Squamish

It's always a bit of a shock for us when we first arrive in Squamish. We are so used to climbing in more out of the way areas that the sheer number of people is always a bit overwhelming. There is a reason for the crowds though. It is just so convenient to be here. The ease of access, being so close to town, the toonie swim at the rec center (with hot tub). Not to mention the large variety of exceptional climbing.

Of course the advantage of it being so popular is that we always seem to run into friends from Ottawa. This trip was no exception, and it was great to see some familiar faces. And, as much as it pains us to wait for people ahead of us on long climbs, it's always great to meet new friends and share stories.

During this trip we ticked off a number of climbs that have been on our list for a while.  Here I am leading the second pitch of Exasperator 5.10c.

Kristal belaying me on the second pitch of Slot Machine 5.9.

One of our big days was climbing Angel's Crest 5.10b, which climbs 13ish pitches and follows a striking ridge line all the way up to the top of the chief.  Here is our early morning view north of Squamish somewhere around pitch two.

Looking down on the Acrophobes, which we had just climbed across, from pitch 10 or 11.

Kristal following up the second last pitch.

And me about the exposed crawl over to the last pitch.

Of course time spent in Squamish has to include at least some bouldering.  Here is Kristal on the classic Tim's Sloper Problem V5.

When climbing anything on the Chief you can't help but notice the ridiculous number of kite and wind surfers across the sound.  This trip we finally took a couple of hours to head over there and check it out.

We were pretty amazed at the number of people and the skills on display.  It looked like a lot of fun, but no less crowded than the climbing.