Straight Outta Squampton?

[Blake]

Has anyone done this route up on Klooch Buttress area? I have a couple buddies who got on it 2 summers ago when there were fixed ropes and ongoing development above p2 which made them stop there.

If so... any word on pitches 3 and 4? Does it require gear, or just QDs?

Thanks!

[Squamishmonkey]

I did the route two summers ago and it is a little gem hidden away back there. The route requires gear but has bolts hidden in the wide chasm so no monster sized peices required. The first pitch has a 5.10 variation....avoid it and go direct, it's better quality rock and pefect fingers. The second is a totally unique pitch for squamish followed by a log traversing pitch and then upwards. The last pitch was ok...but no where near the quality of the others..
I rapped and a direct version looked like it was being cleaned...but it was two years ago.
If you are up at the Squaw and climb 5.11 gear...go do it.

[fist crack]

Hey Blake,

I did the fa of Squampton a few years back with Dave G. and I must say it is an excellent route.
Definetly do the first pitch direct at 11c, it's amazing, fingers thru a small roof to a 2 bolt belay.
pitch two is unlike anything else in squamish, crack climbing to a wide undercling (bolts) to a flared squeeze chimney with gear in the back. (the bigest you need is a number 3 camalot) This part is only about 10b!
exit left out of the chimney to an 11a crux getting to the anchor. (very much like something out of Yosemite)
p3 is an awesome face traverse left (crux 11b/c) to some amazing 5.10 finger and hand crack climbing.
P4 is a whatever 10b/c short face pitch.

I have a pitch 3 variation project that goes out the right side of the chimney to another series of face cracks that are sustained 5.11.

My appologies for the junky fixed lines that I never got around to removing. life just seemed to get in the way of climbing...work, mortgages and a baby seem to have kept me away from the rock.

I will remove those lines this spring and finish the pitch 3 project this summer as well.

cheers.

[Brendan]

i got on squampton today in the blistering heat. holy shat i'll never climb in the heat again!!!!!!!!! EVER!!

can you believe i left the beach w/ women in bikinis to go climbing. WTF?

we bailed after the second pitch for some more desirable slurpees. LOL. but i can honestly say that the first pitch was crumbly, and that ridiculous contrived eliminate .11c "direct" finger crack is just silly. we tried to climb it, but it was so unnatural, so we just reached out left to that huge flake and it was easy. besides, almost immediately after the roof, the .11 fingercrack meets up w/ the original route!? anyways.

the second pitch was cool, and what i would describe as old school. still, the route needs quite a bit more traffic to become a classic (judging it on the first two pitches).
i can't wait till it's cloudy so i can go back w/out suffering

good job Kai!