Rock On!: Our First Outdoor Rockclimbing Experience in Squamish

By: John Wong, Advisor of Integrated Outdoors Program 

Vince Poulin and I led 7 rovers to the Smoke Bluffs in the early hours of July 18, a Friday which would be less crowded than the weekend.  There would have been a few more people had it not conflicted with the camping crew up at Garibaldi Lake the same time.  A couple of other also couldn’t come because of work.

With my Squamish Select Book, we selected “Hamburger & Fries” as our venue for the day.  It is the most popular climbing wall in Canada and is perfect for beginners.  Vince did the lead climb to secure the first rope and then with a few of us went around the back to secure the second one using the top rope method which is the easiest and safest method for both traditional and sports climbing.  It was a beautiful sunny day with more than a breeze to keep us cool.  From the top ledge, we could see the whole of Squamish, Howe Sound, and the mountains beyond.  What a pretty sight!  On the weekend, we would see tons of kite surfing on the water.

Back to the bottom, each one of us:  John, Vince, Jeremy, Lawrence, Charlie, Charles, Sandra, Cheryl, and Adrienne took turns going up both the blue rope (Route 7 Dusty Eyes @ 5.4 YDS rating and the orange rope Wise Crack @ 5.7 YDS rating.  Both are considered beginner’s routes which are the best way to begin to build confidence level for the climbers.

As it turned out, all succeeded what he/she started without any complications nor injuries.  Once the system is properly set up and everyone knows what to do, it is a very safe sport.  This is what Vince and I tried to impart to the beginners.  It was a good accomplishment for each and every one of them.   I was extremely pleased with the 100% success of the group being our first attempt at IOP outdoor rock climbing.  Everyone had fun and it is something they will remember for a long time.  The equipment performed flawlessly.

While the rovers went back to return the rented shoes and headed back to Vancouver, Vince and I pay a visit to the Howe Sound Brewery Restaurant for a tall cool one.  It was nice sitting on the outdoor patio surrounded by the climbing community and the Chief looking down on us.

No doubt we will return soon on another day in paradise.

Thanks to Vince for coming out to be part of this inaugural climb.

See the following link for the photos

John