Routes in The Apron

Direct start for Calculus Crack so you don't have to start in the trees on the first two pitches of St. vitus Dance.

P1: Start up passing a bolt and head toward an obvious left facing crack. Pull into the crack (crux) and continue up insecure moves to you can step right and up a flake. Gear Belay above the flake.

P2: Long pitch starting up multiple flakes and continuing on easy ground to some flaring crack moves near the top. Bolted belay.

In order to arrive at Baseline ledge (and access St. Vitus, South Arete, etc.), one has to climb two marginal pitches in the trees.

This pitch (the first pitch of St. Bernard), offers a better variation to the second pitch in the trees. It is the obvious hand crack that starts above a stump.

I believe the left hold mentionned in the guidebook is gone. The logical start begin high on a slopy sidepull and a right pinch on the arete about face level. Amazing problem.

Nails slab.

p1: climb the long, 50m crack above Baseline ledge, starting just to the right of St. Vitus' Dance. Belay off of one bolt and a #1,#2, or #3 BD. (5.8)

p2: Step right to access a very nice corner that is quite obvious from the Apron parking lot. (10c) At the top, step left and gear belay on St. Vitus' Dance. This is a variation to Vector -- the original line, at 5.9, goes straight up dirty cracks above the first pitch.

p3-p4: Climb the last pitches of St. Vitus' Dance. With a 70m, one can link these pitches and reach the trees.

Approach: Walk along the Mamquam Road up to the fire hazard sign and follow the trail through boulders to the first obvious climb. This is 'Calculus Crack Direct'. You want to head right around the corner.

1. Pull a short crack move to trees and roots pulling until a second, somewhat longer, crack.

2. Climb up a broken crack system to baseline ledge. Consider climbing the obvious hand to off-width crack listed as 'St. Bernard P1' instead.

3. The long obvious hand-crack. Belay just above a bulge. Keep a #3 for the anchor.

4. Step up and right, following discontinued cracks to a chimney-like feature with a crack inside. Belay off of a combination of cams, bush and slung flake.

5. Climb up the shallow cracks to a steep hand crack. Belay off of a tree or (70m) link to the top.

6. Wander up the slab and move left to a low angle crack with a high first step. Belay off of a tree.

Descent:

Recommended

Rappel off of calculus crack's anchor into the gully (4x 30m) ;

Or

Exposed

Scramble up a short right-leaning crack to a ledge below 'Karen's Math' and wander up the gully to the right. Keep going right to broadway ledge and descend along the south trail.

Guidebook description; “a proud tick by those capable and delivers a good adrenaline rush to all but the most seasoned of slab climbers-legendary friction route”. First 2 pitches of dièdre (trad) before trending right onto open slab for 5 pitches of friction climbing with spaced bolts. Take #1 Camelot for the overlap in .10B pitch. Join final pitch of dièdre (small gear in corner). Tree belay.

This pitch is the easiest way to start any climb on the North Apron. It is mostly steep tree climbing, with a few moves in a crack.

From the top of the pitch, there are now 4 options to get to Baseline ledge, listed from left to right:

1. South Arete p2 (5.8)

2. Ha7lh Skwalwen (10.a)

3. St. Bernard p1 (5.9)

4. St. Vitus Direct (5.10a)

P1: Start on the far right of the lower apron, climb 5.6 cracks up to a slab, smear your way 2m left of the single bolt, then head up to the anchors between the trees.

P2: move the anchor left and smear up slab last bolts

P3: continue up slab last bolts.

Direct start to the squamish buttress. Starts off of the trail, just before the original start. Bolted climbing leads to a gear protected flake. Can easily link into the second pitch of the buttress in one long pitch.

Lowest baseline ledge: the crack between St. Bernard and Calculus Crack/South Arete/St. Vitus. To reach this route, climb the first pitch of St. Vitus/Calculus Crack to Lower Baseline Ledge. Ha7lh Skwalwen will bring you to upper baseline ledge.

From the top of the apron take the trail towards the Squamish Buttress.

P1: face climb past a small roof and one bolt, then follow broken cracks and face holds up and left to a tree anchor

P2: Climb more broken cracks left towards a large ledge and belay from a tree

P1 & 2 can be linked with a 70m rope.

P3&4: Moderate climbing up broken 5.7 terrain.

P5: climb the vertical crack over some broken terrain to a tree anchor below the white 10c corner. \

P6: Thre wicked-looking steep, white corner. Jam and stem your way to the top! The top is the crux but can be easily aided with good gear. The fixed pin mentioned in guide books is long gone, but there are good nut placements instead.

220m. A generally easy and un-sustained, but sometimes run-out climb across and up the Apron.

1. (5.4, 20-30m) Climb easy but unprotected slab to a horizontal break, then traverse right until a pair of birch trees.

2. (5.easy, 30m) Continue right along the horizontal break, slightly up then curving back down until a stand of trees.

3. (5.5 R, 15m) Stem up a tree, then step onto a slab. Friction up the unprotected slab to more trees.

4. (5.7, 30m) Climb unprotected slab above the trees towards trending leftwards, then step right to a bolt. Pull a couple 5.7 moves past the bolt, then more unprotected slab left to a corner. Surmount the corner and bulge above, then traverse up and left to trees.

5. (5.4, 15m) Move left to an obvious flake then up into a groove. Make a gear belay.

6. (5.7, 30m) Pull up onto the slab right of the belay and angle up and right on un-protected slab to into a corner, follow this for a bit, then left and up to trees.

7. (5.4 50m) Climb up into a water runnel; follow this and obvious cracks until you find a stance with small gear behind a flake and belay.

8. (5.4 50m) Continue up the flake above past a detached piece of slab, then up the easier slab to the trees.

From the top of the apron take the trail towards the Squamish Buttress.

P1: face climb past a small roof and one bolt, then follow broken cracks and face holds up and left to a tree anchor

P2: Climb more broken cracks left towards a large ledge and belay from a tree

P1 & 2 can be linked with a 70m rope.

P3&4: Moderate climbing up broken 5.7 terrain.

P5: climb the vertical crack over some broken terrain to a tree anchor below the white 10c corner. \

P6: Thre wicked-looking steep, white corner. Jam and stem your way to the top! The top is the crux but can be easily aided with good gear. The fixed pin mentioned in guide books is long gone, but there are good nut placements instead.

From the baseline ledge follow a line left of st Vitus. Possible to make it a 10b by going up the first pitch of st Vitus off baseline ledge.

1. (5.11a) bolted face and crack climbing to belay just left of st Vitus

2. (5.10b) up steep wall and belay on slab above.

3. (5.10a) friction slab up to terrace Join last pitch of calculus/south arete

One of the harder, but more interesting slab climbs on the apron. Mostly bolted and likey empty.

Low start to "Gibbs’ Cave". Initially graded V13 but then a hold broke.

Starts to the right of Diedre, from same ledge to Horizontal crag and then follow the three bolts. All anchors are bolted except the third and 6th pitch which end big ledges with plenty of trees to choose from. You might want a couple of middle sized cams but 98% bolted, bolts are close enough to avoid big falls and just before all crux moves. Technically 6 pitches but last one its short and scrambly can be linked with a 60m to the ledge so most parties would do in 5.

From the top of the apron take the trail towards the Squamish Buttress.

P1: face climb past a small roof and one bolt, then follow broken cracks and face holds up and left to a tree anchor

P2: Climb more broken cracks left towards a large ledge and belay from a tree

P1 & 2 can be linked with a 70m rope.

P3&4: Moderate climbing up broken 5.7 terrain.

P5: move the belay across the ledge to a pair of bolts at the base of a large vertical flake corner. climb this then traverse broken ledges to a bolted anchor.

P6: The money pitch! walk across the ledge to the end and mantle up, then climb the large chimney with good gear in the back to a tree anchor.

P7: more broken low 5th terrain to a tree anchor at the top.

One of the Top Highballs in Squamish.

The route combines a number of new pitches with old pitches of 'Bloodlust' and 'Bandwagon'.

1. Ascend the slab past several bolts and discontinuous crack features to a ledge on the right

2. Thin moves with close bolts leads to easy rambling and a station 10m above the large ledge

3. Step right into the thin corner and follow it all the way to the top. A few face moves to the left take you to the anchor. Many nut and small cam placements

4. Past an old chain station at the top of the corner, and horizontally out right across the slab. You will be crossing Dancing in the Light at your 4th bolt. Continue right to the base of a crack system.

5. Up intermittent cracks until forced to step right around the arête into flakes on the side-wall of the Diedre corner. Up these for several metres, then back left past two bolts into the next crack system. You may need to give climbers on Diedre space when in the close section. Belay at the large ledge with a cedar tree.

6. The splitter hands-to-fingers corner, and face crack above. Begin on the right behind the tree.

7. Step right into a scoop, and follow the blunt arête to a station just below a ramp leading to Broadway ledge.

Gear:

• Nuts
• Cams TD to #3
• Double Cams to #1

Descent:

Probably wise to keep the rope on to get up onto Broadway, then down right to the top of Diedre. 40m 4th class. Standard Apron descent to the South.

Approach: Climb the standard approach pitch of "St. Vitus' Dance" to lower Baseline Ledge.

1. step off the cut stump and climb the hand crack to its top then transition left to gain Baseline Ledge

2. climb the cracks left "St. Vitus' Dance" to gain a bolted anchor

3. climb up through short cracks and pods to gain a foot ledge, transition right to gain pitch-three of "St. Vitus' Dance"

4. Finish "St. Vitus' Dance".

Gear: Rack to 4 inches. Double hand sizes.

Source Squamish Facebook page

Start with a left pinch on the lip and jump to a right sloper. Make a few moves on good hold followed by a tricky finish.

Start with a low left slopy or edge hold on the arete and the right hand on the foot of Conspiracy of One. Slap with your left before launching with difficulty to the jug.

Low start to "Defender of the Faith".

This route has it all, from hand jams to fist cams, slot climbing, and delicate slab. you can use this route to link into P3 of the Squamish Buttress/ Butt Light

P1: climb a hand crack through a small roof to a slot chimney past a large block.

P2: smear up a thin right-leaning seam (small gear and nuts) to the base of a large block. traverse rightwards around the block to a steep burly finish.