Squamish
Chief - Grand Wall Boulders
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING

Summary
We were here 09 march 2019
You don’t need any technical knowledge to go bouldering here but bear in mind that any type of climbing needs a certain amount of skill. In our opinion, the boulders were graded quite hard. Generally, the level of a boulder felt one or two grades above its reported grading. An important point to mention is that we aren’t used to climbing on granite and this was the first time in this area as well. It is fun though to have an outdoor playground at walking distance from Squamish.
Details
Bouldering - Easy chair Area
Price: Nada
Location
Google maps location of the parking lot
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
Most of the boulders are located inside the forest here. There is a lot of shade the whole day and also some coverage from the rain.
ROUTES
We tried some boulders in the V0 - V1 range and 1 V4 but it all felt really hard. We had a true Fontainebleau feeling of this area. Powerful and difficult for the grade.
TOPO
You can find a free PDF Topo here
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Boulder mat for the rocky grounds
ROCK CLIMBING CANADA
Squamish
The Smoke Bluffs
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING
DIFFICULT TO ASSESS
Summary
We were here 10 march 2019
You need basic knowledge of single pitch crack and trad climbing for this crag. It is also possible to hang a top rope from the top in some areas. A bit more explanation about our rating. This was our first trad climbing experience ever and it felt like we were utter nubes again. Everything was scary, awkward and hard. Consequently, it was very hard to assess the grading here objectively. We did hear that it is a good place for beginning trad climbers to start cracking.
Details
Trad climbing
- Burgers and Fries
Price: Ziltch
Location
Google maps parking location
Google maps crag location
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
Granite walls with crack and face climbing. This area is very close to a residential area and by topping out some routes you almost walk into peoples homes. You do have another perspective on the Chief from here.
ROUTES
This was our first encounter with trad climbing and crack climbing, so our views might not be completely objective. Due to us being complete rookies in this field everything felt really hard and scary at first. Our highest grade here was 4c/5a (5.7) to give you an idea.
TOPO
Gear up with
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60 m rope
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Harness, climbing shoes, helmet
Terrace
Extew wall - Where Wild Things Are
Details
We were here 18 march 2019
Multipitch sport climbing
Location
Google maps location where we had to park. Parking is normally a lot closer to the crag, but the forest road was snowed-in in our case. A dirt road perpendicular to the main road starts at the google maps location, which you can follow almost al the way to the crag.
On Wikiloc you can find and download the GPX track that leads to the wall
Approach
Consequently, the approach will be a lot shorter when you are able to drive over the road. Full disclosure: The approach is actually the only part we did of this climb. We had so much snow that finding our way through the woods without paths proved impossible. We did get a good look at the wall from afar and it looked so much fun! So we would love to have someone climbing it and report back to us. When coming from the main road follow the forest road until the 4 mile indicator. Afterward, the road turns left and right again a bit further. Before the left turn, you need to get off the forest road on a climbers trail through the forest. When you follow the road to far an opening on your right side will give you a full view of the wall.
The Crag
ROUTES
We wanted to climb a route called 'Where wild things are', a 240 m Grade II 5.8 multi pitch sport climb. But of what we have found online it looks like there is much more to do!
TOPO
You can find a free PDF Topo of the route we wanted to climb here
A little bit more information about Extew wall
Favorite Score

Rookie score


Intensity
Terrace
Terrace Mountain
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING

Summary
We were here 19 march 2019
It is both possible to do some sport climbing routes and some mixed climbing routes here, meaning a wider skill set will give you more options. The grading itself felt normal, but this is not the nicest crag to go climbing as an intermediate climber. The routes improve in style once you get to the 5.11 range. This crag has some potential but its main advantage at the moment is its close proximity to Terrace.
Details
Sport - and trad climbing
Location
Google maps location where we parked. a small patch is located in the residential area to the left of the road. Discretion is advised.
Approach
Behind the parking spot, a path leads to the left into the woods, goes over a stream and follows deeper into the forest for 15 to 20 minutes before you can turn of right and see the bigger wall with fixed quickdraws hanging on the steeper part. This is the Fantastic 4 wall.
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
The crags are located in the forest but some of the trees are a bit further back, so the sun will hit the wall in the afternoon. The wall itself is west facing. This is a small crag but for sure enough to fill a day.
ROUTES
The routes here left us with a mixed feeling. Some of them were fairly easy for the grade, other felt quite hard. We did feel overall this is a crag for some more experienced climbers climbing in the 6c – 7a range.
TOPO
We found this online guide
Gear up with
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Harness, climbing shoes, helmet
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60 m
Jasper
Juno Wall
Summary
We were here 25 march 2019
If you are a sport climber visiting Jasper National Park, we recommend putting this crag on your list. It has a super cool perspective on Jasper and the climbing itself is really fun. The grading was exactly what it should have been and the rock delivers some technical, but secure climbing. And since this crag is not described on Mountain Project for some reason, we suspect it sees less traffic than others is the vicinity.
Details
Sport climbing
Price: 136 CAD, entry included in our annual Canadian ‘Discovery Pass’
Location
Google maps location where we parked, viewpoint on the side of the road.
Approach
From the viewpoint, cross the street in the direction of the rock on the other side of the road. Go left and around the back to find a climbing trail going up. Keep heading up and in southwest direction. Our GPS track will show that we followed a path under the ridge (to far to the climbers right). When coming back down however we found a much more established trail on top of the ridge, which would be much easier to follow. Keep on this path until you see two big trees growing very close. Follow the climbing trail to the right and downhill before traversing over the slope again. In this way you can avoid rappeling to arrive at the crag. Follow for a bit longer until the wall becomes visible at the left hand side.
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
This crag is located on top of a slope with some amazing views over Talbot Lake. You defintely get to see another side of Jasper National Park from here. Also, this is one of the earliest crags for outdoor climbing in the area. The wall itself faces west and gets a lot of sun in the afternoon since there is no cover around.
ROUTES
The routes here were spot on! No problem with climbing at our usual level. We had a lot of fun out here. The friction on the wall was very good. Sometimes even a bit on the sharp side. The style climbing is very similar over the whole wall: technical, straight up and long
TOPO
A free, very basic topo of Juno Wall
Summitpost has some more information
You can also find a very good guidebook in Jasper town, this book features much more climbing crags in the area.
Gear up with
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60m rope
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14 Quickdraws
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING

Banff National Park
Sunshine Rock
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING

Summary
We were here 03 april 2019
This was not our favorite climbing spot around Banff. The climbing felt really hard and scary, even on low grade routes, and the style of routes was not to our liking either. The only good thing is that the approach is super short. If you have a little more time, check the other places around here.
Details
Area: Sunshine Rock
Approach: 0 min
Shade / sun: Shady sections / Afternoon sun
Type: Sport climbing
Grades: 5.6 to 5.11d
Price: 136 CAD, entry included in our annual Canadian ‘Discovery Pass’
How to get there
LOCATION
Google maps crag location is right at the parking location
(No approach)
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
The crag is located next to the road with a river running by, so the setting is not really special, but it is the quickest approach in the Canadian Rockies. Some sections of the wall are shaded by the trees, while others see a little more sun. Most of the sun is found on the wall in the afternoon.
ROUTES
The general feeling of these routes was that it was graded really difficult. On top of that, the routes were also bolted really sportive which made our nerves stand on end. There are some slabs and some straight walls, but all of them had the same difficult feeling for us. Grades from 5.6 to 5.11d can be found here, keeping in mind that even a 5.6 can feel quite hard here. This was not our favorite climbing place in Banff National Park for sure.
TOPO
Gear up with
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60 m rope
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Boulder mat: Might actually come in handy to reduce the fear of falling on the lower section of the route
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Harness, climbing shoes, helmet
Banff National Park
Tunnel Mountain
Summary
We were here 4 April 2019
A really fun crag to go sport climbing. Nice technical routes with the grading spot on. As with all sport climbing you do need basic leading skills to be safe out here. If you are staying around Banff, we would definitely recommend to check this place out.
Details
Area: Tunnel mountain – Black band sub area
Approach: 20 min
Shade / Sun: Some shade for the belayer / Afternoon sun
Type: Sport Climbing
Grades: 5.6 – 5.11c
Price: 136 CAD, entry included in our annual Canadian ‘Discovery Pass’
How to get there
LOCATION
Google maps parking location
Google maps crag location
Approach
GPS route tracked with our Garmin watch
Distance: 1 km
Elevation gain: 50 m
Time: 20 min
Take the ‘Hoodoo trail’ from the back of the parking lot and go left in NE direction. Keep following down the path down into the valley until you hit a sharp bend in Bow river. Walk around the ben until you see a fork. Then head left in N direction up the slope onto a small climbers trail until you hit the crag after 100 m.
The Crag
ENVIRONMENT
A secluded crag right in the middle of a forest with some nice views over the valley and Bow river running trough. We even saw some eagles flying overhead while climbing. The wall gets mostly afternoon sun. In some spots there is some shade to be found for the belayer, but the climber will be in the sun from a few meters up.
ROUTES
This was a really fun crag to go climbing. All of the routes were graded on point and the climbing was quite technical with small crimps and ledges to get yourself up the wall. The friction of the rock is really good. Sometimes the first bolt of the route was placed quite high, but this could be solved by climbing a route next door. A little more up the valley there were also some good options for multipitch. We didn’t have the change to check them out, but they looked really fun.
TOPO
The crag was extremely helpful at this crag
Gear up with
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70 m rope
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18 Quickdraws
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Harness, climbing shoes, helmet
FAVORITE SCORE

ROOKIE SCORE

GRADING
