Go Climb Somewhere Else….

No, this isn’t Covid shaming. There are a lot of new routes out there and a couple of new quidebooks. Perhaps think about climbing “somewhere else” for a change. Check out those freshly scrubbed routes that will certainly green over if they don’t get attention. Yesterday, we checked out Harry Young’s crag, Golden Gate. High above the Chief in a nice setting. Bullet granite with some great 5.10 crack climbing including, IMO, one of the best 5.10 cracks in Squamish: Natural Perfection (pictured above). If you don’t have a 4x4 to drive up there, it’s about a 20 min walk from the top of the gondola. Or, if you want some nice moderate stuff, the backside of the Papoose, developed by Nick McNutt, has some unique rock, Groove Tube at 5.8 is fun. Want harder? Go to the Laboratory or Omega Wall, both are great. These are just a few examples of the loads of new routes and crags to enjoy on those busy weekends. So don’t wait for them to appear in a guidebook, get after them now.

-Peter Winter