Gripped: The Climbing Magazine April/May 2024 Vol. 26 Issue 2

Spring is when we book time off work or quit our jobs altogether to hit the road to visit areas with climbs that we’ve been dreaming about. Heading out for a few weeks or a month—or the season—nowadays is pretty much the same as it was a few decades ago, except now we have lighter gear, better technology and probably aim to avoid areas with wildfire smoke more than before. And while most of us weekend warriors and seasonal climbers can only focus on rock in spring and summer, many pro climbers use winter to travel to places to attempt their projects. There was no shortage of monumental ascents over the past few months, which, after one of the most impressive years of climbing on record, points to yet another…

Osprey Hydraulics 2L Reservoir $52 There’s nothing better than having a new water bladder to drink out of on those hot approaches. This two-litre option is easy to fill and load into your pack of choice. It has a backer plate to prevent it from bending. Metolius Roll Up Stick Clip $225 This is the first-ever stick clip that rolls up so you can pack it away. It uses a new composite technology that makes it lightweight and rigid. It comes with a Metolius Superclip, reviewed on p.55. The North Face Mountain Lumbar Pack $60 A retro-style lumbar bag with just over two litres of capacity and dividers to organize your stuff. A slick looking pack for those post-climb, on-the-town social times. Arc’teryx Skaha Harness Women’s $230 A new-for-2024 harness…

The bouldering in Red Rocks Canyon is among some of the best in America. The sandstone climbs follow a variety of features at all grades, but they shouldn’t be climbed on after rain. Red Rocks is known for its world-class bouldering, but also for the multi-pitch adventures and single-pitch sport routes. Sleepwalker has become one of the world’s most famous problems, thanks to the number of strong climbers repeating it, a sit start added and a downgrade. It starts matched on an undercling at around head height, then it moves into another undercling before a throw for the sloping rail. After a brief rest the boulder busts through a lip to a sloper with a tenuous foot first move to a tall slab. Established by Jimmy Webb in December 2018,…

There are few climbs in America as well-known as this two-pitch trad route at the Traps crag in New York. The combination of exposure, easy-to-follow climbing and history have elevated this to one of the must-climb routes for both new gear-placing climbers and veterans of the sport. The approach is only around 20 minutes along a road lined with tall trees. It’s flat and gives excellent views of the Hudson River Valley, a popular area with history buffs. Along the way you pass several other classic routes, such as Son of Easy O, Coexistence and CCK—all of them should be on your tick-list. Of course, none of them compare to the classic that is High Exposure, a route first climbed in 1941 by Hans Kraus and Fritz Wiessner. Kraus went…

The Zip is one of the best single-pitch 5.10 cracks in Squamish, and it should be on every trad climber’s list. It’s as close as you get to a perfect granite crack. It was first climbed in 1979 by Ward Robinson and Blake Robinson, and it quickly became one of the most popular routes in the Smoke Bluffs. The crag where it’s found, which is along the Blind Channel, has undergone several stints of route development. There are now over a dozen worthwhile trad and sport routes from 5.5 to 5.12, but The Zip is still the one most people visit for. You start up a short corner to a ledge where the crack starts and then follow nice finger and hand jams with slightly polished feet. While the crack…

Cheakamus Canyon is home to some of Canada’s hardest sport climbs and dozens of five-star sport routes, but thanks to the efforts of a few route developers, the area now has some must-climb moderate multi-pitches. These routes are relatively close to the road, there’s lots of parking, and there is an outhouse that was installed by the Climber’s Access Society of BC. To get to Cheakamus Canyon, take Highway 99 north from Squamish for 25 kilometres and turn right on Conroy Creek Forest Service Road. The gravel road has a steep section, but it’s drivable with a two-wheel drive after it’s been graded. Otherwise you can park in one of the lower lots closer to the road. From the upper parking lot you can see Conroy’s Castle on the north.…