Squamish Climbing Source

Overview:

The Oleson Creek Wall is a sizable cliff that is dwarfed by it’s big neighbor the Chief. Despite the cliffs short approach there are few established climbs, the densely forested base and the lack of straightforward natural lines have relegated the wall to relative obscurity.

Amongst the jumbled chaos of stone, lichen, and bush lie some compelling natural features on enticingly steep rock. Castle Grayskull links several of these features together to create an enjoyable line with a spectacular finale. The Northerly aspect of the cliff and its position above Oleson Creek lend a pleasant ambiance and make it a great choice for hot, summer days.

History:

The first climb to be established on Oleson Creek wall was done in 1999 by none other than Robin Barley. The 4 pitch Return of the Grim Warrior 5.11 A0 climbed through the steep, clean headwall where Robin drilled a signature bolt ladder. Despite bringing along geriatric hardman John Fantini they were unable to free the line in it’s entirety.

In 2009 Jeremy Frimer and Damian McCombs established the 5 pitch Wire Tap at 5.10a. Going for maximum utility, this user friendly route was widely appreciated and remains a popular outing today.

Having climbed Wire Tap a couple of times I noticed and obvious corner system that got within a pitch of a spectacular steep overhang which appeared to be split by parallel finger cracks. The possibility of  severely overhung crack climbing that far off the deck fired my imagination. In the spring of 2014 I recruited Charlie Long to go up and have a look, the steep and winding nature of the cliff dictated a ground up approach. We toiled away in aiders and rock shoes using a blend of free and aid. Being mainly sport climbers we quickly gained an appreciation for the complexity and intensity of aid climbing. Charlie got his monthly dose of adrenaline on pitch 3, learning how to drill off of wobbly hooks while negotiating unstable blocks. The skies opened up for the last pitch but we were happily sheltered under the large overhang and able to finish the climb without getting soaked.

We fixed ropes to the ground and the labor intensive portion of the project ensued, many days of cleaning and prep followed, during this time we were able to free some of the pitches including the roof. The continuous free ascent would have to wait until the fall of 2017. Having moved to Norway it was very difficult to coordinate with Charlie and he encouraged me to go ahead without him. Finally in 2017 I recruited Joel Faubert and snagged the FFA.

Approach: from the Chief campground walk up the first flight of stairs on the backside trail. Cross Oleson Creek (low water only) and gain and obvious path that ascends to the base of the cliff. The route is in an open area just past a boulder field. 10 minutes.

Pitch by Pitch:

1. 

   5.11c, 25m. Climb slab to short, overhanging dihedral, exit left onto a slab and climb on along the edge of a shallow arete. Easier climbing leads up and left to a pleasant belay ledge.

2. 5.10c, 35m. Traverse ledge into the blocky, arching dihedral. Chunky laybacking and stemming lead up the corner which is decorated with a splattering of neon green lichen.
3. 5.11c, 32m. Face climbing on interesting dyke infused granite leads past a groove. Traverse right under the first overhang, and then make an awkward jam/mantle maneuver over the next overhang. Save a #3-4 Camalot for this move.
4. 5.12b, 12m. Almost a roof, this overhanging pitch is the highlight of the route. Crank steeply up fingerlocks and jugs, clip a bolt and launch into the wild crux featuring aerial knee bars and double arete compression moves. A final, tough section of big fingers to hands allows enough respite to appreciate the exposure.

Rack: Cams from fingers to #4 BD, doubles #.4-#2 BD. Quickdraws. Double set for pitch 2 only.

Descent: 

The leader should lower off the last pitch to belay in comfort. From here 4 more rappels up to 34m leads to the ground, these rappels are directly below and don’t regain the lower pitches.

Big thanks to the Climber Access Society of BC for providing bolts and anchors for this project. If you climb in British Columbia please support: https://www.access-society.ca/