Climbers from around the world generally flock to Squamish to experience the challenges of famous local pitches, and starting Wednesday (July 14), outdoor enthusiasts are enjoying even more adventures - albeit vicariously.
Almost 200 climbing addicts crowded the Eagle Eye Theatre for the fifth annual Squamish Mountain Festival opening night to watch a series of films and presentations from two daring alpine climbers, Barry Blanchard and Jason Kruk.
The evening got off to a raucous start as the offbeat and hilarious video depicting William Shatner as the unwitting star of the New York group Fall on your Sword's catchy dance mix video about Captain Kirk's love of mountain climbing.
It is a far cry from the original Shatner interview about Captain Kirk's climb of El Capitan in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
The laughter set a precedent for the rest of the evening, as the speaker's presentations became riddled with comical innuendos and jokes.
Two short films, Hey Presto and Sentry Box, preceded the speakers. Filmed in Squamish in 2009, Hey Presto tells the story of two local climbers and their dedication to climbing despite last summer's heat wave.
Sentry Box harks back to Squamish in 1975 and the climbing scene of the day.
The knowledgeable crowd giggled as Big Dave and Little Dave claim Murrin Park's Sentry Box would be "pretty much inconceivable to climb" without aid equipment. Today the climb is rated 5.12a and is routinely done without equipment.
With crowds primed for a good adventure tale, legendary Canadian alpinist Blanchard took the stage. Blanchard has been a respected member of a small group of very elite alpine climbers for years. After three decades in the climbing game, he is now considered a mentor for a completely new generation while continuing to set high standards.
He said his friend Jack Tackle's words of wisdom often kept him going in severe conditions: "Don't bitch, just deal."
As he went through a photomontage of his various lightweight alpine expeditions, Blanchard recounted what he calls one of his proudest climbing achievement: the first ascent of the North Pillar of North Twin in Canada with the late David Cheesmond.
Blanchard's down-to-earth sense of humour kept the crowd chuckling along with his animated re-enactments of everything from life-threatening falls to "trying to get fresh" with fellow climber Nancy Fagan.
His final tale was of the harrowing asset of Alberta's Howes Peak in 1999. The team summitted after deciding to continue despite an intense storm only to see Blanchard break his leg while descending.
The crowd listened in awe as Blanchard went through the climb pitch by pitch - there were more than few sweaty palms in the room as the going got sketchier. Blanchard said the team really shouldn't have gone up in the storm, but he doesn't regret the decision.
"We did the wrong thing for the right reasons."
The next speaker, 22-year-old Kruk, brought a much different vibe to the room as he recounted his tale of graduating from the climbing gym to the real rock, from being a cocky kid to a competent climber.
Kruk's first obsession was to climb El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock in Yosemite National Park, California. After conquering his obsession, Kruk ventured south for some climbing in Patagonia and spent several months waiting for clear days of climbing.
His photomontage was littered with comical videos of victorious moments as well as moments climbers don't want to remember.
Climber's Access Society's vice-president Jeremy Frimer MC'd the event and handed out door prizes from the sponsors who showcased their merchandise outside the theatre before the presentations and during intermission.
Lucky winners were given rope bags, climbing shoes and harnesses.
The night ended with the film Welsh connections, a feature film that covered extreme forms of grit climbing, overhanging climbs and deep water soloing throughout Wales.
Friday night speakers are Royal Robbins and Tommy Caldwell and Saturday night features Rob Pizem and Cedar Wright. Clinics and workshops are also going on all weekend long and the West is Best Cowboy party on Saturday night at the Brew Pub promises to be bring out everyone's wild side.
For a full schedule, go to www.squamishmountainfestival.com.
