Ten Sleep Canyon is a popular summer climbing destination. This Wyoming cragging area sits at high elevation and provides reasonable climbing temperatures throughout July and August. After a three-week trip this summer, I thought I'd share a bit of information that we found helpful when visiting the area.

When early season rains dampen Squamish many climbers flee to the Okanagan, a dry belt on the east side of the Coast Mountains. Near the city of Penticton is an extensive cragging area, Skaha Bluffs, that offers close to 1,000 single pitch climbs on beautifully featured gneiss. The nature of the climbing is varied and the dozens of excellent cliffs are connected by a pleasant network of hiking trails. Spring and fall are the prime seasons; summer is crazy hot.

Our team of mountain climbers on top of the wind scoured summit of Mt Monroe 5372 ft.

Not one for stasis (see: previous blog posts), I’m on the road again. After a brief stint in Oregon, I have recommenced the road trip:

You know that saying, “it’s the journey, not the destination”? Yeah, I think about that one a lot. It’s one of the many small truths I frequently wrestle with. This most recent leg of my US adventure has given my ample time to consider the implications.

It’s a forty six hour drive from Portland, Oregon to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The last half is prime reflection country. Not much going on there, in the fly over  states. Cruise control, 70 on 70, just gotta stay between the lines. 

Nate Drolet on Interplanetary Escape

Rock climbing on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is currently closed due to an accident that occurred a number of years ago. With this restriction in place, climbers stranded in paradise can either entertain themselves with a bit of jungle bouldering (check out Unrealhawaii.com) or leave the beach to explore Oahu's varied topography on a well-developed network of local hiking trails. Hiking in Hawaii has gained a lot popularity in the last decade and there are now guidebooks, maps and websites dedicated to this away-from-the-sand activity.

(Edited on 3/2/15- A local climber reached out to us indicating that two of the three main areas on the island have since reopened to climbing.) 

I hope you enjoy! I know I did!

Until next time,

Louise Lintilhac
a.k.a. Steezy Weezie

Ross Berg and client climb in the Tantalus Range. Photo by Ross Berg.

Holly Walker shreds down the fluffy cold smoke. Photo by Hans Christian Gulsvik

It was deep, too deep. The fluffiness was up to my waist and after five minutes I didn't have the energy to go on. Mike Ship laughed at me while he pushed ahead, moving at a slow pace but breaking the trail. We skinned across the deep open flats with over 60cm of fresh snow and continued up 'Merlot' hill through the trees. The avalanche risk was high due to the ongoing storms and as we continued to ascend in the dense old growth spruce trees, we witnessed a size 2 slab avalanche on the open slope of the mountain across named 'Shiraz'.

Welcome to the Pretty Faces revolution. There have been all female ski movies in the past, and many of them have been great films. What happened when Pretty Faces, the new Unicorn Picnic Production film came out was more of a paradigm shift than a shred fest. Pretty Faces has been getting a lot of press over the past few weeks and continues to gain momentum as it travels around the country and internationally. If I were to put a finger on why this film has been so well received, I would have to say that it is because of the great skiing, but it is also because of the relatable story it tells. We have all struggled to make it at some point in life, and Pretty Faces is a testament to the fact that if you stick with it for long enough, good things will come. For many of the women in the movie, this meant being able to ski amazing lines in stunning landscapes around the world. For me it meant showing the world that the east coast is not a barren wasteland of skiing, it is a beautiful peaceful, rugged, powdery, good time that deserves far more respect than it often gets. It is my motivation for waking up in the morning because I am always excited to see what the beautiful Vermont landscape has to offer.

Approaching the North Buttress of Begguya (Mt. Hunter)  ©Doug Shepherd

Climbing with three has it's appeals.  Splitting the work with an extra person, more warmth while cuddling, and general camaraderie. That said, I've been known to repeatedly say "I hate climbing in the mountains with three" and turn down climbing trips, especially on technical alpine routes.  My reasoning for this comes from many failed climbs with three people, due to general slowness, stuck ropes, difficult communication, and even a lack of stoke!

However, I've recently had a break-through, efficiently climbing large routes with a team of three.  Part of this is finding the right partners and part of it is due to finally figuring out the right gear and tactics for efficient movement with three people.  Keep reading for my take on making it work in the mountains with three.

Soon enough we were at the crags - working the limestone routes. We concentrated our climbing to the southern areas around the town of Baunei. This area was a less traveled/climbed area. The limestone rock was very solid, not polished, and we had most areas to ourselves

Skaha is a vast single pitch climbing area in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. Since the climate is very dry, rain beaten coastal climbers make regular weekend trips. Easter is the most popular time of year due to the statutory holidays and typically wet (or snowy) conditions found elsewhere in the province. This year, we joined the throngs of climbers and enjoyed three days of pleasant cragging. The camping on the lake shore is scenic and the sport climbing is excellent, with hundreds of quality face routes on crisp orange edges and white-washed overhangs. Next time you're getting rained on in Squamish, consider a quick side trip to Skaha to dry out your gear and work out your muscles!

Something that I have always regretted is not becoming a proficient climber. As a skier, I shrugged off learning rope skills and picked up mountain biking as the summer counterpart to my winter endeavors. When I was about 23 years old, I spent a winter in Courmayeur, Italy skiing on the Mont Blanc Massif and dabbled in crevasse rescue and basic glacier travel skills, but I was inexperienced and my nervousness made it hard for me to absorb the information that I was taught. When I lived in Colorado, I spent many days in the backcountry, but I never really found the need to apply any of those skills that I had learned that winter in Europe.

Me laying some turns down on a day of filming, Stowe backcountry, Photographer: Dana Allen

Posing with my trusty steed in front of Highlands

With the Squamish summer slipping away and our fall climbing trips just around the corner, we were anxious to squeeze in a couple more hikes before the snow started to fall in the alpine. One area we hadn't explored was Callaghan Lake Provincial Park, an alpine playground about 45 minutes north of Squamish. This park and its surrounding peaks is a winter hot spot for Nordic and backcountry skiers, but it also features amazing terrain for summer explorations. Although established hiking trails are rare, Cirque Lake and Ring Lake both have good approaches and make excellent day trips from Squamish or Whistler. Visiting these two basins was a great way to end our summer and our Mammut backpacks (Creon Element and Contact) really proved themselves after dozens of trips into the alpine.

The Virgil Crest Ultra.  The Race Director labels the run as "Not a race for sissies!", I would totally agree.  With living only 5 miles from the race course, I have had the opportunity to train on the trails, the ski slopes, and really gauge my fitness.  Little did I know that all that training almost did not matter!  This course is just rugged-hard.  Not only is there tons of tough vertical ups and blinding down hill sections but the footing is what makes this race "not for sissies".  Every foot-plant I made, my foot was twisted through mud, roots that made me feet ache upon each strike, and narrow paths deep in the woods where a fall could be...fatal.

This race was TOUGH!  I never imagined how hard it would actually be but it was.

The 50 mile race was a great challenge and I am so glad I had enough guts to hold it together for a course record.

Heron Light in front of Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Park, Squamish.

With the hot summer weather in Squamish making difficult climbing, well, difficult, we continued to focus on getting into the alpine to explore new areas and research my latest guidebook.Our gear is getting a serious workout this summer and I got to test my new Heron Light overnight pack. I've got the 60 +15 litre size and found it pretty much perfect for multi-day trips in good weather (small tent, small sleeping bag, minimal clothing). If you were doing long trips in the off-season, you might want the 70-litre size for more clothing or the addition of climbing gear, et cetera.