> Home > Crags > Squamish

Squamish

The Word: A world class climbing destination.
Sun/shade: Sun from midday.
Wet weather options: Not many.
Style of Climbs: Granite slabs, walls, cracks, bouldering and aid routes.
Grades: All

The Details: One of the finest granite crags around. Worthy of a long stay.

Access: 10mins walk to Diedre. Drive N from Vancouver for about an hour to the township of Squamish. The crag is obvious, if you can't see it you must be drunk or else it's dark!

Descent(s): 15-25mins off the Apron. From the top of Diedre, trend down R (South). It's a tad exposed at first but very easy down-scrambling following a crack/break, then you join an obvious trail down the wooded gully below the Grand Wall.

Described L to R, facing the cliff.

Here is a photo showing the Grand Wall (500m high) on the R, the Apron (side-on, 220m high) below the Grand Wall, and the 'little' granite crag down near the water is the Malamute (well I think that's what it's called, I'm too lazy to check right now!).

And here's a photo taken from the main street of Squamish - pretty lousy crag to have on the edge of town, huh? The Grand Wall and The Apron make up one third of the crag, at the right-hand end. The "Sherriff's Badge" is the obvious large white rock scar at central left (though to me it looks like someone in a dress playing softball!!).

The Apron

*** Diedre 225m 5.8 (16) (OS)
Take plenty of finger-sized gear. We did it in 5 pitches by combining 1&2, then combining 3&4. 1) (* 25m 12) Nice easy runout climbing up featured slab for 20m to break, then tricky bit to next break. 2) (** 30m 14) Step 3m L along break, then diagonally up and R to flake/groove, extend gear here. Traverse 5m L to a tough smearing move down L into the next groove. Easily L up cracks then back up R to DFH belay at slopy ledge. 3) (25m 12) Smear 5m up off belay then walk L to DFH at base of main corner. 4) (*** 30m 15) Beautiful slabby laybacking up corner, more sustained than it appears. Then some great moves over the roof/overlap, continuing up for another 8-10m to DFH belay. 5) (*** 40m 16) Magnificent the entire way, one of those pitches you’ll remember. Some flakes on the steep L face can be used to ease things at the start, but then it’s smearing and laybacking for what seems an eternity, making sure you’re good and tired for some tough moves where it steepens at 30m. The cool thing is the crack just keeps producing stonker fingerslots whenever you need them! Be sure to clip the rusty FH to protect your second before stepping R to the DFH belay. 6) (* 40m 13) Smear off the belay back up L into the corner. As you go on, the holds disappear but the angle relents, keeping the grade consistent all the way to the DFH belay. 7) (40m 12) Slightly challenging at first but then an absolute doddle. The last move is meant to be equal crux but it’s nowhere near it, being easily resolved by 'chimneying' with L foot smears and a R shoulder against the large block until you can reach the tree belay.

Here's a climber seconding the nice (although unprotected) slab at the start of pitch 1. More climbers can just be seen up higher, on the crux 5th pitch. Another nice route (see next photo) heads R along that break.

Here's a photo from the 2nd belay of Diedre of a climber on (Banana Peel? 5.7?), with Howe Sound visible below, along with the back of the Malamute and the Railway track.

And finally, a shot from the 5th belay looking back down the beautiful slabby layback corner. Climbers can be seen on the 3rd pitch traverse, and at the start of the 5th pitch.

More Internet Sites on Squamish

Matthew Buckle's Page A quite good page on British Columbia in general.

Meingh.com Squamish Climbing Free topos for some areas.

TheCrag.com As always. Record your Squamish ticks here, and see what everyone else is climbing.