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Samsun Narrows

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Climbing Sections:

About Samsun Narrows:

There is now a set of stairs where the fixed rope used to be. It is hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for. All repels are 30m. There is also rumour that one of the climbs was bolted using a drill bit that was too large for the bolts and isn't safe to climb on. This climb has a string on the bottom bolt and a piece of flag that says rescue at the bottom.
Nearest town or city: Duncan
Directions: An access trail is located on Genoa Bay rd. between Maple Bay and Genoa Bay. From Highway 1 in Duncan, head east onto Tzouhalem rd. until it merges with Maple Bay rd. On Maple Bay rd. keep heading east and then turn right onto Genoa Bay rd. Go past the marina and up a hill into some hay fields and agricultural land. Near the end of these fields are a couple of heavy duty gates on the left. After the second gate is a forested section where there are pullouts on either side of the road and a trail heading off to the east. Park and start hiking. If you end up driving into Genoa bay you've gone too far. Stay on the well marked trail heading east until reaching a washed out logging rd. Turn right and head up-hill on the old logging road. Stay on the road until it forks into two. Keep to the right and keep hiking. At this point a swamp should be on the immediate left and after a while a boy scout camp on the right. Shortly after the camp turn left off the old logging road following a worn trail up and then downhill. There will be a trail off to the right going to the little crag. Another trail to the left will lead to the top of the multi-pitch climbs. Staying on the main trail will lead to fixed ropes. Climb down the fixed ropes to the base of the majority of the climbing at Samsun Narrows. DECEMBER 2005 UPDATE: According to one of the people who were climbing here in the late 80s/early 90s, there is some really good crack climbing in the area. Areas to check for crack climbing include the far north end of the main wall and one of the bluffs directly below the main wall. Apparently one of the best splitter cracks on the South Island is located on one of these bluffs....worth checking out.
Latitude, Longitude:
Access Issues: February 2012: I visited the crag yesterday and encountered a few issues... Firstly: There are now very obvious "No Tresspassing" signs at the trailhead. We passed them anyhow, but I imagine it looks like the landowners are trying to clamp down on access. Hopefully it is a non-issue, but it worrys me. Secondly: Somebody has taken the hangars off of the top station bolts on Vulture Culture. This was a nasty surprise, and I am glad we decided to try and rap the route before climbing to the top and seeing the station rings missing. Dont climb this route until these are replaced unless you want to belay of the manky, dying arbutus tree on the ledge... this was disappointing to say the least, as this is a killer route.
Camping: Yes
When to Climb: Spring
Quantity of Climbs: Week

Routes

SequenceSequence numbers indicate the left (L) to right (R) order of the routes. Rating Route Difficulty Ascents
0 Average Rating = 3.00/5 Tower of Power 5.8 1

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