Smoke Bluffs Park Update

[squamish climber]

The recent spell of nice weather is hopefully a sign of things to come and this climbing season will be warm and dry. If you haven’t been to Smoke Bluffs since last year you may notice a few changes. I recently received a timely update from Brian Moorhead, the chair of the Smoke Bluffs Park Advisory Committee. It looks like they’ve been working hard this winter planning and implementing improvements to the park.

New route-wise, as noted on the forum already, Hevy Duty and Harry have done some nice work on Krack Rock and Second Avenue (Lumberland upper-tier). And there are some newly scrubbed boulder problems in the Kids Zone (anybody checked them out ?) As well as new routes in Boulder Gully - please post if you have climbed any of them.

The park advisory committee spearheaded some cleanup work at the base of Mosquito and Tunnel Rock (check out the nicely terraced landing zones at Tunnel Rock).

In the trails department, the access trail from Valleycliff to Tunnel Rock was regraded and new drainage put in, say goodbye hopefully to the late season creek that ran down this trail. And nearby a new section of trail was constructed connecting Spiderfly into Penny Lane gully. I think this will get more people on the classic Croft testpiece. (If you have climbed this thin crack - post your thoughts on how it compares with other climbs at a similar grade).

If you have been to the park recently you have probably noticed the trail work leading up from the parking lot. This is the start of a new commuter/technical mountain bike trail connecting up to Hospital Hill. This project is slated for completion this Summer.

And in the coming soon category keep an eye out for more picnic tables around the park and stairs between Neat & Cool and Burgers and Fries to be replaced.

Kudos and hats off to Brian and the Smoke Bluff Advisory Committee for these nice climbing upgrades to the park. For those that don’t know, Brian came out of semi-retirement last September to return to as the advisory committee chair. Climbers owe him their appreciation for staying on to ensure Smoke Bluffs Park remains a unique climbing destination in Squamish.

[hevyduty]

hi dave hevy here thanks for up date . This winter has been incredibly good in the bluffs ;in a couple off weeks i will post bunch of topos and details .Theres been at 40+ new routes put up ranging from 5\5 to5\13 in all styles trad n sport easy and safe to burley and scary !theres bunch of new areas being worked on.Theres quite bunch of boulder problems been done all over the park as well'. Young Mark and luke have been super active in the hard grades ; Mark has in fact repeated all of Andrew Boyds masterpieces !no mean feat,and when he finally climbs the wall to the right of the Technian the bluffs will be the home too one Canadas hardest slab routes.

[Optimally-Primed]

Here here to Brian Moorhead, the SB Committee, city council for the funds, and Diggers like Hevy, Harry, Luke, etc.

Here here!

See you good folks in July!

[PJH]

T Hevy Duty and Harry have done some nice work on Krack Rock

I checked out a couple new climbs on the left of Krack rock yesterday. Any topos of the new stuff? I found the steep dihedral crack up from the ledge to be quite fun (5.10b/c?)