Dru Posted April 6, 2005 Posted April 6, 2005 FYI CLIMBERS' ACCESS SOCIETY OF B.C. ACCESS NEWS - APRIL 6th, 2005 Greetings! We hope this message is useful, and encourage you to share, post and forward it. This message contains news about: A. SQUAMISH ROC TRIP: June 24th - 26th, 2005. B. ADOPT-A-CRAGS 2005. C. STAWAMUS CHIEF - PEREGRINE FALCONS. D. SOCIOECONOMIC STUDY - CLIMBING AT SQUAMISH E. MISCELLANEOUS. (Please see the website at www.access-society.ca for more on all the following. Updates pending.) A. SQUAMISH ROC TRIP 2005 The Squamish Roc Trip 2005 will be on June 24th – 26th. A big community building event, competition, and fundraiser. The event’s lead sponsors are Petzl and Arc’Teryx, and net proceeds will be divided between the Access Society and a Squamish-area initiative that benefits the climbing community, perhaps at the Stawamus Chief. The Roc Trip will include lots of fun and activities, for everyone: Friday (June 26th) · Adopt-a-Crag (Stawamus Chief), with free post-event social for volunteers. · Trade fair at Squamish Station, including dyno competition. · Registration. · Social and speakers (Brew Pub). Saturday (June 27th) · Invitational sport climbing competition at the Big Show (Chek) and the Grand Wall boulders, featuring 20 of the best rock athletes from Canada, the U.S. and Europe. · Open sport climbing competition, also at Chek (Conroy Creek FSR). · Portable climbing wall at Squamish Station. (Friday and Sunday also.) · Technique clinics. · Huge evening party. Sunday (June 28th) · Open bouldering competition (Stawamus Chief – Grand Wall boulders). · Portable climbing wall at Squamish Station. · Technique clinics. · Post-event party and awards. Details are still being finalized, and will be published to the Petzl and Arc'Teryx websites - (www.petzl.com/roctrip.bc) and (www.arcteryx.com). The number of entrants in the competitions will be limited, so register early. Other sponsors include Prana, EntrePrise, Climbing, New England Ropes, La Sportiva, Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company (Brew Pub), Valhalla Pure Outfitters (Squamish), the Ministries of Forests and of Water, Land & Air Protection, District of Squamish, Squamish Rock Guides, the Edge Climbing Centre, On Sight Equipment, and more. The Access Society is helping with planning, organization, and promotion of the Roc Trip, and providing volunteers to help run the various events, and make it all a success. There’ll be lots of benefits from being a volunteer, including free admission to events, booty, and being in the middle of things. If you can help, send a note to squamish(at)access-society.ca. Keep June 24th – 26th free on your calendar! There'll be a volunteers meeting later in April. B. ADOPT-A-CRAGS 2005 The Access Society plans ten Adopt-a-Crag volunteer crag stewardship events in 2005, throughout B.C. They’re a great way to demonstrate responsibility for the cliffs and mountains we cherish. Trail work, building and maintaining toilets, cleanup, and other necessary projects. And fun! The first 2005 Adopt-a-Crag was in Nanaimo on March 19th. Other planned events: Stawamus Chief – Grand Wall Boulders (April 23rd) Skaha (spring) Cougar Canyon, Vernon (spring/summer) Eldred River, Powell River (May 7th & 8th) Crest Crags, Campbell River (June 18th – July 3rd) Stawamus Chief (June 24th) Conroy Creek FSR, Cheakamus Canyon (spring/summer) Squamish area (September 10th or 11th) Nanaimo area (autumn) For more on each event, including contact information, see the website. Mountain Equipment Co-op's Environment Fund has given the Access Society a grant to cover expenses for organizing the ten Adopt-a-Crags, but other support, e.g. draw prizes, very welcome. Grand Wall Boulders Adopt-a-Crag (April 23rd) - This is coming up very soon. If you can help, contact Jack Fieldhouse (604) 898-9821 or jsfieldhouse(at)shaw.ca; Marc Bourdon (604) 892-9271 or marc(at)squamishrockguides.com; Trent Hoover (604) 299-3439 or thoover(at)civil.ubc.ca. Or squamish(at)access-society.ca. Trail work and clean up, plus lots of fun, refreshments, and draw prizes. Meet at 9:00 AM on the 23rd, at the Stawamus Chief viewpoint/tourist parking area. If you want to organize an Adopt-a-Crag in your area, please let us know – info(at)access-society.ca. We'll help with planning, publicity, draw prizes, funding, and other resources. C. STAWAMUS CHIEF - PEREGRINE FALCONS The Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection asks that climbers watch for the Chief’s peregrines, and reminds climbers of the annual Grand Wall area closures. The falcons usually re-appear and nest in March or April, and the sooner the location is known, the sooner the limits of any needed closure can be determined. Please call Heather Gorrell at (604) 898-3678 extension 234, or heather.gorrell(at)gov.bc.ca if you see our feathered friends. The voluntary peregrine falcon nesting closure at the Chief is usually from March 15th – July 31st. The falcons normally nest somewhere in the Dihedrals area. The 2004 closures included Clean Corner, Sports Illustrated, Cloudburst, Sea of Tranquillity, Getting Down in the Brown, Warriors of the Wasteland, Western Dihedral (4th pitch & above), Negro Lesbian, Crap Crags, Slow Duck, Illusion, Planet Caravan, and Millenium Falcon. Open climbs included Arrowroute, Cleaning the Brain, Dead End Dihedral, Time Passages, Black Dyke, Western Dihedral (to the top of the 3rd pitch), Rutabaga, Sticky Fingers, Slow Dyke, and Freeway. The 2005 closures will likely be similar. The Access Society will publicize any further information about this as soon as it is available, on the website and by broadcast e-mail. D. SOCIOECONOMIC STUDY OF CLIMBING AT SQUAMISH 377 completed the on-line survey of climbing in the Squamish by March 11th. This included 117 of those who were surveyed in-person last summer, and 260 others. Results are now being compiled and analyzed; we hope to have initial results from the entire study later this spring, and a complete report by summer. Presentation - On Wednesday April 27th, at 7:00 PM at Mountain Equipment Co-op’s Vancouver store, there’ll be a free presentation of some results from the socioeconomic study, together with some stories and slides of climbing at Squamish in the 1970s, and of the work of the Access Society in the last ten years. 7:00 PM, 130 West Broadway, no registration needed, but be a bit early. The North American Rock Climbing Survey is also now on-line, at http://bonesaw.srnr.arizona.edu/climbing/naclimbsurvey.php. It takes 10-15 minutes, and is parallel to that done by the Access Society. It is supported by the Access Fund, and 16 climbers’ organizations. Please complete it, if you climb in the U.S.A. E. MISCELLANEOUS 1. Access Society - 10th Anniversary The Access Society was founded in April 1995, at an all-climbers meeting in Penticton. In our ten years we've had some successes, but face many challenges in our pursuit of public access to B.C.'s cliffs and mountains, and conservation of them. We need more donors, members, volunteers, and support. Please support us in any way you can - become a member, make a donation, or volunteer! We believe the Access Society doing an important job. It represents all those who cherish B.C.’s cliffs and mountains. We need your support to continue with and expand our efforts. See www.access-society.ca, under “Get Involved”, for more. 2. Thank Yous Recent donations: Gord Esplin, Shannon Cerniuk & Ken Brown, Trish Fodor & Lindsay Eltis, Peter Mede, Michelle Desjardins & Jim Firstbrook, Ravil Chamgoulov, Emanuele Porra, Bruce Fairley, Lisa Langford, Kelly Zibrik, Chris Wood, Cameron Long, On Sight Equipment, Cliffhanger (Vancouver), Cliffhanger (Coquitlam), Martina Metzler, Lisa Rae & Ken Grunenburg, Karen Ogilvie & Ryan Jenks, Vince Beasse, Sheila Broughton & Dave Lane, Sandy Briggs, Erik Moller, and Kaleena & Cameron Kiff. Website: Conor Reynolds, Dan Mack, Brock Wilson. Squamish Issues: Kevin McLane, John Howe, Tyrone Brett. 3. Skaha Report Skaha rockclimbers and the Access Society plan trail work and other maintenance at an Adopt-a-Crag in spring 2005, working to finish the new stairs particularly. A summary: 1. The only current public access is via Braesyde Farms. 2. $3.00/person/day. No exceptions, regardless how you get to Braesyde. 3. When driving along Valleyview Drive, stick strictly to posted speed limits, and watch for children, bicyclists, dogs, and horses. Be courteous to the Dunlops, who own Braesyde Farms, and the neighbours. 4. Don’t park anywhere along Valleyview Drive – there’s very limited public parking, it won’t save you any money, and it annoys the neighbours. 5. Dogs must be on a leash at all times, or left at home. There have been problems with dogs chasing wildlife, biting children and climbers, and intimidating people. And dog poop. Skaha is important bighorn sheep habitat, and even the scent of dogs spooks them. 4. Stawamus Chief Provincial Park - Dogs B.C. Parks asks that we pass on a reminder that dogs must be on leash at all times in provincial parks, including all areas of Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. The only exception to this is the Chief backside trail, where dogs may be off-leash, but must still be under close control. There have been incidents with off leash and/or aggressive dogs, as well as concerns about dog poop. As there are over 90,000 annual user days on the Chief trail, please pick up after your dog. 5. Cougar Canyon (Vernon) The secondary road and parking for Cougar Canyon is via a rough 4WD skid road from a B.C. Hydro right-of-way. The parking area continues to be a party spot for local youths, and the frequency has recently escalated. Local climbing activists have recommended that the road be deactivated in the near future, to prevent further impacts on the park, and to reduce the risk of a campfire-related wildfire. Parks officials and climbers have identified an alternative parking area that would be created adjacent to the Hydro RoW, about 100 m from the main road. Climbers have asked that the mudhole under the power lines be filled in during the process. The Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection has reserved comment on the issue until it had a chance to review the situation and options. In the meantime, the Ministry has donated a pit toilet and a notice board to the Vernon climbing community, which will be installed by volunteers later this spring. There was a meeting between climbers and staff from MWLAP on September 29th, 2004. The meeting was open to all area climbers. Various issues were discussed, including the history, development, and needs of rock climbers in the area, and Parks’ responsibilities at Cougar Canyon, as a protected area. The meeting was intended as a mechanism for climbers and Parks staff to discuss their interests, needs, opinions, and concerns, and ways in which to work together to manage this resource. 6. Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project The Recreation Focus Group has been meeting regularly over the last 18 months, to discuss the likely impacts of this project on recreation, including climbing, and how they can be mitigated or managed. The Access Society and the Squamish Access Society have put a lot of work into this issue, which will have significant implications for all climbers, and the public, both during construction and afterward. There have been innumerable meetings, phone calls, letters, and e-mails, as well as a substantial report focusing on alternatives in the Murrin Park area and a geotechnical report on options at Rogues Gallery. The Ministry of Transportation prepared a draft report on the impacts of the project on recreation, and how they can be managed and mitigated. The Access Society provided detailed written comments on the draft, and further discussion and amendment are ongoing. 7. Cheakamus Canyon (The Gorge) Construction on the Culliton-Cheakamus section damaged many climbs in the Gorge (Cheakamus Canyon), and access routes in the area. This includes climbs on Galaxy Buttress (StarChek), Gotham City, and Leaning Tower of Pizza. As of April 2005, there is a lot of unstable rock and debris above, on and around those cliffs. Access routes were largely obliterated, and both the rock and anchors on climbs may have been damaged by impacts from falling rock. All approaches and climbs at the Gorge remain posted as closed, and until further notice climbing there should be considered very risky. Discussions regarding this matter continue between the Squamish Access Society, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Access Society. Any remediation should take place this spring, and may include scaling of loose rock; assessment of the damage to climbs, access routes, and anchors, and repairing it; and other work. 8. Juliet Creek (Coquihalla) A resort has been proposed for the Coquihalla Pass area, in Juliet Creek and upper Coldwater River. It would be year round, and includes almost 9,000 hectares – the controlled recreation area would extend to Zoa and the Alpaca-Llama Peaks area. As such, it includes several areas used for backcountry skiing, and climbing, and may have significant impacts on mountain access in the area. (The resort may eventually be quite extensive, in addition to facilities and activities in the surrounding area.) For more information, see http://lwbc.bc.ca/02land/resorts/index.html, go to ‘tenure applications’, then to ‘alpine skiing’. 9. The Land Conservancy - Squamish Area Activities There's little additional news, since the Access Society's broadcast on March 2nd. The Land Conservancy ("TLC") has acquired an option to purchase the gravel pit (proposed gondola base) between Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls Provincial Parks. The price is $900,000, the contract will complete at the end of the August, and TLC is busy fundraising for the purchase. TLC is also in discussions regarding the upper Malamute, and other Squamish area matters. The Access Society encourages you to support TLC (www.conservancy.bc.ca). New members and donations are welcome, to support its efforts to protect B.C.’s natural and cultural heritage. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to 5655 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby, B.C. V5E 2T2. Telephone (604) 733-2313. 10. Pemberton IceCap - Commercial Snowmobiling Land & Water B.C. recently granted a Whistler company a tenure (licence) to use nearly 10,000 hectares of the Pemberton Icecap, for a heli-snowmobiling operation. Whistler Heli-Sledder will set up a base camp in the middle of the area, and conduct its operations from there. The application does not seem to have been well-publicized amongst non-commercial users of the area. The area, initially known as the Anonymous Icefield, was first traversed by a B.C. Mountaineering Club ski expedition in May 1969, and was a fairly popular backcountry ski traverse in the 1970s and 1980s. 11. Website, Graphics & Promotions The Access Society website will be completely updated in early April. All of the above information, and a lot more, will be found on it. New graphics, as well as a new brochure and display, are in the works. We're planning a special promotional event at the Edge Climbing Centre sometime later this spring; details TBA. Our apologies if this message is unwanted! If so, please let us know and we'll remove you from our list. If your e-mail has changed, please let us know. (In a few cases this message is a duplicate, due to overlapping directories.) copyright © Climbers' Access Society of British Columbia, 2005. Quote
jmace Posted April 7, 2005 Posted April 7, 2005 So I went to check out the Ski resort on the coquihalla and followed the directions from Juliet creek section and all it shows me is how to apply for my own resort, wtf Quote
chelle Posted April 8, 2005 Posted April 8, 2005 Dru - The bit about TLC and purchase of the gravel pit... Is this an attempt to purchase the land and prevent the gondola from happening? If yes, we should promote the fundraising effort to make sure they get enough money to purchase the land. Quote
murraysovereign Posted April 8, 2005 Posted April 8, 2005 The Gondola project is dead and buried. The gravel pit, however, is still there and could be developed into just about any kind of commercial or light industrial operation you can imagine. The plan is to purchase the gravel pit to ensure that any development that takes place there will not be incompatable with the park that surrounds it. So instead of a casino or an ashphalt plant right in front of the Chief, maybe a campground/RV site, or use that land for a new access and parking area for the park, or... ? Quote
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