Best new routes / crags in last two years

[squamish climber]

I was just looking over the new and retro'd climbs posted in this thread over the last two years and it's quite an impressive list. There are also a lot of new climbs not even mentioned on this forum.

In an email the other day, Kevin McLane said that there are nearly 450 new climbs since the 2005 guide. That does not include the hundreds of pitches that have been retro'd. So taking that figure, it looks like around 100 new routes are established on average every year. Kevin and Andrew Boyd are working on a new guide for sometime next year -- can't wait. Kevin says there will be over 500 new climbs in the guide.

I thought it would be interesting to canvass people here what they think are the stellar new or retro'd crags and climbs from easy moderates up to extremely difficult.

I'll start off with some suggestions I've climbed very few of them but they're on my tick list or dream list. Chime in with a comment if you've climbed any of these or disagree or agree with the list.

• Apron:
  Slab Alley (retro) - 6 p, 5.9 - nice varied climbing including a traverse, mantle, slab and the elephant steps).
  Pineapple Peel (retro) - 3 p, 5.8 variation to Slab Alley won't be ready until this summer
  Calculus Crack new 2p, 5.8 start
  
  Smoke Bluffs:
  Mosquito Area Smoke Bluffs retro and new routes 5.7-5.10a
  Funarama retro + new routes 5.7-5.11
  Split Beaver retro + new routes 5.7-5.11
  
  AMO Wall 5.6-5.10 plus
  Olsen Creek Wall 5.8-5.11c including WireTap 5p, 5.10a
  Shannon Creek retro + new routes including Forked Flume 5.8 (?) ready this summer
  
  Chief
  Butt Face (Squamish North Buttress North Face Variation) 5.9
  Milk Road 9p, 5.10d A0
  Gravity Bong 9p 5.13a - I'll never get on it but the photos sure look awesome.
  
  Slhanay
  White Feather 5p 5.11d
  
  North Walls:
  Polaris 5.12a (5.11b, A0)

[BK]

I vote for Polaris. Its way easier than the grade suggests. Anyone who climbs up to 11a/b should get on it as the harder stuff can be dogged or aided easily. That offwidth that everone talks about is a crisp layback the whole way. If your lucky someone will base jump sceaming right over your head!

Another one is Welcome to Squampton on the squaw. A bit older but deserves more traffic.

[smallman]

My votes for best new/retro'd routes/ areas would be:
Area 44 - Rocky Horror is especially good.
The Wire Tap Area - are the routes are excellent and an awesome place for when the heat strikes
The Great Drain Area on the Slahanny.
Lower Pet wall routes - especially Underwire and Heavy Petting Action (slight bias - they are my routes).
The Funarama retro - especially Smallpox.
The Mosquito retro - Crack of destiny is particularly fun.

[slopr]

best "new" routes i've done in the past year

liquid gold (retro)- best 5.10 pitch in town
the gauntlet- awesome!
slab alley (retro) - fun!
calculus direct (retro?)- good link up to any n.apron climbs
dancing in the light (retro)- a must do


BK I think it is called "straight outta squampton", or at least it used to be called that- maybe i'm confused and they are 2 separate climbs.

all the work at the bluffs has been great too: Tunnel rock, Ronin's, Funarama, and a bunch of other cliffs are cleaner than they have ever been- island crag, high cliff, mosquito, burgers & fries south, east penny lane, bughouse, upper crag x area & a host of others now moss-free makes for endless days on the rock.

Looking forward to polaris, wiretap, feather, new life, milk road/lower tantalus & the new routes on pet soon.

looks like someone is scrubbing another line in the bulletheads just south of liquid gold- looks awesome too.

What is area 44 like? sounds kinda like cal-cheak, how is the rock?

Thanks to all those who have the dedication and technique to remove that much earth to make/recover climbs for the rest of us!

[another matt]

Lets not forget La Coalition. Right across from rock on. 11+, all sorts of variety and a couple of stellar pitches for the grade.

[J Mace]

Ive climbed Empire of the Sun on the sunbeams wall twice now and its well worth the walk and it drys quickly. A great 6 pitch route to the summit, brushed off some of the winter grit yesterday.

[BK]

I just climbed a new route up at the Feather zone of The Squaw that goes by the name of "Squeemish" or something like that. I'd like to thank Robin and Harry for unearthing this jewel! Five 35 meter pitches of really fun, steep 5.10 crack climbing. This could easily qualify as best find of the past few years. Along with the others (dean channel, Gentlemen prefer Squaws, Feather ....) I thinl this also qualifies as best new crag overall.

again, good work and thanks for the contribution Robin and Harry!

[J Mace]

Also on the squaw I climbed Nonsensical and the Great Drain in an afternoon.

Great Drain was probably my favourite but Nonsensical was good as well with some pretty steep face climbing. Although a little contrived at times as you cross Jungle Warfare.

Which by the way had its tree removed at the top of pitch 1 so its a gear anchor in the crack now, or one staple.

Stoked to check out the other routes!

[Anders Ourom]

I kind of prefer "restore" as the verb for tidying up an old but disused climb, with perhaps minor changes to route and context, so as to make it more climbable. "Retro" has connotations which don't really fit.

[smallman]

Actually on Anders point the term rejuvenate seems most appropriate as basically the climbs are being given new life.

[NateDoggOG]

Climbed Underwire at Pet wall yesterday...... lots of fun pulling that roof I enjoyed the start as well.
I haven't heard of Welcome to Squampton on the Squaw, but Straight Outta Squampton is a boulder problem, so they have to be two different routes.

[tobyfk]

I did Milk Road and Wiretap last summer and Skywalker and Slab Alley this summer. Really enjoyed all of them; many thanks to the scrubbers/ restorers.