Scaling the Grand Wall of the Stawamus Chief, renowned climber Peter Croft is back where his career began in the 鈥�70s.聽
鈥淚 would take the ferry from Departure Bay and hitchhike into 麻豆社国产or get a ride with a friend,鈥� said Croft, who was visiting last week for the Arc鈥檛eryx Climbing Academy.聽
鈥淭he climbing community has changed. Some climbers look back to the 鈥榞ood old days,鈥� but I think all the change is fantastic.鈥�
Croft began climbing at a time when 麻豆社国产wasn鈥檛 yet known as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada.
鈥淭here were hardly any climbers. It was usually just me and a buddy,鈥� he said. 鈥溌槎股绻鷚as mostly a logging town, and it wasn鈥檛 so friendly to hikers and climbers.鈥�
But times have changed and now 麻豆社国产is known as the 鈥淵osemite Valley of Canada鈥� to many climbers across North America. Croft now lives in Bishop, Cal., to live closer to the year-round dry weather at the 747,956-acre national park.聽
鈥淭oday, 麻豆社国产is so relaxed and friendly,鈥� he said.聽
From July 14 to 17, around 600 climbers and their friends gathered for the Arc鈥檛eryx Climbing Academy where they learned new skills and had the chance to scale Squamish鈥檚 legendary routes.聽
The annual four-day event kicked off at O鈥橲iyam Pavilion Park in downtown 麻豆社国产with a screening of The Enchanting Triple, a short film about a climbing journey through the Stuart Range, a jagged collection of peaks in Washington State.聽
Croft followed as a keynote speaker before upbeat music from Vancouver-based indie rock band Yukon Blonde.聽
鈥淲e had people from all over the U.S..... and Canada come out to Squamish,鈥� said Arc鈥檛eryx鈥檚 Justin Sweeny, who is a climber himself. 鈥淲e had record-breaking numbers this year.鈥�
He said the number of female climbers continues to increase, and now participation in the climbing festival is almost evenly split between women and men.聽
On Friday afternoon, the Sunset Speakers Series venue shifted to the elevated open air of the Sea to Sky Gondola for an intimate evening of presentations, film screenings and music.聽
International climbers Jonathan Siegrist and Kate Rutherford told stories of risk, failure and success from climbing throughout the world, followed by the Canadian premiere of Poumaka, a short film about a National Geographic explorer-climber who makes the first accent of the jungle tower on the French Polynesian Marquesas Island of Ua Pou.聽
Another short film, Haywire, featuring the raw beauty of the rarely-seen Baffin Island alpine wilderness, was also screened. 聽
麻豆社国产climber Paul McSorley, who works as a climbing guide and high ropes rigger, along with fellow climber Ines Papert, shared stories of their intrepid experiences the following night.聽
Vancouver-based indie bands The Boom Booms and Bear Mountain played into the night as the climbers relaxed after a day of strenuous work.聽
鈥淚 have a bunch of favourites in Squamish, but the Grand Wall is probably it,鈥� said Croft, who said rock climbing can be a sport for a wide range of people.聽
鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e afraid of heights, you should still try climbing. You need to get a feel for it and learn that it鈥檚 safe because once you get out there, there is an absolutely amazing feeling of exhilaration.鈥�
