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North Vancouver
178 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 7:44 PM
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Started on the BCMC trail up Grouse at 6am. After wasting quite a bit of time on a scenic detour over to Goat Ridge, we dropped into Hanes Valley and traversed across talus and scree to the base of the climb.
note- The junction down to Crown pass is not signed, but there is a large cairn on your right. If you pass the SAR cache then you have gone to far. (Thanks again for your help Ryan)
We finally started climbing(taking the lefthand variation in McLane's guide) at 11:30am, and rapped off the Camel just before 5:30. We managed to climb each of the 3 steep sections in pretty much 3 full pitches each time. Nothing was probably tougher than 5.9, and although some of the climbing was really beautiful, there is a lot of loose rock. The rest was simul-climbed with little or no protection, aside from the odd tough bouldering move and 5.10+ steps which were belayed. These tougher sections could have been avoided by back tracking and taking another route.
We then Scrambled up to the top of Crown through a nice chimney and traversed across an exposed ledge to the main trail up to the summit.
Arrived back at Grouse at 8pm, and happily payed $10 for a thrilling ride back to the car. We all screamed with excitement as we went over the towers.
In hindsight I would have planned the approach a little better instead of just the actual climb. I had never been in the area before, but wrongly assumed that the Hane's Valley Route would be signed. Also, there is no need for an ice axe, as almost all the snow is gone from the gullies. There is still two small snow melt streams just before the base of the climb, so no need to carry water all the way from Grouse.
Here's a few pictures with captions...           |
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Vancouver
349 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 7:51 PM
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| Nice one! Congrats! |
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Van, BC
Canada
2788 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 7:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by TNJed
Arrived back at Grouse at 8pm, and happily payed $10 for a thrilling ride back to the car. We all screamed with excitement as we went over the towers.
It was YOU!
Great work :)
-Ryan
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
291 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 8:28 PM
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well done man! My hat off for you guys |
Edited by - jeffhan on 09/05/2011 8:28 PM |
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Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
558 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 8:30 PM
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| Nice work Luke & Co.! |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1111 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 8:34 PM
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| Nice one. Lucky, I've been on Crown twice now and still waiting for the views. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
667 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 10:24 PM
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Looks like some good local fun. Nice. Amazing what is right in the backyard if your willing to work for it!
More pics! |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2011 : 10:32 PM
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Up on Crown once, and got only very partial views then. Great shots !
K |
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
14 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 08:20 AM
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Awesome!
Did you happen to notice whether the snow/ice had melted out from the gully at the base of the Crater Slabs? |
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North Vancouver
178 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 11:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dante
Awesome!
Did you happen to notice whether the snow/ice had melted out from the gully at the base of the Crater Slabs?
There is still some huge blocks of broken snow at the top of the gully.
This view is from the arete below the first headwall. You could skirt around the snow, but we did hear two big rock slides in this direction. One was long and loud.
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
145 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2011 : 2:52 PM
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| Congratulations -- you are doing some absolutely great trips. |
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| Paulo
Intermediate Member
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
768 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2011 : 1:09 PM
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quote:
There is still two small snow melt streams just before the base of the climb, so no need to carry water all the way from Grouse.
Thanks for posting about the water supply... very important. On Saturday four of us followed the same/similar route... took us about the same amount of time... including an alpine start up the GG. We also compressed the climbing to four ~60m technical pitches up the headwalls... plus several long exposed scrambling sections in between. The day was uncomfortably hot (we ran out of water half way into the climb) and the bugs were supremely irritating everytime we stopped... otherwise it was a great day to play in the backcountry :-) |
Edited by - Paulo on 09/11/2011 2:10 PM |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
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Van, BC
Canada
2788 Posts |
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58 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 1:20 PM
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question about the approach. I didn't realize people used the GG and went down the Hanes Valley to start this climb. I thought the Alpine Selects guide ( when I read it 3 years back ) mentioned to hike Lynn Valley to get to the Hanes valley to start the climb.
Are most people using the GG now to get to this climb? Is it faster then parking one car at Grouse, driving another one to Lynn Valley and hiking in?
Anybody wants to climb this with me please email me at gotnoname at gmail dot com |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1009 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 2:07 PM
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The Hanes way is not the way to go, takes too long and there is a gate they close at night, which means you have to park even further away than the normal trail head
GG and drop in is the way to go.
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58 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 5:49 PM
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thank you for the response. I actually have not been into that area of Grouse. So just one more question:
note- The junction down to Crown pass is not signed, but there is a large cairn on your right. If you pass the SAR cache then you have gone to far. (Thanks again for your help Ryan)
Is this the way down to Hanes Valley? Is it a walk down or rap down? How many raps if it is? |
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Van, BC
Canada
2788 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 6:01 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by gotnoname
Is this the way down to Hanes Valley? Is it a walk down or rap down? How many raps if it is?
It's a simple trail - no climbing involved - as it's also the hiking trail up to Crown. That said, there are a few sections of the trail that have chains installed (totally necessary, but provide extra assistance for the tourists).
The route (showing the way to Crown - peel off east at the low point to head into Hanes):
-Ryan |
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58 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2012 : 2:04 PM
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| thank you |
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Widowmaker Arete- Crown Mountain, 9-4-11
