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freakystyley
Mar 7, 2004, 2:27 AM
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We won a trip to any of these cities - and are wondering where the best place to climb for a week would be in late July. Trad, Sport, Bouldering - whatever...just a high concentration of under .11 routes - single or multi pitch with camping nearby. We are willing to drive an hour or so - but prefer nothing too far from the airport (want to spend time on rope not in a car!). And - is there a printed guide to your recommended area...
BC
Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton -( how far is Squamish?)
AB
Calgary, (Banff?)
SK
Saskatoon, Regina
MB
Winnipeg
QC
Trois-Rivieres, Montreal, Valleyfield
ON
Toronto London
So thats it. Please help us plan a trip!
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micronut
Mar 7, 2004, 2:43 AM
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Fly to Pentiction, climb at Skaha!! It's wonderful in the Okanagan Valley in the spring!! Skaha is just about the most fun cragging area I've been to, with amazing crimp edge routes. The lakes are beautiful, and it's the warmest place in B.C. Anfd yes there is a new guide book out, by Howie Richardson. Go, you won't be disappointed.!!
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fivetendude
Mar 7, 2004, 2:49 AM
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Well amigo,
You're not going to find too much climbing at the following:
SK
Saskatoon, Regina
MB
Winnipeg
QC
Trois-Rivieres, Montreal, Valleyfield
ON
Toronto London
There is the Niagara escarpment and there could be some stuff near Trois-Rivieres, I don't know.
Kelowna, and especially Penticton have some nice climbing, although it can get a little hot in mid-summer, but they do have one of the nicest lakes you'll find anywhere right there.
Calgary; well what can I say; within an hour, hour and a half from the airport you have bouldering, sport, trad, multipitch, alpine, big wall, and if come in winter some of the best ice climbing in the world. The rockies have it all just pick your pleasure.
Good ol' fashioned western hospitality to boot, and if you come during the Stampede in July, you are guaranteed a good time.
just my 2 cents
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simplistic
Mar 7, 2004, 3:20 AM
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My suggestion would be squamish, without a doubt. 2 hours from the airport, tonnes of camping, tonnes of trad routes on bomber granite, tonnes of bouldering,great weather at the time of year you want to visit, plus tonnes of smaller climbing areas to the north and south of Squamish that offer sport routes and bouldering. Great recent guide book by Kevin Mclane-"The climbers guide to Squamish" plus a great pub to tilt a few. Cheers
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lovesclimbing
Mar 7, 2004, 9:58 PM
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I have to go with fivetendude on this, Yam is the place to go for mutipitch and there are to many places around canmore to list for sport.
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freakystyley
Mar 7, 2004, 10:30 PM
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thanks a bunch - Looks like either Calgary (yamnuska area) or the BC - and the trips is now set for late July.
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kman
Mar 7, 2004, 10:45 PM
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If the trip is in late July then I HIGHLY recommend Squamish.
If you want multi-pitch bomber granite trad routes go to Squamish. There are plenty of sport route areas just north of there too. There is a guidebook that covers Squamish and another that covers climbs between Squamish and Pemberton.
I just moved out to Calgary in November from Vancouver and I am drooling at all the possibilities that are close by. If limestone is more your flavour then come out this way.
Granite = Squamish
Limestone = Calgary
Squamish is about an hour and a half from the Vancouver airport, and the rockies are about an hour and a half from the Calgary airport.
Whichever of the 2 you choose then I am sure you won't be dissapointed.
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slavetogravity
Mar 7, 2004, 10:53 PM
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Late July in Skaha can be COOKING HOT! Also, you'll have to rent a car as there is no where close that you camp and just walk to the crage. Squamish on the other hand is quite lovely in late July. One other thing to consider is that Mt Yamnuska may be a famous and popular area to climb, but the only reason people climb that pile of choss is because it's the closest pile of choss to Calgary found in a mountain range full of choss piles. The route finding can be devious and compared to Squamish the grades are sand bagged. Just because you can climb 5.8 at your home crage, don't think your going to be able to get up a alpine 5.8 in the Canadian Rockies. So that's my two cents.
PS. Don't take my bashing of the Canadian Rockies as me trying to say that I hate the place. I'm just trying to tell it as it is and cut out any BS. If you're going to go, check out my topo of the Grand Sentinel found in my profile. It's a must do.
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lovesclimbing
Mar 8, 2004, 3:16 AM
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I wouldent call yam a "pile of choss", I pefer it to squamish, but veery true about the grades, anything climbed in the 50's-60's add 2 grades, 70's-80's add 1 grade. I learned that on missionary's crack. Very interesting 5.9 (+5.10-.11).
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freakystyley
Mar 8, 2004, 2:45 PM
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We will have to get a vehicle anyway - so that is not a prob. Thanks for all the help - looks more like Squamish, BC. I have plenty of Burlington Limestone here to climb and want something different...As for grades, I think it is all relative. I have been a lot of places that are off on the grades, but somehow ALWAYS seem to have fun. Which guide book is best for Squamish?
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e_wire
Mar 8, 2004, 2:50 PM
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If you're into sport... you might want to try Kamouraska, in QC.
110 sport routes - on pure orthoquartzite
Camping is super cool, on the shore of the St-Laurence river.
You can get more info here:
http://www.sebka.ca/
You can get pictures here:
http://www.escaladequebec.com/
If you're more into alipine and multi-pitch, go west!
e_wire
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kman
Mar 8, 2004, 3:01 PM
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In reply to: Which guide book is best for Squamish
The Climbers Guide To Squamish. For climbs north of there try Whistler Rockclimbs. Your going to have a blast in Squamish!!
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brothersolstice
Mar 8, 2004, 4:15 PM
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Just a reply to Fivetendude...
How little you folks in the west know of the east, which is home to bomb proof rock, staunch grading, awesome cracks and some of the crimpiest face routes I've ever seen.
There's heaps of good climbing close to Trois-Riviere QC.
There's Kamouraska (QC sport climbing heaven), a host of awesome crags around Montreal, tons of stuff in Quebec City and just about 3.0 hours south of Trois-riviere is some of the best trad climbing on the continent in the Adirondacks in up-state New York. Long routes, beautiful cracks, fantastic views...
And spingtime is great to climb.
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kman
Mar 8, 2004, 5:24 PM
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^^Yeah but you guys don't have.... In reply to: Good ol' fashioned western hospitality |
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lovesclimbing
Mar 10, 2004, 10:22 PM
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If I had a choice of east vers west I would still head west. True you do have some good rock but just in the quality and amount the east has nothing on the west.
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missedyno
Mar 11, 2004, 1:48 PM
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there are some beautiful places to climb in ON and QC, but if i was in the rockies, i wouldn't spend the time driving across the praries to get out here....
ON
lion's head - beautiful views, limestone mostly sport, hanging belays. careful what you rap down on cause you're going to have to climb it to get out of there.
bon echo - coordinate visit with the toronto chapter of the ACC. some beautiful trad lines, but a hella lot more choss than you'd want. beautiful views, good camping
other stuff along the niagara escarpment - not worth a long drive, okay if you happen to be in the area.
niagara glen - amazing bouldering, by the river that runs from the ever so powerful niagara falls.
oh and another note about penticton, BC (skaha) it's BLOODY hot there in the summer. you can chase the shade all day for climbing, but good luck sleeping....
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freakystyley
Mar 12, 2004, 1:18 AM
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how hot is bloody hot? like a Missouri summer day, about 98* and 100% humidity in full sun?
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winter
Mar 15, 2004, 4:01 PM
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Um, you mentioned that you could fly to Kelowna, Kamloops or Penticton...and people are suggesting squamish. You realise that you have a min 4 hour drive from any of these places to get there right? The closest airport to squamish is Vancouver.
Just another plug for Calgary, yeah you can climb amazing multipitch lime on Yam, but we also have some great quatzite sport and trad climbing at lake louise.
Ditto on the temps in Penticton...it gets damn hot there in mid summer. The nice thing about penticton though is that you can climb early in the AM to avoid the heat then swim in the lake all aft.
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kman
Mar 15, 2004, 4:24 PM
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In reply to: The closest airport to squamish is Vancouver.
You can get from Vancouver airport to Squamish in about 1.5 hours. Same as Calgary airport to Canmore.
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winter
Mar 15, 2004, 8:14 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: The closest airport to squamish is Vancouver. You can get from Vancouver airport to Squamish in about 1.5 hours. Same as Calgary airport to Canmore.
I realise that, the point was that Vancouver is not listed in his destinations, and yet everyone is suggesting squamish...wasn't sure how flexible the destinations were.
Also, on a side note, it takes me 45 minutes to drive from Calgary to Canmore... :D (from the airport would add quite a bit of time though)
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kman
Mar 15, 2004, 8:55 PM
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That's why I said In reply to: Calgary airport to Canmore. |
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freakystyley
Mar 18, 2004, 1:59 AM
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it is looking like Calgary! for short driving distance. Anything longer than about 2 hrs is probably out.
now, the climbing (from my old 1995 rock and road) Which One? or can we link a few close ones in a week?
Canmore Areas
Bow Valley
Yamnuska area
Banff Area
Lake Louise
Kananaskis Valley areas
ps, no one has told me how "hot" hot is in BC during July... I looked up the ave temp and it is
BC - July ranges between 16° and 21°C (60° and 70°F).
Alberta - July temperature range from 10° to 23° C (49° to 74° F).
Both places seem like perfect temps to me!
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rendog
Mar 18, 2004, 2:16 AM
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In reply to: it is looking like Calgary!
good choice
In reply to: Canmore Areas Bow Valley Yamnuska area Banff Area Lake Louise Kananaskis Valley areas
out of these you can easily get Bow valley (canmore, banff, lake Louise - all within 45 minutes apart depending on traffic. My house in downtown canmore is exactly 1 hr and 25 minutes from the departure gate at the Calgary airport when doing the speed limit 65 mph)
Yam from canmore is 25 minutes (east), and Kananaskis (south of canmore) well that just depends on where in that area. but stick around the bow valley and you will have more than enough climbing to keep you occupied for at least a month or 600.
ps check yer pm's
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missedyno
Mar 18, 2004, 4:04 PM
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In reply to: ps, no one has told me how "hot" hot is in BC during July... I looked up the ave temp and it is BC - July ranges between 16° and 21°C (60° and 70°F). Alberta - July temperature range from 10° to 23° C (49° to 74° F). Both places seem like perfect temps to me!
both BC and Alberta are large places. The specific area in BC that was described as hot would be around 30C in the summer. Look up the average temp for Penticton, BC.
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