Explore Squamish with the CCC Setting Team: Rich History and Bouldering Adventures
Recently, our setting team took a trip to Canada! Each year the setting team takes a trip specifically for team building, learning, relaxation, and a break from setting in order to do what they love! This year, our setting team took over Squamish, BC! This trip was a bit extra special because it was also a birthday trip for Delaney and Taylor! As with any climbing trip, there were highs, lows, sends, flails, blood, sweat, and Legos.
The Town
Squamish, BC is a hub for all things outdoors. Down in the harbor you have kiteboarding and windsurfing, inland you have mountain biking, just north you have skiing at Whistler, and overlooking it all you have the 2200’ Chief! If you hang out long enough you can watch base jumpers huck themselves from the top. The Chief is within walking distance of town and is home to some of the best climbing in the world, and shed from the rock face are the boulders in the forest below.
Squamish is technically a rainforest which means the area is lush, full of ferns, trees, and moss. This makes the scenery beautiful with the contrast of white chalk on perfect granite, and thick, dark forest all around. The bouldering is known for its technical, yet powerful climbing style, and high concentration of climbs in small areas. From the fairly inexpensive camping within walking distance to the climbing, the great food, temperate climate, and the dirtbag history there, Squamish is a climbers paradise during the late spring to early fall.
What Were Our Setters’ Impressions?
What did you learn from the trip?
Anna: What I learned from this trip was that it’s not about always performing well and climbing hard!! Sometimes it’s nice to just hangout with good people and enjoy where you are!!!
Taylor: I learned that the setting of a climb and the people you’re with are what make the climb memorable, not necessarily even the climb itself.
Delaney: Breathing helps a lot so that I don’t have panic feet and to slow down and focus more on the little parts of the moves.
Angus: I learned that everyone has their own experience when out climbing, and we can either make or break that experience. Let's try to make everyone’s experience a great one!
Favorite climb you did?
Anna: My favorite climb that I did was probably this super sick v4 named easy chair! Lots of squeezing on slopers with a really fun big move for the finish!
Taylor: Favorite climb was The Fuzz. Amazing movement, perfect rock, beautiful setting. It doesn’t get better.
Delaney: Shanksville because it was super challenging but very my style
Angus: The Land That Time Forgot was a pretty great line, albeit rather morpho (way easier for a certain body type), it was fun to go back to back with Jared flashing it.
Trip highlight?
Anna: One of the highlights from the trip was always hanging out with everyone at the end of the day, eating good food, and just messing around! Lots of shenanigans!
Taylor: Highlight of the trip was just spending time in the forest. It’s a pretty special place, and regardless of how my climbing is going, it’s hard to have a bad time. Squamish has a way of making me feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Delaney: The MINES (caves, holes, and tunnels under the boulders) because it was kinda spooky but amazing or doing my first 8 because it’s a new thing unlocked.
Angus: It was great to just be back in Squamish and have fresh memories of the space. Spending time with the crew was awesome, it's always good to build up friendships through these trips.
What are you bringing back for setting?
Anna: Something I’m bringing back for setting is a new perspective on movement, renewed stoke, and excitement for setting new and different things in my anti style!
Taylor: I’m excited to bring back some fun, unique movement. The subtleties of Squamish are hard to express in plastic, but I’m eager to try.
Delaney: That you don’t need a lot of holds to make the climb challenging you just have to angle them differently and have the feet weird so people really have to think about what they are doing.
Angus: Nothing, I’m bringing nothing back. I’m still gonna make you jump, I’m still gonna give you terrible feet, and slopers, so. many. slopers. This is the way.
Experience the Community
Ready to get outside? Visit Coeur Climbing to elevate your skills, gear up with top-quality equipment, and check out our new Gym-to-Crag class!
