Bugaboo grades vs Squamish

[islander]

How are the grades in the Bugaboos compared to Squamish?

I.e. if I can lead 10.c trad in Squamish on a good day, can I lead the same grade in the Bugs or is it graded harder? I.e. I may only beable to lead at .10a/b ?

Planning a week-10day trip in the summer...

Thanks

[hans]

I think it's about the same, although there is the odd sandbag (Roof McTech comes to mind)

The only thing I've found is that a lot of routes in the Bugs have offwidths, which I ususally avoid, and so those parts feel really hard to me.

[Brendan]

Keep in mind it's not only the grades you have to consider, but the approaches and descents which can be an adventure in their own (unlike Squamish).

[Dru]

... and the fact that for many routes in the Bugs you will be climbing with a pack with your boots, crampons etc on your back, unlike Squamish where you can walk off just about anything in a pair of flip flops

[islander]

Thanks for the comments everyone. And I am well aware of the approach/descent difficulties, as well as the extra gear I will have with me. I won't be climbing my trad/multipitch grade, but rather a few grades below. The above was just an example. The Bugs are definitely known to make epics of climbs if the party isn't prepared...

Thanks!

[harihari]

If you are just getting into the high 10s in Squamish, you will want to lower your sights in the Bugs alpine. Gear weight, exhaustion (loooong days), the need to eat and drink more than you would expect, and sometimes sketchy rock or runouts --oh and the altitude-- mean that everything feels a buttload harder for the alpine novice. it is also a general principle that you don't want to do long risky routes at your technical limit, cos problems = epic, which is not a problem in Squamish where with one 60 you can get off almost everything. But when you are 12 pitches off the glacier, and you have a5 km walk through crevasses and a 60 degree slope section, you don't want to f**k around with desperate (for you) moves.

BUT...most first-timers will want to do the mellower classics (NE Ridge of Spire, Kain route, yadda) and those can be very easily done in boots not rock shoes. And a lot of the pure rock classic (e.g. McTech, Sunshine Chimneys, Paddle FLake, Edwards Neufeld, Surf's Up and even Choinard-Becky now with the new rap stations) you can leave your boots and other snow stuff at the base. I would also say that depending on the weather, a solid pair approach shoes, light crampons, and a single light ice axe will suffice for most of the approaches.

chris