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General Climbing Discussion

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Rack for U.S west coast. 11-Nov-2005 At 9:33:44 AM sticky

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Any idea of when it stops raining in
>spring? Anyone else got a trip planned as I'll be scrounging for partners.
>Are the grades stiff there, I can climb around 19 and thrash up an easy
>21.

Stops raining? Well, anytime between March and June - you get 3 dry months in Squamish - if you get a dry spring you usually get a wet summer. Bank on July as the only guaranteed dry month. You can climb as early as February though, just not consistently.

Are the grades stiff? In Canada, probably the same as here, but it feels way easier. Squamish is granite crack, so it doesn't get vertical until 5.10- (18 or 19), plus there's always a crack to sew gear in, and the moves tend to be more obvious - so you tend to push your grades more. Still, helps to know how to jam.

On the other hand, JT is a renowned sandbag. "5.9+" there can mean grade 22. Mr Bumble should have something to say about Smith Rock and Joshua Tree in the easdy and moderate grades... Mark?