Crushing with my French-Canadian Friends in Squamish, BC - PART I
It is fall now, epilepsy some people will run to the hills to watch the aspens change colors others will begin the ritual of watching football every weekend with religious dedication. For those of us who have been stricken with the wonderful sickness that is climbing fall means; sending temps, seek big climbs and bigger goals. If we want to accomplish anything this fall and next spring it all begins again!
So in hope that this post might spark something or motivate you/me…this is my goal.
Romantic Warrior
What is yours?
It is fall now, medicine
some people will run to the hills to watch the aspens change colors others will begin the ritual of watching football every weekend with religious dedication. For those of us who have been stricken with the wonderful sickness that is climbing fall means; sending temps, advice
big climbs and bigger goals. If we want to accomplish anything this fall and next spring it all begins again!
So in hope that this post might spark something or motivate you/me…this is my goal.
Romantic Warrior
What is yours?
Topo from: http://www.monsteroffwidth.com/NeedlesMiniGuide/index.html It is fall now, cure some people will run to the hills to watch the aspens change colors others will begin the ritual of watching football every weekend with religious dedication. For those of us who have been stricken with the wonderful sickness that is climbing fall means; sending temps, approved big climbs and bigger goals. If we want to accomplish anything this fall and next spring it all begins again!
So in hope that this post might spark something or motivate you/me…this is my goal.
Romantic Warrior
What is yours?
Leading the Vampire last year marked a turning point in my climbing career. It was the advent of my new climbing adventure, sales
since life was taking me away from San Diego and my trad mentor. To keep improving, price
I was forced to find new climbing partners and to push myself to get on hard climbs. A year later, sales
I believe I succeeded.
How many times have I heard “you are Canadian, so you climb in Squamish?”. And everytime I had to answer “no, I have never been to this world class climbing area”. Finally this summer I did visit, and it was an awesome trip! I started in force on-sighting a bunch of classic routes (including Sentry Box, my first 5.12a trad!), flashed the Grand Wall (5.11a) on a female ascent, had an epic on the sustained multi-pitch (Freeway, 5.11+), impressed myself by sending my first project (Zombie Roof, 5.12d/5.13a), and finished with a lesson of humility (University Wall, 5.12a).
More importantly, I developed new friendships, and I have been highly inspired by my new climbing partners. Can you imagine how I felt when on my first day bouldering outside with the girls I met at the climbing gym last winter, I saw Isabelle sending Worm World Cave, V9, spotted by girls only, and making it look easy?? WOW![singlepic id=3100 w=320 h=240 float=center]
Two Ladies and a Grand Wall
Finding new climbing partners is not an easy task. You need to find someone you will trust, someone you will get alone with, someone positive who has a great attitude, good judgement, who like you wants to move fast and push their limits, etc. Back in Montreal, it is even more difficult to find a ‘trad’ climbing partner, where the winter forces you to train inside for several months. The mountains aren’t very tall and long-routes are rare; the cracks are often dirty or wet, and often it is tricky to place good gear. But on the upside, Montreal has so many strong boulderers and sport climbers, so living there has turned out to be an excellent way to work on my weaknesses and improve!
[singlepic id=3130 w=320 h=240 float=left]I have been lucky to meet Nadine, one of the few women trad climbers in Quebec. Like love at first sight, we both wanted to climb with each other first time we met. No competition, no jealousy, in contrary, we both admire each other strength: Nadine easily outclimbs me on overhangingsport routes, butI have a better head and jamming technique on trad routes. What a great team we are together! Plus, Nadine is just like me, she teaches statistics, and she is clumsy too!
Thus, the one item on my tick list for this trip was definitely to take Nadine up the Grand Wall in honour to Josh and Scotty who had been there on a rainy week in June 2007… Nadine was a little anxious about the idea. She had followed the Grand Wall twice, but had never leaded any pitches. I kept trying to convince her that WE CAN do it!! I was ready to take most of the leads if needed, but honestly, I was a little worried too about my endurance, since I had not been on a long route for over a year. Obviously I did not mention that to Nadine!! What a pleasure it was when at the last minute, the night before, Nadine got psyched about our female ascent and decided to try to lead half of the pitches!
[singlepic id=3107 w=320 h=240 float=right]We swapped leads in such a way that I would lead the two 5.11a and all the run-out pitches, and that Nadine would push her limits leading the Split Pillar (a beautiful long 5.10b pitch from fingers to chiminey!). Nadine red pointed every pitch she lead and fell only once seconding Perry’s layback (a pumpy bolted offwidth, 5.11a). I was so proud of her. We laughed, cruised up the Grand Wall and had a blast.
The irony: although I flashed the whole route, if I wanted to guide someone up it, I would have to free the 5.13 variation. Why? Because the tree bolts in the ladder below the Split Pillar are so far apart that I can’t reach/aid them!!! Thanks to Nadine for putting long slings on them for me and for this wonderful day.
Freeway: A body and mind battle
Since the Grand Wall went so well, and since I had a strong climbing partner visiting from Moab, I was ready for another multi-pitch: Freeway. Joe and I planned on linking the 12 pitches in 8, swapping leads, and finishing on Express Line. But there was a misunderstanding between us: I thought I had a rope-gun with me, and he thought I was his rope-gun… we discovered that only later on the climb…
[singlepic id=3122 w=320 h=240 float=right]The beginning of an epic: after a pumpy and hard for the grade first pitch, I got lost leading the second pitch. In fact, we just couldn’t find the 5.10a width hand crack I was supposed to lead. I could see only one solution: leading the dihedral ahead of me, and once up there, hopefully we would find the 3rd pitch that traverses right. Well, I was right and we found the 3rd pitch. However, leading the dihedral was much harder than expected. Burning all my energy, I ended-up laybacking from finger pockets to more finger pockets, placing thin gear and brass offset nuts behind me, having no clue what climb I was on, but being sure it was certainly not a 5.10, probably more a 5.12, the kind of climb that does not protect well and that I would refuse to lead if I was on the ground. But I was there, and I had no other option. So I did it, and I did great, but near the end my foot slipped and I fell, creating a huge flapper on my finger. Hanging on the rope, I taped it and I kept climbing…
There was only one way out: getting up! So I battled my way up the 4th pitch. Two fingers injured and wasted, it felt so much harder that the grade. I made the mistake to hesitate: I started climbing the chimney but then downclimbed it upon seeing chalk out on the face. I climbed up the face but then down climbed it, since there was no gear. Knowing that I couldn’t keep hesitating like that, wasting energy climbing and downclimbing, I resolved the problem by asking myself a crucial question: “Am I a sport climber or a trad climber?” And I went up leading my first chimney!
[singlepic id=3125 w=320 h=240 float=left]Resting under the roofs, it was Joe’s turn to lead again. I was hoping he would take us out of the steep climbing. But I discovered that the next pitch started under another roof before reaching face climbing. I was exhausted, but I had to try, I had to do my part to get us out of there. Girls, I admitted, I cried. All I wanted was to lower down, to have Joe give me a big hug and lead the rest of the route. I was so pumped that I couldn’t hold on anything. I lost my head, I wasn’t trusting my gear anymore, I placed way too many cams and nuts, and I took before I finally pulled on them…. Yep, it sometimes happens to me too! I was so happy when I finally got on the slab!!!
The finish on Express Line was beautiful. But as I learned on the Grand Wall: when the Squamish guidebook mentions ‘run-out’, they really mean it! Again, there was a bolt I just couldn’t reach. I had to built a trad anchor and bring Joe up to clip it!
Bottom line: I’m definitely a trad climber! And I love Scotty Vacations, they make me stronger and I’ll always remember these epic days :)
TO BE CONTINUED…
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