The SPLIT PILLAR

So i went bouldering with my new friend Adam - whom I met through Wolfang (a buddy who moved out here from Toronto). Adam and I went bouldering yesterday (sadly I forgot my camera as we did some amazing problems). Anyways, we made plans to climb today. Vancouver got nailed with the firsst rain in 27 days last night so we made it a late start to let things dry out.

We met at Big D's and I asked Adam what he wanted to climb - "how about the Pillar?"


I nearly choked on my food and jumped for joy all at the same time! The Split pillar is the most famous single pitch of climbing in Sqaumish - its over a hundred feet of absolutely perfect crack with 2 totally blanks walls on either side. If you look into the crack in sections you can see daylight on the other side... the pillar you are climbing on is actually detached from the wall!! OMG

The Pillar is actually 5 pitches up... I led up Apron Strings which is an amazing 10b finger crack, layback sorta pitch... (for non climbers basically you have a crack for your hands that you can just barely get your fingers into while your feet are pasted on slabby blank rock.

After that Adam ran up a cool chimney. The it was my turn... for the 'scary' pitches I ran together two slabby pitches which both had only 3 protection bolts (and no natural gear) in 200 feet of climbing... (yes for you who did the math that meant we had to do some simul-climbing). Climbing 30 feet over my last bolt was the norm... I only looked down once to see my bolt way too far away (for non climbers if you fall 30 feet above your pro you are falling atleast 70 feet before the rope stops you).







Anways falling wasn't going to happen - thank god.

So then Adam did this beautiful 10b traverse which ended up with a bolt ladder to gain the base of the split pillar (I've literally dreamt about this pitch).


I racked up with triples in my #2 camalot, doubles in my #3 and doubles in #3.5... and honestly guys - I could of used more #2 and #3's YIKES! Though the pillar is rated at a mild 10b... its no easy climb. Every single move on it is like 10b with no rests or stances to place gear. You layback and jam strenuously till you get scared - then while you are hanging on a jammed hand you stuff a cam into the rock - clip it and try to keep climbing...




I was so damn tired when I finished the climb - I couldn't believe how hard I worked on it... sweet baby jesus - it was the single best pitch of climbing I have EVER done.








Since we started very late - doing the next few pitches weren't even an option - besides we did what we had come for so with 3 long raps down to the ground and we were done! Hungry and happy we rolled to the coolest climber bar ever and ate cheap wings and good beer....

Another rockin day in paradise.