Apex Predator - 11c - Fluffy Kitten Wall

Apex Predator - 7 pitches - 5.11c

Colin Moorhead, Robbie Thibault, Tom Wright - August 2021

Oli Wood on Pitch 3 - 5.10c. Photo: Tom Wright

The Crux 11c pitch. Photo: Tom Wright

Apex Predator takes a plumb line up the centre of the Fluffy Kitten Wall.

The first 3 pitches take Route #2 from McLane’s Squamish Rockclimbs guidebook (2018) - ‘Unknown 5.9 A1’ and continues to the top of the wall directly above.

7 pitches, bolted anchors set up for 60 metre rappels.

Gear: Pack a big rack for long pitches. Some small gear, triples in 0.3 - #1 is nice to have, 2 x #2, 1 x #3.

Pitch 1 - 5.6 - shared with Cat O’Nine Tails - an easy chimney groove feature leads to a new bolted anchor. 50m

Pitch 2 - 5.10a - climb up and right to find an easy ‘rock ladder’ in the middle groove system. At the top, keep right (anchor out left is for Cat O’Nine) and climb a left facing hand crack groove to a high anchor - 55m

Pitch 3 - 5.10c - The outstanding hand crack in a corner goes on forever. At the top, clip a bolt and slab climb right to bolted anchor - 55m

Pitch 4 - 5.11c - The crux pitch follows steep finger cracks above the belay, swich crack systems to the left half way up (watch for rope drag) and enter the sentry box - exiting out left to a nice belay ledge. Mega! - 55m

Pitch 5 - 5.10d - Layback, stem and smear up the slabby corner past 2 bolts. Exit out left to easy climbing past a piton to a bolted anchor - 25m

Pitch 6 - 5.11b - Climb the steep crack directly above which widens from fingers to hands. It’s possible to link pitches 5 & 6 for another rope stretcher - 25m

Pitch 7 - 5.10a - A short pitch quickly turns into a vertical bushwhack to get to the top of the wall. If you do it, expect a bit of dirt - 15m

Make a short rap off a tree back to the bolted anchor a top pitch 6.

Robbie Thibault on Pitch 5 - 5.10d. Photo - Tom Wright

Robbie T on Pitch 6 - 5.11b. Photo: Tom Wright