The Camel

[ladybug]

Hi, I'm new to this site. I am looking for beta on the Camel which is off of Crown in Vancouver's North Shore mountains. Can anybody here offer any good info on the climbs?

Thanks

[Don_Serl]

ladybug,

 

the 'normal' route (traversing below the S side, then climbing the E face) is pretty straightforward - if u follow your nose the easiest way, it's not necessary to rope up.

 

scrambling down from the Hump to climb the head is trickier, and takes confidence to do unroped. which the old-timers had plenty of in the '20s and '30s... or carry a light rope...

 

full details on the Widow-Maker arete are in Alpine Select.

 

there are a variety of short crack climbs on the S face. they were covered in detail by Max deJong about 20 years ago in an issue of the ACC's Avalanche Echoes - you'd have to dig in the library to pull that stuff out. and it's not indexed.

 

there is some info in bivouac.com:

http://www.bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=17686

you need to be a member to access most info on this site - buy in, it's worthwhile.

 

cheers, don

[ladybug]

Hey thanks Don.

I checked out bivouac and see that there is a nice 5.9 hand finger crack. have you been up that line?

[G-spotter]

It's a #3 Camalot sized finger crack.

[Don_Serl]

Hey thanks Don.

I checked out bivouac and see that there is a nice 5.9 hand finger crack. have you been up that line?

 

nope, only the 'normal' route. plus the head, of course.

lotsa history up there - you can see the scratches on the rock from the nailed boots in the '20s and '30s.

 

there's a great tale of Tom Fyles being up on the Camel in the '20s sometime, and speculation taking place about whether the gully dropping north from the 'neck' (btwn head and hump) was a possible route. so Tom sets off alone and downclimbs the gully, then climbs back up to rejoin the group, and announces "no, it won't go!"

 

i love being in places where that kinda stuff took place...

 

cheers, don

[Don_Serl]

Hi, I'm new to this site. I am looking for beta on the Camel which is off of Crown in Vancouver's North Shore mountains. Can anybody here offer any good info on the climbs?

Thanks

 

i'm so duhhh...

there's a whole bunch of info in Fairley's guide, pp21-22, incl 2 photos. can't get easier than that.

 

cheers, don

[G-spotter]

It's a #3 Camalot sized finger crack.

 

and it overhangs about 5 degrees too

 

and i forgot just how much of a sandbag it is

[G-spotter]

and the anchor on the camel head is a single rusty 1980's knifeblade, so practice your downclimbing