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New climbing routes at Smoke Bluffs parking lot

These climbs promise to be accessible and beginner-friendly, route developer says
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The new routes at the Smoke Bluffs parking lot.

A local climber has created what he calls one of the most accessible sets of beginner-friendly routes in the Squamish area.
Aaron Kristiansen has just finished a months-long odyssey of scrubbing, cleaning, and pulling out vegetation that began in the fall of last year.

The result?

The parking lot wall of Smoke Bluffs now has 11 routes that are ready to be ascended.
“This is a beginner-friendly crag,” said Kristiansen. “I developed it as such. If you wanted to take somebody out climbing and introduce them to the sport, this potentially would be a great place to do that.”

Kristiansen said the majority of the routes are his brand-new creations. He also received some help from Scott Macpherson and Cameron Hunt.

He said that this wall was mostly untouched since the 1990s due to a dispute over whether the land was on the property of the adjacent quarry.

However, after doing some research, Kristiansen said that maps from the District of Squamish showed the wall was actually on public property. With that in mind, he decided to get to work.

It was a job that was, at times, arduous.
“I started in the late fall through the winter — and you know, it’s cold, it’s wet, it’s muddy,” he said with a chuckle. “You just go out there and shovel your way through it all.”

There was a lot of vegetation that had to be cleared. Alder was growing out of a number of the cracks, and blackberry bushes were a thorny barrier to anyone hoping to ascend the wall.
At times, scrubbing brushes had to be traded for hand saws, as the foliage was thick.

But for Kristiansen, who’s been climbing for more than 20 years, the effort is worth it when he sees people try out the routes that he’s created.
“That’s really satisfying when you know you’re a part of something that made people’s day,” he said. “It’s nice to develop an area which I know my kids will enjoy, and that other families will enjoy with small kids.”

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