CO Alpinist, Kelly Cordes says nice things about Squamish

[squamish climber]

Dru mentioned downthread a good article about Squamish written by Kelly Cordes from Colorado earlier this month. He's done lots of big climbs in Patagonia and the Himalayas and has visited a lot of climbing destinations. Cordes a Patagonia ambassador, wrote on the blog the Cleanest Line some Notes from Squamish. It's an entertaining read and may inspire some gratitude in the minds of locals. Here are some highlights.

Climbing: Squamish rules. Big cliffs of impeccable granite, though not as big or as sweeping as Yosemite. Yet I’ve always been more attracted to the overall picture than any single aspect of a climbing area. The climbing is just as good as the Valley, the people are friendlier, the trails are clean, there’s a notable absence of ranger-cops (climber self-regulation seems to work remarkably well here), and no RV traffic jams. The small downtown area seems quaint, and I haven’t seen a single trinket shop. So weird, it’s like...like...it’s like Yosemite without all the bullsh*t.

I haven’t seen a single American Death Triangle anchor, nor the unsightly rat’s nest of slings so common back home (to which every passing party seems to add another sling – usually all running to some rusty old piton). Here they install bomber equalized, bolted rappel anchors. I heard there’s even a “best practices” code for those who establish new routes, and people seem to follow it. Coming from ‘Merica, all of this leaves me scratching my head. Something for the common good, without a fight? How nice. Ahhh, see, I knew it – even through my computer I heard the election-year screams: “Socialist!!!”

I love the green here. Trees grow out of trees, smaller trees and ferns sprouting from larger trunks, and their branches form enormous canopies that help create soft blankets of earth underfoot, and moss so green it practically glows (but not in a creepy, radiation sort of way). Sun slats through breaks in the canopies, and walking to and from the climbs feels like walking in an enchanted forest. Simply magical.

It’s almost time to go but I leave with a smile and a sense of inner calm, softly whispering a mantra: Colorado and California, you’re doin’ it wrong