Routes in Banff for selected grade

To get to Dancing Sasquatch, park at Surprise Pass corner down from the Banff Centre. Approach as for The Shoe and Gonda Roof area. At the wall, go left for five metres to the route.

Pitch one: Up slab to left-facing corner past a tree. Up another corner and slab to notch past right-facing corner. Move right past bolt 8 and up “staircase” past bolt nine to anchor right of bush. (5.5, 30m)

Pitch two: Left up corner to fun climbing up crack feature. Stay left using big flakes and move right past bolt 6 into right-facing crack to anchor. (5.6, 30m)

Pitch three: Up right following bolts on black chert. The rock is friable. Keep your feet low on the big grey steps and use the black rock for your hands. Well bolted because of the traverse past five bolts then up to bolt six and seven on good holds before the anchor. (5.7, 20m)

Pitch four: Lead/walk up and left along the rising ledge and around to the forest past a short rock step. (3rd class)

Descent: Walk off trail takes you to the road in 200 metres / Gear: 10 quickdraws, one 60-metre rope.

New route as of April 2017. The route required a few days to clean. The first ascent was by Gripped editor Brandon Pullan and Gaby James in April 2017.

The original route followed by MacCarthy/Kain in 1916. Following numerous pitches of easy climbing/difficult scrambling from the East, this route gains the imposing south face and shares the final 8 pitches or so with the Gmoser Route. The most difficult, exposed, and enjoyable climbing is at the Perren Crack (last two pitches).

Pitch 1 Climb the flaked groove and then thin crack to a tree- 5.7, Pitch 2 5.7, Pitch 3 5.6 Pitch 4 5.6.

Aftonroe is currently the right-most bolt line in the Take It for Granite area. Descent is by rappel.

Far-left of the crag, around a small corner. Route extended from 4 to 5 bolts since FA, rap rings now located top right above the corner and hard to see from the ground. Top roping not recommended.

First route on the main face of Sunshine Slabs Left, it's a fairly easy way to start a day.

The Ledge, eighth from left

Paddock Wall Right, first from left (tree belay).

Technical climbing on small holds which seem to get smaller as you climb higher. Careful footwork and delicate hands will get you to the top

Paddock Wall Right, fourteenth from left.

Start on edge and sidepull, leading up to big holds

Sit start on thin edges, go to edges then to big holds

Climb the slippery arete

Clim the arete directly.

Start on big ledge then up The polished arete.

Start on flake to big edge and around the arete

Start on edges up lip. #20 on map

Start on flake to edges and top. #16

Start on arete to flake then across. #18 on map

Wheat Kings is a 7 pitch bolted 5.7 that climbs to the top of Buffalo Crag in just over 200 metres. Buffalo Crag is a south-facing wall on Cascade Mountain north of Banff to climber's left of Rogan's Gully.

The route follows low-angled rock up a buttress for seven pitches. The third pitch is the crux with interesting fins and underclings. The stippled stone offers great friction. Overall, the climbing is mostly 5.5 and 5.6 and while the route is bolted, it is not a sport route. Wheat Kings is named after the hit song by the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip.

Approach: Park at Cascade Falls parking area on the Lake Minnewanka Road. Take trail south past air strip into a forest heading west past one path up a slope. After 15-20 minutes take a trail right past a rock with a cairn that is flagged with orange tape. Follow the trail up a slope rising left past two sets of boulders to a big boulder on the left of the trail after about five minutes.

Follow the flagged path up to the base of the wall. . About 45 minutes from the car.

Some pitches are between 30 and 35 metres, but they are rounded up to 35. The route is new for July 2016 and has dirty sections. Beware of loose rock.

Gear: Eight quickdraws, two extendable draws and 70-metre rope.

Pitch One: Climb up and left past two bolts and follow a foot rail up and right past a third bolt. Climb the corner to a bolted belay at a tree. (5.5 30 metres, four bolts)

Pitch Two: Climb good rock left of the corner past two bolts and up and left avoiding dirty rock on the right. Angle up and right to a fourth bolt. Follow a crack up and right to a break in the rock and left to a ledge with a tree and belay. (5.6 35 metres, seven bolts)

Pitch Three: Step up and left and then follow fun features to a ledge. Take a faint crack right up to a belay. (5.7 35 metres, eight bolts) Note: There is an endangered whitebark pine far left of the second bolt, don’t damage or remove.

Pitch Four: Step up and left to a bolt. Continue up to a ledge and head left to a belay. (5.4 20 metres, two bolts)

Pitch Five: Up two short walls past two bolts to a ledge. Up and right to a corner that you climb for a few moves and then step left onto pillar. Up pillar to a bolt and then right on low-angle rib to belay. This is the Pretty Things belay ledge where you can see Mount Louis and most of the Bow Valley. (5.6 40 metres, five bolts)

Pitch Six: Up a steep move to a ledge and up the corner above past a hard-to-see bolt. Continue up easy ground to a belay near a tree. (5.6 30 metres, four bolts)

Pitch Seven: Up the rib past bolts to a break in the rock on the left. Up easy climbing to the final anchor. (5.5 35 metres, five bolts)

Descent: Walk off a flagged trail by heading up about 100 metres after the route and then left over small rock steps until you take a flagged trail through the forest down and back to main trail.

The route can be rappeled with 70-metre rope using a rappel-only anchor between the top of pitch five and three. However, due to loose rocks and some rope eating features the walk-off is recommended.

Approach: Park in the Cascade falls parking lot. Cross the airstrip field and follow a well defined trail, proceed 120m after the "avalanche sign" to the mothers day buttress walk off. From here follow the trail which can be quite faint. Continue traversing up and left aiming towards the objective. Once at the drainage follow towards the obvious corner where the climb begins.

P1: 4th Follow the solid rock water worn rock in the corner. Several small steps make for some interesting moves. Continue upwards till a difficult chute is reached. Move right onto easy slabs to avoid difficulty, traverse back in to a small scree patch and rope up. The climb heads up a crack splitting the left wall from the corner.

P2: 5.7 - Climb the crack, make some awkward move passed fixed pitons until you reach a small ledge with a tiny tree on the right. (bad belay position)

P3: 5.6 - Continue up the crack, over a bulge, and up onto a small belay stance at the the base of three obvious lines.

P4: 5.5 Climb the left most line. As you move higher the climbing becomes easier. Belay off the trees at the top of the cliff.

Descent: Move to the top of the treed ramp. Follow a game trail over the arch against the cliff, Down climb easy terrain onto the the next arch (this would be the top of super slaborama). Walk west following easy scramble terrain aiming for buffalo crag and 40 mile creek. once its possible to go directly down do so. At the valley floor find a large game trail and follow it directly to the airstrip.

One of the best of its grade in Banff National Park. Six pitches of good climbing, four of which follow a long corner system.

Pitches 1 and 2 can be skipped by scrambling up on the left.

1. Climb the lower corner system in interesting, knobby rock filled with pockets to a tree belay.

2. Continue climbing to a bolted belay station.

3. Climb to an overhang in the corner and continue up and around it on good holds to a small ledge and bolt belay on the left.

4. A long pitch up the corner leads to a semi hanging two bolt belay on the right. The climbing is interesting and quite sustained but can be well protected with gear.

5. Continue up the corner with gear.

6. Climb a broken crack above and left of the block and move left back into the main corner.