Questions about spending the summer in Squamish

[caliclimbergirl]

Hi everyone,

I'm a working professional/weekend climber. However, I happened to get the summer off and my lease happens to end in June, and I got this crazy idea to just put my stuff in storage and spend the summer in Squamish (just 2 months, July and August)!! I was in Squamish for a total of 5 weekends last summer, but I've never spent more than 4 days in a row there so I have a few questions for anyone who might know.

1. Camping. I'm planning on staying at the climber's campground. Is there a limit for how long you can camp there? If so, how do I get around that? Would it be enough to move to a different campsite, or should I plan on getting a room in the hostel for a night every couple of weeks? Any other suggestions? I have a truck -- I could sleep in the back of that once in a while. I'm thinking of getting a camper shell, but I'm not sure I can afford it.

2. Showers. I don't mind going for a week or so without a shower, but I'm going to want one once in a while -- swimming in the lake only does so much. Will I have to get a room in a hostel to get a decent shower? Or spend that night at the Shannon Falls campground maybe? Is there another public shower I could somehow use?

3. Climbing partners!! I'm planning on doing this by myself. How hard will it to be to find people to climb with? I'm particularly concerned because I'm not the greatest climber. I can top-rope 5.10's clean, but I tend to be pretty slow. As far as leading, I can lead 8 sport consistently and only 7 trad consistently. I have lead Sally Five Fingers and a few other 8's in that area of Smoke Bluffs. They were really easy and short though and I wouldn't say I can lead 8's consistently -- I wouldn't be comfortable leading the 8 pitches of Diedre for example. I'm hoping that after spending a couple of months there, I'll be climbing much better, but at my current ratings, do you think it'll be difficult for me to find people to climb with? I will post in the partners section of this board as well as squamishclimbing.com, and probably put a note up on the bulletin board at the climber’s campground. Any other suggestions for finding partners?

4. Getting there. I live in Seattle and I'm an American. I'm planning on driving there. If I say that I'm planning on staying for a couple of months will that cause problems at the boarder crossing?

5. A job. Although I think I can cover the minimal expenses that go with living out of a tent, it would be nice to have some kind of part-time job for extra spending money. How hard would it be to find something like that as an American? Where should I look (the hostel, the climbing store, etc)?

6. Storing stuff. I know Squamish has a bad reputation for getting things stolen. Like I said earlier, I have a pick-up truck and can't afford a camper shell, so I can't even lock things in the trunk of a car. I can lock things up in the cab, but that's not even very secure. Is there a secure place I can keep a few things when I'm climbing? Lockers somewhere maybe? I'd like to bring my laptop so I can check in with the world from time to time with free wi-fi, but I'm don't feel comfortable bringing it if I don't have a safe place to keep it.

7. Anything I'm forgetting? Anything else I should know about?

Thanks in advance!

[Cloudraker]

You won't have any problems finding a partner in Squamish

As far as I know there's no time limit for the campground but there is also lots of free camping in the area - especially if you have a truck.

I wouldn't tell the border guards that you're planning on staying for two months. If it's anything like crossing in the other direction you're looking for trouble if you tell them you're staying for a long time. They'll want to have proof of finances, where you're staying, etc....

If you want to landscape a couple of days you can easily find work. I'm sure there other opportunities too such as working at the hostel.

No idea about storage opportunities.

Have a great summer!

[MCpl]

Showers are not a problem.... if you have wheels you'll be able to get into town and use the rec centre's facilities. There are other options which I'm not sure about.

[rich k]

1- i think there's a 15 day limit at the chief campground that's NOT strictly enforced. keep refilling out the form for the max days and you'll be fine. worst case, move your tent to a different site. fees are for the site, so if you find a few people to share the site with it will be cheaper. i think there's a 3 tent max.

2- 4 bucks at the rec centre

4- don't tell the people at the border the truth. lie to them. think of it as your way of telling the truth. i suggest saying you're going for the weekend. if they ask on the way home, which they probably won't, say plans changed.

5-you can't work in canada legally unless you have a working visa (professional, trade...). you'll need to find a cash job. they're hard to come by and might not be worth the hassle. you're most likely to find labour work which will make you tired and you'll need to rest instead of climb. probably take away from the experience instead of add to it.

to sum things up: lie, cheat, and don't work.

[Cloudraker]

lie, cheat, and don't work.

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