Tyson makes an attempt on Heartbreak Hotel (V2) while on the rest of the crew spots and provides moral support.
Bouldering Connections
Supporting Each Other in One of the West Coast's Most Astounding Playgrounds
By Tyson Bell, photos by John Newberry
It’s 8:00am on a Saturday in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)—the Grand Wall is yet to be touched by the sun, Átl’ka7tsem (Howe Sound) sparkles turquoise awaiting afternoon winds and, luckily, there are still some empty spots in the Chief parking lot.
Nine members of the ACC Squamish section unload crash pads and ready themselves for the arduous 3-minute hike into the renowned Grand Wall Boulders. Despite the notoriety of the boulders, this is our club’s inaugural bouldering session and it’s all thanks to Sharif and Eugene, who sowed the seeds of stoke that prompted the rest of us to leave our harnesses at home this morning. Our rectangular procession follows Eugene into the forest, and we soon find ourselves in the Titanic Boulder area.
I second guess my life choices momentarily as I look up at the boulder and consider what it would be like to fall from the top of it. But just then, Sharif reminds us of the crash pads that Climb On!, our local climbing shop, loaned to the club free of charge for today’s event. Soon it looks like this huge piece of granite has been transported to an indoor gym, with pads blanketing the ground, erasing sharp rocks and gnarly roots from our memories. And with that, we’re ready to send!
The social differences between bouldering and cragging are immediately clear—the bubbles around belayer and climber don’t exist here. Rather, we all rotate fluidly through a multitude of roles: stoked cheerleader, stoked climber, stoked spotter, stoked photographer, stoked person chilling in their puffy, etc. Whether I’m enjoying a V0 or flailing on a V3 (bouldering is hard!), I feel excited, energized and comfortable as a part of the group. No one is chomping at the bit to move on to harder problems or judging our abilities. We’re all just happy to be out climbing on a Saturday morning in Squamish.
Founded in 2019, the Squamish Section of the ACC is still growing and defining itself and its values. A product of these efforts is reflected in our freshly minted mission statement:
“To sustainably foster an inclusive community through mountain recreation, education, and stewardship”
The word ‘community’ comes up repeatedly in answer to the frequently posed question, “so what brings you to the ACC?”. In a mountain town like Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, it’s not difficult to find a climbing partner for a day—one only need hang around the Chief Campground or post in the Squamish Partner Finder Facebook Group. This is undoubtedly a great thing, but for those of us looking for climbing partnerships that will span years (dare I say friendships), the ACC is well positioned to be a safe common ground, a meeting place, and an anchoring point in otherwise hectic lives.
Some of us boulder till our skin surrenders to the granite, others are more mature and stop earlier. In either case, we all file back out of the forest to the now sunny parking lot together, pointing out intriguing problems for next time. Reflecting on the ingredients for such a successful day—motivated trip leaders, happy climbers, supportive spotters, world class rock to climb, crash pads supplied by a local shop—I am proud to be part of a club that places such a high level of importance on bringing people together to enjoy recreating and supporting each other in one of nature’s truly astounding playgrounds.
