Bella Coola

Bella what? Bella Coola is a small town on the central coast of British Columbia known to be an isolated wilderness paradise. Although it's not quite in the 'Environs' of Squamish, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to post this incredible video Jamie made from his trip up there the other week... another tough day at the office!

WAITING for snow

'Waiting' seems to be the theme for this winter. Sure, we've had the random 10cm days, but no major storm has come through yet to cover all the rocks that are usually covered by Christmas. Hmm... I hear the iceclimbing conditions have been pristine in Squamish this winter...

I was, however, fortunate (VERY fortunate that is) to get invited on a 2-day Backcountry Snowcats trip up on the Hurley Pass! This snowcat operation is located over an hour snowmobile-ride north of Pemberton, and little did we know that the powder has been hiding on the Hurley this whole time. Check out our video:



I'll admit it was pretty hard to go back to resort skiing after the epic powder runs we scored with Backcountry Snowcats, but I guess I shouldn't really complain that my local hill is Whistler Blackcomb. Zipping around the resort was pretty fun, but by the end of the day we were itching for the untracked turns we had experienced the weekend before. We decided to hike over to Corona Bowl for a fun backcountry lap:



I still have faith that the snow will come in March and April - just you WAIT!

Has Ullr abandoned us??

I unfortunately haven't had too many exciting stories to share from this season, as it has, well, been a fairly dull winter for us skiers. We did get pretty spoiled these past few winters, so I suppose a less-than-epic winter was bound to happen.

While the rest of the Pacific Northwest was getting hit hard with all the snowstorms in December and January, Whistler somehow managed to stay magically dry. We therefore kept our eyes open for what was happening at other nearby resorts, and heard that the snow had found its way to Mount Baker down in Washington. We therefore bolted down south of the border for their opening day, and wow, what a good call! Mount Baker is only about a 3.5hr drive from Squamish, and well worth the drive. Here are some photos and a video from the Opening Day at Baker:

Since then, we’ve been making the most of the season with the minimal amount of snow that we have received at Whistler Blackcomb. The avalanche danger has been incredibly high the past few months, so we had no choice but to take it easy and stay in bounds in avi-controlled areas.

The Peak Chair and the rest of the alpine on both mountains finally opened two weekends ago, and it’s been great having more terrain to ski. We also finally rode the new PEAK 2 PEAK gondola spanning the Valley, connecting Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. This new gondola just opened in December 08 and has broken all kinds of records, including ‘longest unsupported lift span’ at over 3km, and it’s also the highest lift of its kind at 436m above ground at the highest point. Two of the 28 cabins even have glass bottoms! We should have waited the extra few minutes for the glass bottom – maybe next time. PEAK 2 PEAK is definitely not recommended for the faint-hearted!

At least the weather has been sunny and gorgeous these last few weeks. Some keen Quest students have been taking full advantage of the good weather, and getting out climbing most days! Yep, you can actually climb outdoors in Squamish in January believe it or not!

And the good news is that Winter 08/09 may still have hope – it snowed 25cm over the past 24hrs, so let’s pray that Ullr and all the other snow gods keep sending us more of that fluffy white stuff!!

Early Season Turns

Waiting in anticipation for the resort to open, we decided to head up to the Duffy to get our legs back in gear and to find some pow in the backcountry!

We thought we would be lucky to just get a few simple turns in - instead, we found much more than we had bargained for!

Stawamus Chief

The Stawamus Chief is claimed to be the 2nd largest granite monolith in the world, with a 600 metre vertical face seen from all areas of Squamish. Estimated to be 93 million years old, the Chief was formed by the slow cooling and solidification of molten magma deep below the Earth's surface. Exposure of the granite body came about through the erosion of overlying rocks, and the steep granite cliffs were then shaped by glacial erosion which also shaped the Howe Sound inlet. The Chief has significant historical and cultural value to the Squamish First Nation. It is also considered to be a place of spiritual significance.


There are three separate summits which can be reached via a trail on the backside of the Chief. This scramble up the Chief is an extremely popular hiking trail for locals and tourists alike. The trail starts off with some steepish stairs alongside a beautiful creek, and continues through a beautiful forested area all the way up to the Chief's granite surface. Once you reach the open granite, there are chains and ladders to help you get through certain steeper sections. The views from the top are breathtaking! On a clear summer day you can see kitesurfers and sailboats playing in the Howe Sound Inlet, snow on Diamond Head peak, the entire town of Squamish, and you also get an amazing view of Quest!



For those looking for more of a challenge, the Chief has approximately 180 climbing routes. Most of the big wall routes that go to the very top of the Chief are 12-18 pitches long, and usually take an entire day. Some of the most popular routes up the Chief include 'Stairway to Heaven' (5.10c), 'Ultimate Everything' (5.11 or 5.9+A0), 'The Buttress' (5.10c), and the world-class 'Grand Wall' (5.11a).



Rock on!

Squamish Days

Squamish just recently celebrated its 51st annual Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival! This annual event brings the community together every year with its Loggers Sports Shows, pancake breakfast, parade, music events and bed races!

Quest participated in the bed races, and despite the rain, the Quest team did remarkably well! Good job Questers!! Get your teams together and start practicing for next year's event!

Bouldering Playground

Not only is Squamish a rock climbing mecca, it is also known for its world-class bouldering!

Bouldering is a form of rock climbing which consists of short climbs and requires limited gear. As the climbs are normally quite short, and not super high, no ropes are actually required. The only thing you need to boulder is some climbing shoes, chalk and a crash pad in case you fall! The V-grade system is used for bouldering, with grades ranging from V0 – V16. All the bouldering in Squamish is set in one beautiful forest location, under the granite monolith, the Chief. There is no shortage of rock boulders here with boulders ranging in all types of shapes and sizes.

Walking through this forest, it feels like a magical playground with people scrambling on all the chalk-marked rocks around you. Come and try it out!