Climbing within a 3min commute and 15min approach

Since I started climbing at the age of 15, gasoline prices have soared. I remember when a trip to Squamish was only $7. Now it is closer to $13. This has forced me over the last bunch of years to explore climbing areas closer to home, urban climbing as some might say. The North Shore of Vancouver is loaded with climbable rock. Maybe it is a little mossy because of the rain forests that cover them. But once it becomes an established area known among the local scene the spot is good to go.

Here is the list of my local known climbing areas:

Lighthouse Park, Cypress Falls, Klouchman Park, Quarry Rock, Lynn Loop Boulders, Sully's Hangout, Lynn Creek Boulders, Seniors Center, Arbutus Grove, Crown Mountain.

Known, very quietly, on the local scene for the last couple of years was word of a climbing crag with a good variety of sport routes in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. This just happens to be my backyard and a spot that I run in all the time. So last fall on a dreary day, I was off to run Lynn Loop when it flashed on me that I should go see if I can find it from what I had heard in the local climbing gym. So off I swacked, knowing it was off too my right somewhere. Eventually I stumbled upon a trail, which ascend steeply until you just change aspects a little and the angle eased, and this great grey monster stares down on you through the trees from above.

The first time I viewed the crag I was impressed. Their happened to be two climbers climbing that day although they did not seem to be having too much fun as they were struggling with the damp conditions. I said my hellos, took a quick run back and forth along the base looking at all the routes that had been made and knew as soon as the sun of summer was back next year I would be climbing here.




While it is the start of summer now and I have been up to this location 4 times and it has been some of the most fun that I've had climbing. I meet a guy today that had a topo which I cant wait to get my hands on, the area is called

Sully's Hangout.


Crag left to right so far looks like this. Routes I have climbed that I know the names of will be labeled otherwise just by my grade estimates, "?" for routes unknown to me as of yet. I will fill in the "?" as I go.

5.8, ?, ?, Little Lulu 5.9, 3M 5.9, Lubo 5.11a, The Constant Gardner 5.11b/c, project, project, Speed Dial #8 5.11a, Shaking out the Lettuce 5.10D, Special K 5.11b/c, Hindu 2 Routes Var. 5.11b, Hindu 2 Routes 5.10d, My One Muscle 5.11a, Get Bent 5.11c, Wingman 5.11b, The Challenger project, Moss Pit 5.9/10a, Dynamic Duo 5.10b, French Connection 5.10d or 5.11a, Trekking to India 5.11b, In the Bubble 5.12b, Killer Bees project.

BIG thanks to Oliver for making me get up there and go climb. Also to my regular crew Nic, Ryan and G.

The topo is now available on squamishclimbing.com search Sully's Hangout