Road Access Problem at Chek

[mr_staggerlee]

for your information:

tried to go to chek today (tuesday) and it was strictly no way to get onto the Conroy Creek service road. Cones, workers, machines, gravel, etc. everywhere.

don't know for how long this will be blocked off or if there will be any blockage on the weekends.

G.

[Peter]

Apologies for the broadcast message - let the Access Society know if these are unwanted. Otherwise, feel free to forward or post the following. There is some climbing access news, including:

a) modification of the Stawamus Chief peregrine closure,
b) a suggested partial voluntary closure of the Green River Bastion, due to a possible peregrine nest,
c) a unique ascent of the Grand Wall on June 19th & 20th, which climbers should know of,
d) access to the Conroy Creek FSR at Cheakamus Canyon,
e) the Access Society's socioeconomic study of rock climbing in the greater Squamish area, and
f) an upcoming major upgrade to the Access Society's website, and a new issues of Access News.

Stawamus Chief - Voluntary Peregrine Nesting Closure
After further observation, the voluntary closure this year of part of the Stawamus Chief has been modified. It will continue through July 31st, unless otherwise posted and publicized. All routes between the Black Dyke and Freeway are closed, generally from about two pitches/80 metres off the ground to Bellygood Ledge.

Closed routes: Clean Corner, Cloudburst, Sports Illustrated, Sea of Tranquillity, Getting Down in the Brown, Negro Lesbian, Crap Crags, Warriors of the Wasteland, Western Dihedral (pitch 4 and above), Slow Duck*, Illusion, Planet Caravan, and Millenium Falcon. The area from Freeway to Negro Lesbian is also closed to new route activity.

Open routes: Black Dyke, Freeway, Arrowroute, Rutabaga, Cleaning the Brain, Deadend Dihedral, Time Passages, Slow Dyke*, Western Dihedral (to top of pitch 3), and Sticky Fingers.

The voluntary closure is part of the Rock Climbing Strategy under the park's master plan, and is from March 15th - July 31st each year. The closure usually extends from Negro Lesbian to Freeway, including both those routes, but the exact scope and end date of the closure depend on nest location and fledging date each year. Thanks to Jesse Brown for his help with this!

*The names of Slow Duck and of Slow Dyke were interchanged in the 1999 Climbers’ Guide to Squamish.

Green River Bastion (Pemberton) - Voluntary Peregrine Nesting Closure
A pair of peregrines was recently observed at the Green River Bastion, and it appears likely that they are nesting somewhere on that cliff. (See Whistler Rockclimbs, Elaho, 2000, page 139.) The birds were observed near the top of Shining City particularly, but also in the area of Fine Time and Memory Lane. We suggest that climbers voluntarily avoid these and adjacent routes until July 31st, by which time any chicks should have fledged. Any update to this will be publicized - the sightings have not been confirmed by a trained observer, or the nest located.

Grand Wall (Squamish) - Special Ascent
On June 19th & 20th, Brad Zdanivsky, the first quadriplegic ever to return to climbing after a spinal cord injury, will attempt to climb the entire Grand Wall. The line of ascent will largely be to the right of the Grand Wall route, but will cross over to and use the last anchors of that route before and at Bellygood Ledge. There will also be fixed ropes across Bellygood before and during the climb. A lot of equipment and volunteers are needed, and a weekend is the only workable window.

Brad will begin ascending on Saturday morning, bivouac on Bellygood Ledge, and on Sunday climb the wall above Bellygood to the top, before rappelling.
Brad's ascent may affect other climbers on and near the Grand Wall that weekend, and the Vertical Challenge team apologizes for any inconvenience. They ask that climbers respect any gear that is fixed for Brad's climb, and suggest avoiding the final two pitches of Grand Wall (before Bellygood) on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the climb. Contact Brad at vertical@intergate.ca, or (604) 730-2723. More news at www.verticalchallenge.org/news/htm.

Conroy Creek Forest Service Road (Cheakamus Canyon)This road leads to Conroy's Castle, Foundation Wall, Shoot to Kill, the Circus, the Main Event, etc. We had reports that the road has been blocked, and is signed as being closed to the public. The sign states "Road closed due to blasting from 8:00 AM Monday to 6:00 PM Friday.", and there are sometimes workers, equipment, or materials blocking it.

When work on the Culliton Creek - Cheakamus Canyon section of Highway 99 began a year ago, the Access Society discussed climbers' use of this road, and parking area, with the Ministry of Transport and Highways, and the contractors. We recently contacted them about this, and were advised that "Culliton-Cheakamus project blasting has now migrated well north of the FSR. The posted signs will remain for reasons of security among the general public; however climbers are welcome to park on the road. Space is provided for climbers' parking - at a location that does require a walk-in - in keeping with the provision made for this purpose at the onset of the project."

We ask climbers to comply with any posted restrictions on parking and on use of the Conroy Creek FSR, particularly on weekdays. It may over the last year sometimes been possible to drive the road on weekdays, when workers and equipment weren't present, but this was by default rather than consent. There are safety-related reasons why the road and parking area are sometimes closed. We understand that the road and parking area remain open on weekends, although the road can be rough. During the week, you may have to walk a short distance.

Socioeconomic Study of Climbing - Squamish Area
The Access Society, in conjunction with Simon Fraser University's School of Resource and Environmental Management, has begun a study of the socioeconomic contribution to the Squamish area. There will be fieldwork at locations from Comic Rocks to Cal-Chek from now through October, as well as surveys. A recent estimate was that climbing contributes $20 million annually to the economy of Squamish. We hope to confirm and expand on this figure, and learn a lot about climbers and climbing at Squamish, and climbers and climbing-related business in Squamish. Climbing is about much more than economics, but this information is needed to inform government and land management decisions, and as a baseline.

If you are approached by a volunteer in a parking area, or on a trail to a climb, please take a minute to answer a few questions. Even if it's 7:00 AM and you're rushing to be the first on Diedre. We want the study to be as complete and thorough as possible! There should be results by late 2004, and they'll be widely publicized.

The study is being supported by the Access Society, Valhalla Pure Outfitters (Squamish) - Climbers' Fund, District of Squamish - Economic Diversification Office, Mountain Equipment Co-op, federal government, Squamish Hostel, and the Alpine Club of Canada (Vancouver Section) - Endowment Fund. Some additional funding is still needed, as are draw prizes for volunteers and for survey participants - let us know if you can help.

Website and Access News
The Access Society's new website should be up and running by mid June, perhaps earlier. It will contain a lot of useful access information, and be quite attractively organized. All in all, a considerable improvement on what we have now. The URL will be www.access-society.ca, although for the time being the current URL http://casbc.bivouac.com will work, as well as www.casbc.ca. There will also be an issue of Access News in early June, containing news and updates skimmed from the website.

Thank you!

Anders Ourom (president, Access Society)
(604) 228-1798

[Strongbad]

Thanks for the info Peter. Just to clarify where are we to park if the chek access road is blocked?

Pete

[ChrisWilliams]

Being a paving contractor myself, I know the complications involved. I hope the pavement is all clear now.