "first ascent".

And by the way, have you seen Chris or Keith lately? I used to climb with those guys a lot, but have long since lost touch.

D
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 6, 2009 - 02:25pm PT
Darn! Now I suppose you'll say I have to share my royalties.

Some guidebooks attribute an ascent of the route (aid) to Keith Rajala and Chris McCafferty, in 1975. The Vancouver/Squamish climbing community was then quite small, and if they were around and doing new routes, they were quite low-profile. I don't recall ever hearing their names at the time, and apart from being named as first aiding two nearby routes in 1976, they aren't otherwise mentioned in the guidebooks. When I cleaned Penny Lane in May 1978, there was no evidence of any prior ascent - usually pin and nut placements remove at least some vegetation, and would have been visible. Perhaps they have pictures that would clear this up?

If it was Chris Cooper, not McCafferty, then I'll ask him about this - he takes lots of pictures, and was around in the 1970s, although rarely seen at Squamish. I'll probably see him next week.
Oplopanax

Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
May 6, 2009 - 02:31pm PT
Rajala is climbing based out of Whistler? these days - his photo stream's on Flickr under the username maclobster

Chris Cooper's around too. Just saw some pics he took of Bruce Kay
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 6, 2009 - 03:27pm PT
The Vancouver/Squamish climbing community was then quite small, and if they were around and doing new routes, they were quite low-profile

It was actually bigger than you remember. Even then, not everybody knew everybody else. Chris Cooper, Keith Rajala, and Chuck MacCafferty were definitely around, and definitely doing first ascents. But they were low profile (and they all lived out east in the Fraser Valley around Maple Ridge). They weren't climbing at the leading edge in terms of grades (although Chuck could get up 5.11s, even back then) and didn't hang out with your crowd, but that doesn't mean they weren't there, weren't playing an important role, and weren't having a total blast.

Here's a shot of Chuck in the Smoke Bluffs in the late 70s. (Note Whillans harness and EBs). Maybe I should post some of this stuff in the "Squamish in the 70s" thread.

hafilax

Trad climber
East Van
May 6, 2009 - 03:49pm PT
The lobster in the name rang a bell. This website showed up on one of the Vancouver hiking message boards I participate in (clubtread): The Red Lobster Journal
[url]http://members.shaw.ca/k.rajala/LobsterJournalPages/LobsterMain.html[/url]

I hope he doesn't mind me reposting it here. I'm assuming that anyone that put that much work into a website would like it to be shared.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 6, 2009 - 04:10pm PT
David you forgot Ryan Shellborn

Nope. Didn't forget him -- you don't forget one of the best climbing partners you've ever had. I just didn't mention him in that post cuz he wasn't involved in the Penny Lane thing. In fact, I posted a couple of pictures of him the other day on the "Summit Photos" thread (http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=848633&msg=848869#msg848869);.

...the telly commercial for "unity" in 1980... That would be a fun thread to put up :-D

I've actually got that in progress. But I'm not sure how much to post though, what with the probability of you being forbidden to ever work with children if anyone in Canada sees the pictures...
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