multi pitch routes

[dean]

what routes would you recomend?
i climb 5.9 trad and 5.10b on bolts..
it'll be my first time multi pitch climbing so be gentle...

[Cloudraker]

The Opal

[Cloudraker]

But maybe start with any routes on the South Apron as well as Snake, Calculus Crack and the Smoke Bluff Connection...







and then blast the Opal.

[Brendan]

dean, get on Mushroom (.9) if it's still accessible. it's on the right side of the Papoose.
other than that, the rest of the .9's in squamish are either over-climbed or not really worth it.
the other .9 i would recommend is the Split Pillar. but it's sustained for the grade

[hafilax]

Star Chek (.9 sport 3 or 4 pitches) in Chekamous Canyon and Charlotte's Web (.9 sport 2 pitches) in Chek are good starters as well.

I haven't done Stairway to Heaven (.10b sport) but if you're comfortable on something somewhat run out (according to my friends) then give it a go. If you mix and match between The Ultimate Everything and Upper Echelon I think you can keep the grade below 5.9.

The South Apron stuff is all fun but be prepared to deal with crowds and watch for stuff dropped from above. You often either have to follow another group or choose a different route depending on the day.

[Brendan]

oops, Dean, i just noticed that you wanted multi-pitch routes. oh well, do the aforementioned climbs anyways.

i can't really think of any .9's which are worth it in Squamish. other than slab climbs.
the best thing to do, is to look at the guide book, and look for individual pitches. for example, Merci Me is a good climb, which you can get to by skipping either .10b approach and hiking up the flake approach ledges.

another which comes to mind is The Bottom Line, on the lower apron. use this climb to approach Banana Peel, or any of the climbs in that vicinity.

[XXXX]

St Vitus Dance is really good. It may be on the Apron but it's a crack climb, not a slab climb.

North North Arete is 5.9
So's Jungle Warfare on the Squaw except maybe for the very first move

[Cloudraker]

North North Arete is 5.9

Have you or anyone else done this route? I've heard it's the worst climb in Canada.... can't possibly be worse than that scoops and dimples POS on the south apron though.

[XXXX]

Whoever said that was probably stoned and off route. it's a fun climb in a great position, the pitches are clean and it has good cracks. You can get lost on the ledges between pitches but that's about it. It's best in late summer cause it's shady and can be damp in the spring.

[Cloudraker]

Whoever said that was probably stoned and off route.

I forget who it was who said that it was a terrible route but I think they did end up getting off route and/or lost. The position is definitely cool. I'd like to check it out..... sounds adventurous.

[Steve Townshend]

North North Arete is 5.9

Have you or anyone else done this route? I've heard it's the worst climb in Canada.... can't possibly be worse than that scoops and dimples POS on the south apron though.

That was the first route i did in Squamish (probably 8 yrs ago). i thought it was fun! i've done BAD routes (dirty/chossy/dangerous) in other areas, but this wasn't one of them... i thought this route wasn't bad, i guess it depends who you climb it with as to how fun it is; We had a blast! it's more like "Adventure climbing"... finding the base of the route is half the challange, hahaha!

Good luck and don't get lost!

PS. we also did it in our running shoes! and i don't remember 100% for sure, but i'm pretty sure we free-soloed it (brought a rope with us but didn't end up using it)...

[Steve Townshend]

PPS. i also don't remember 100% for sure, but i thought it was more like 5.5 or 5.6 than 5.9??? i remember it being EASY! like WAY easier than Diedra or Snake (those are the only other two easy [below 5.10] multi-pitch routes i've done in Squamish)

[XXXX]

sandbagger

[Axel]

"Hairpin" at the Papoose. It has one 10a crux section but it is very short and very well protected. Personally I think it is one of the best 5.9/10a routes in Squish. Really varied climbing and no crowds.

[Brendan]

"Hairpin" at the Papoose. It has one 10a crux section but it is very short and very well protected. Personally I think it is one of the best 5.9/10a routes in Squish. Really varied climbing and no crowds.

x2