B.C., Canada
My first stop in B.C. was the town of Penticton and the local crag, Skaha Bluffs. This place has it all; great climbing, friendly natives, and a nice lake to rinse off in after a hard day of climbing.
The only downer was how far away and how steep the road was to the free campground. My poor old bus wasn't up for it, so I camped near the lake in town and rode my mountain bike up the hill to climb each day (also avoiding the $5 Can. fee).
The weather was a bit hot, but climbing in the shade and swimming often made it seem just right.
Skaha has everything you could want in a crag; overhanging sport, technical thin face and lots of trad thrown in.
The grades seemed a bit inconsistant, though, and I ended up only onsighting .11c.
Upon arriving in Penticton, my brother Chris and I had a bit of a falling out and he ended up heading back to Oregon, leaving me alone once again.
Fate smiled that morning, though, and before too long I had met two climbers who turned out to be some of the nicest people I have ever met, and everything was just perfect.
The next stop was Squamish, B.C. just north of Vancouver. This place is incredible; huge granite faces, steep sport routes, and total freedom.
Free camping, free parking, free showers, free soloing! This place was a great finish to my trip, even though it wasn't supposed to be.
Here I was reunited with the friends I had made at Skaha, Karina and Sue. The climbing style once again took a bit of getting used to, but once I got in the groove, WOW!
Climbing with traditional gear on granite is what it's all about; Placements you can trust and lots of them.
Within a few days I had onsighted .11b on gear and .12a on bolts. The Grand Wall was certainly a highlight; 10 pitches at .11a, with a sickeningly exposed ledge traverse before the walk-off.
My free soloing spree included several 5.8's and 5.9's and 'Diedra', a 7 pitch 5.8 which may have been the most fun route of the entire trip.
I was having a great time until Andy, a climber from England talked me into joining him for an attempt at 'Northern Lights' a 12 pitch .12a that did me in.
On my first .11d gear lead of the route on pitch 7, I cracked the pinkie metacarpal in my left hand, although I didn't know it at the time, and nearly finished the route.
The next day I couldn't climb- my hands were shot. The weather was also looking bad, so I bailed back to the 'States.
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My free soloing spree included several 5.8's and 5.9's and 'Diedra', a 7 pitch 5.8 which may have been the most fun route of the entire trip.
I was having a great time until Andy, a climber from England talked me into joining him for an attempt at 'Northern Lights' a 12 pitch .12a that did me in.
On my first .11d gear lead of the route on pitch 7, I cracked the pinkie metacarpal in my left hand, although I didn't know it at the time, and nearly finished the route.
The next day I couldn't climb- my hands were shot. The weather was also looking bad, so I bailed back to the 'States.