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Richmond, B.C.
Canada
14 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 2:08 PM
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| A couple friends and I are trying to break into this world of mountaineering. We have some experience with ice axes and crampons. we are also pretty well versed in self-arrest and have hiked up some steeper pitches through this spring/summer. I was wondering if anyone had any information on routes near Vancouver which require very little if any technical climbing skills (ropes, glacier travel, ice climbing). We don't have any experience with rope work/belaying/ anchors but we are planning on learning this through our local climbing gym in the coming weeks. Any suggestions on where we could go for now? |
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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 |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 2:24 PM
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Get ahold of Alpine Select and look for routes rated Alpine Grade F or PD.
The West Ridge of Sky Pilot is a classic easy route with a short 3rd/4th class rock pitch (the famous pink slab), snow approach and lots of scrambling. Just what you want. |
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
183 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 2:26 PM
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| Mt Adams isn't that close (5-6 hour drive) to Vancouver but it's a great intro to mountaineering skills without the risk of crevasse exposure. Plus being over 12,000' it's a good test piece. |
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1072 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 2:34 PM
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What indoor climbing gym teaches anchor building? Usually the indoor gym staff are very specifically accredited in indoor gym climbing, and probably don't have the means to teach much more than top-rope anchors, which are basically useless for alpine climbing. If you want to learn alpine anchors and are too cheap to hire a guide, go buy the hardware, buy a book, and find a rock with good cracks that's less than 2M off the ground. Go to town on it, bonus points for you if you bring some variety of bovine quadruped to test your anchors. Remember, until you're not a noob, you're going to be pulling your pro up more often than you load it down, place accordingly! And don't wait until you tackle exposed terrain to learn your systems, practice on safe terrain so you're proficient when you need to be.
Robie Reid is a great scrambling playground. Lots of 3rd-4th class rock, and really gentle, decent quality 5th class for when you want to start playing with ropes and pro. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 3:09 PM
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I think the OP's question has a good answer, but I wanted to reply to this one:
quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
What indoor climbing gym teaches anchor building? Usually the indoor gym staff are very specifically accredited in indoor gym climbing, and probably don't have the means to teach much more than top-rope anchors, which are basically useless for alpine climbing.
It's not unheard of. The University of Calgary gym is made out of concrete slabs with cracks and holes and rocks in them, and a top platform specifically designed to teach anchor building, and rock and crevasse rescue. There are gym staff who teach indoor climbing, and alpine/rock guides who teach the advanced skills. The fact that many gyms are not equipped to teach anything beyond the basic skills doesn't mean that's the only situation.
He might also have just meant that they are going to learn the basics which they've never done, which is an excellent start, as a lot of people find it useful to learn basic top-roping and sport anchors before delving further. |
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1072 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 3:25 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Rachelo
I think the OP's question has a good answer, but I wanted to reply to this one:
quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
What indoor climbing gym teaches anchor building? Usually the indoor gym staff are very specifically accredited in indoor gym climbing, and probably don't have the means to teach much more than top-rope anchors, which are basically useless for alpine climbing.
It's not unheard of. The University of Calgary gym is made out of concrete slabs with cracks and holes and rocks in them, and a top platform specifically designed to teach anchor building, and rock and crevasse rescue. There are gym staff who teach indoor climbing, and alpine/rock guides who teach the advanced skills. The fact that many gyms are not equipped to teach anything beyond the basic skills doesn't mean that's the only situation.
He might also have just meant that they are going to learn the basics which they've never done, which is an excellent start, as a lot of people find it useful to learn basic top-roping and sport anchors before delving further.
Copy, but that's without doubt the exception, not the rule, especially down in Lotus Land. |
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Richmond, B.C.
Canada
14 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 5:39 PM
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| Thanks for the responses. I went out and bought the Alpine Select book which I see will be a very useful tool going forward. I also picked up a copy of "mountaineering, freedom of the hills" which seems to be the bible for mountaineering. I understand that climbing gym's don't teach anchors. I was going to go to a climbing gym to get the basics of belaying as well as tying the necessary knots. I also spoke with one of the staff members at MEC and was advised that at this point in time a good starter route could be coliseum or goat mountain, so I think that we are going to give one of these a go this weekend. |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 5:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
Remember, until you're not a noob, you're going to be pulling your pro up more often than you load it down, place accordingly!
?????????They are going to fall upwards? Wish I could learn that skill. |
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1072 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 5:49 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sandy
quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
Remember, until you're not a noob, you're going to be pulling your pro up more often than you load it down, place accordingly!
?????????They are going to fall upwards? Wish I could learn that skill.
Noobs are too afraid to fall. Don't you remember your first trad, looking down only to see that you'd pulled all your pro up and out with your un-finesse with the rope? |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 7:18 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
Noobs are too afraid to fall. Don't you remember your first trad, looking down only to see that you'd pulled all your pro up and out with your un-finesse with the rope?
No, thankfully I never did that.
This term noob seems so derogatory to me. I think it's totally cool that people go out and learn new things.
Now, I'm off to practice falling upwards. |
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north van, bc
Canada
940 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 8:53 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sandy
quote:
Originally posted by Kid Charlemagne
Remember, until you're not a noob, you're going to be pulling your pro up more often than you load it down, place accordingly!
?????????They are going to fall upwards? Wish I could learn that skill.
belay anchors can get pulled upwards if you're belaying the leader and he falls. this makes nuts a bad choice for belay stations. |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 3:04 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by smac
belay anchors can get pulled upwards if you're belaying the leader and he falls. this makes nuts a bad choice for belay stations.
I say "nuts to that". Of course you can use nuts, wires, hexes.
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/articles/pdfs/EarnestAnchors3.pdf |
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the mountain parks, Alberta
Canada
102 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 3:22 PM
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A couple of nuts in opposition can work fine as your upward pull piece. Same with any other gear in opposition when placed properly of course.
quote:
this makes nuts a bad choice for belay stations
This is a horrible blanket statement to make. Sometimes they are the BEST option to use, but of course use what works best in the situation and if that means a nut is the best then it is the best. |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3508 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 9:08 PM
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| I love having my nuts wedged in so that you can pull up or down. |
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1072 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 9:34 PM
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| Yeah, but you don't want to pull too hard, I've lost a nut before doing that. Sometimes you just have to leave with one less nut than started with. |
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| LeeL
Advanced Member
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Extreme ski tourin, mountain bikin addict who hikes at least once a year
2506 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 9:59 PM
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Back to your question.
Coliseum and Goat are close and kind of fun as was mentioned.
Bluffs trail near Grouse is also good for some wee pitches with low consequence.
Matt Gunn's Scrambles books is also useful to give you ideas. Sometimes i think his harder scrambles cross into mountaineering - not to open that can of worms
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6788 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 10:07 PM
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heard the same, from fairly capable/respected people that took on more tougher trips in the book, and got (much) more than they had expected.
quote:
Matt Gunn's Scrambles books is also useful to give you ideas. Sometimes i think his harder scrambles cross into mountaineering - not to open that can of worms
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Edited by - Aqua Terra on 07/11/2012 10:09 PM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2012 : 12:23 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by sandy
Now, I'm off to practice falling upwards.
That sounds like it would be an amazingly useful skill. |
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Topic |
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Easy mountaineering route?
