The stawamus chief, officially stawamus chief mountain often referred to as simply the chief, or less commonly squamish chief, is a granitic dome located adjacent to the town of squamish, british columbia, canada. Its the perfect guide for squamish climbing and provides extensive coverage of murrin park, shannon falls, the malamute, the chief, slhanay the squaw, smoke bluffs, cheakamus canyon and many other minor areas. A climbers guide to the squamish chief 1967 voc wiki. Squamish rock climbing local favourite squamish adventure. Squamish is a town of about 20,000 people 2016 in the sea to sky region of british columbia halfway between vancouver and whistler. Most of the climbing in squamish is centered around the stawamus chief. We are your onestop shop for everything to do with our beloved granite monolith. Hiking trails to the chief s three summits offer rewarding views of howe sound, squamish townsite and surrounding mountains. It towers over 700 m 2,297 ft above the waters of nearby howe sound. Stawamus chief provincial park protects the 700 metre massive granite cliffs that stand at the southern entrance to squamish on the scenic sea to sky highway established in 1997 the 506hectare park provides rock climbing opportunities of international significance. The chief, as it is locally known, smoke bluffs park, murrin park and shannon falls provincial park offer hundreds of outstanding climbing and bouldering opportunities. Welcome to the official website of the stawamus chief aka squamish chief.
It is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. A climbers guide to the squamish chief and surrounding areas, which appears on this web site, was published in 1967 and was the first published, standalone guide to squamish climbing. For more footage of stanhope sending hard routes sans rope, check out will stanhope freesolos hard joshua tree cracks. A video documenting our ascent of the grand wall 5. Squamish smoothers creating happy trails april 11, 2020. The population of the squamish census agglomeration including first nation reserves of the squamish nation not governed by the municipality is 19,893. Aid climbs on the squamish chief neil chelton, matt. Crags with rock and aid climbs include the chief, smoke bluffs, cheakmus canyon and tatoosh. Ubc profs suggest stuckathome reading list squamish chief. To get there, turn off highway 99 at either shannon falls or stawamus chief provincial park. The first recorded rock climbs on the chief were done in the late 50s, drawn by the huge granite faces of. Great local guide books, guide services and easy access for thousands of climbing routes make squamish one of the premiere climbing destinations in the world. Specific description of squamish rock climbing style. The chief is the obvious large, complex, westfacing cliff clearly visible from the town of squamish, bc.
While the trail begins near the chief campground, access from shannon falls and the sea to sky gondola is well marked and only takes a few minutes. The long awaited new climbing guidebook, squamish rockclimbs. This guide extends from murrin to the chief to the smoke bluffs, up to the. Stawamus chief claims life of second climber in six weeks.
Access issues inherited from squamish there are occasional crags that are on private land and closed but generally climbing is well accepted and welcomed at the various crags and areas around squamish. Hiking stawamus chief aka flirting with death on my 37th. Just over halfway to whistler you will pass through squamish, at which it will be almost impossible to miss the 700m granite mass that is the squamish chief. As the name already suggests, this guide book only has a selection of the best routes. The bc coroners service has confirmed it is investigating the death of a man in his 30s that occurred on sunday, aug. Home to some squamish classics, the apron is known for its traditional, runout slab climbing so beware. The squamish access society can no longer condone climbing at this time. This strong recommendation is in line with closures at major us areas, as well as most outdoor venues in bc such as public parks and ski areas. Updated august 2019 detailed topos of all squamish aid climbs accurate rack information approach. With more than 200 climbing routes on the stawamus chief, squamish has earned a welldeserved reputation as a world class climbing destination. Squamish rock guides offers climbing courses, guiding and private instruction on the west coast of. This massive granite rock is a world class rock climbing destination, rising above the stunning views of the howe sound. Climbing in the chief, british columbia mountain project. A popular climbing area in british columbia, canada.
The stawamus chief is one of the regions classic hikes that takes you up the steep trail to one of its three peaks, offering incredible views of the area surrounding squamish, including howe sound and north to garibaldi provincial park. Thus this giant chunk of granite has given bouldering space to boom. The chief is the grandest part of squamish climbing and the brilliant thing is, to get to the top, you only have to be climbing 5. The new book is 500 pages, up from 370 in the third edition there is a ton of new stuff to do. Squamish rock guides offers single and multipitch guiding, climbing courses, and private instruction on the west coast of british columbia, canada.
As of 22 mar, the chief parking and hiking has officially been closed. Squamish bouldering by marc bourdon and scott tasaka, 2003. The chief is located approximately 7 kilometers north of murrin park and two kilometers south of the entrance to downtown squamish. A 33yearold squamish man has died after falling from a portion of the stawamus chief on sunday morning. Squamish select 3rd edition quickdraw publications outdoor. Think you have the muscle to climb the squamish chief. Free topos quickdraw publications outdoor guidebooks. There is also some great hiking and other adventures in squamish. We created this guide to give you an overview of some of the best climbs in squamish bc. It takes a significant variation to the squamish buttress, wild and unique positioning above the south gulley make this a memorable outing. While the multipitch trad climbs up the massive walls of the chief that loom over the town itself is undoubtedly the biggest draw to the area, the bouldering scene has grown over the last two decades or so as well basically since its birth in 1996.
The book covers the climbing and bouldering around squamish, but also includes the mostly sport climbing in cheakamus canyon and whistler. Squamish rock guides offers climbing courses, guiding and private instruction on the west coast of british columbia, canada. Squamish has easily accessible worldclass climbing of all types from runout slab on the apron, to singlepitch trad climbing with 5 minute approaches 5 minutes from town at smoke bluffs, to hard bigwall climbing on the grand wall, to all day expeditions up the chief, to sport of all types in cheakamus canyon, to bouldering in the massive fields at the base. Once the books arrival is imminent, ill activate sales on the website so people can preorder the print guide or purchase the e book version. Besides being able to find useful information about the chief, you can find meetup groups and local guides for hiking, climbing, and slacklining. Not only it is a impressive landmark with a newly accessible gondola and rock climbing meca, it also is a fantastic exposure of a giant rock with a neat geological history. In 1967, climbing there was barely a decade old and there were fewer than 100 routes. Squamish author adapting after book tour wiped out april 11, 2020. Squamish rock climbing info countless classic granite. Religious groups in squamish espouse unity and compassion in trying times. Combine with calculas and memorial cracks for the ultimate 14 pitch 5. And its spellbinding in the relationships shown, especially between women in the hypermasculine climbing world.
The chief is the 2nd tallest freestanding granite monolith in the world and will provide you with the most spectacular views of howe sound, the squamish valley and surrounding peaks. The massive chief rock of squamish, british columbia canada. This is the theatre where the roots and history of squamish were founded, and the home of the greatest collection of long climbs. This extensive guidebook is the complete reference to squamish climbing, portraying. Watch as will stanhope freesolos high plains drifter 5. The vancouver to whistler corridor has an amazing abundance of granite rock, in addition to the squamish chief mountain, on which to learn to climb from our acmg certified guides. The fullcolour, third edition of squamish select features over 1,500 routes and won the best guidebook category at the 2012 banff mountain film and book festival. The chief is located on highway 99 just south of squamish and just north of shannon falls. Squamish select ebook quickdraw publications outdoor. Bc parks has closed the famous stawamus chief climbing area in squamish.
Over two days we will train you with the rock climbing skills to attempt a summit of the chief via the main face climbing route. Squamish calls itself the outdoor recreation capital of canada due to the abundant rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, golf, fishing, kayaking, bouldering, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, scuba diving and other activities readily available in the area. Free topos provided by members of the squamish, whistler or vancouver climbing and outdoor community. Well, really you only have to be able to walk some steps, as there is a tourist path round the back which also acts as an easy, stress free, decent. Srg has been the industry leader since 1991 and is proud to offer the absolute best guides for your rock climbing goals. At that time there were a lot less climbers and the number of established climbs was only 150 100 were aid. Compared to climbing, bouldering is vertigo friendly, cheap and quick.
Squamish select features over 1,500 routes from murrin park, shannon falls, the malamute, the chief, slhanay th. Hi squamish rock climbing, i wrote a letter to the chief my title was a little softer, i would love. Squamish select 3rd edition quickdraw publications. With over 3000 epic rock climbing routes in squamish bc, it can be intimidating navigating the guide books for your perfect climb. Its the perfect guide for squamish climbing and provides extensive coverage of murrin park, shannon falls, the malamute, the chief, slhanay. Two days we will train you the skills of rock climbing and attempt to summit the squamish chief by the main face climbing route squamish buttress. Squamish rock guides all you need to know before you go. This fullcolour guidebook is the definitive resource for rock climbing in squamish, british columbia. This new guide is volume 2 of the climbers guide to.
If you are successful you will be entered into a draw for a crack at an alpine summit attempt and climbing gear to get you started on your own personal climbing journey. Squamish select features over 1,500 routes from murrin park, shannon falls, the malamute, the chief, slhanay the squaw, smoke bluffs, cheakamus canyon. The chief is squamish s source for community news, in print every thursday across squamish and online whenever. Climbing district of squamish hardwired for adventure. Hiking stawamus chief aka flirting with death on my 37th birthday. Stawamus chief hike near squamish, bc vancouver trails. To complement all the rock climbing in squam ish, the chief of canadian crags was kind enough to crack up and dump a smorgasbord of boulders into its midst. This twoday guided adventure is an awesome way to get a taste for rock climbing and make an ascent of the iconic stawamus chief in squamish. This 2day adventure is for fit people with little to no climbing experience, learn some skills and then climb the chief. This decision has been made to ensure the continued health and safety of bc parks visitors, employees, park contractors.
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