This past weekend we had a delicious taste Squamish Spring time sun, what could possibly be better? Warm air, cool rock, a line I've been dreaming about since I rapped in to scope it last year: http://thekidcormier.blogspot.ca/2011/09/camera-trundle-malamute.html

Ais and I headed out to the malamute fairly early and rapped out of the sun in to the shady Meares Island;

Once on Meares Island we pulled our ropes and racked up.

Half way up the first pitch I grab an obvious jug in the corner "Holy F*#k" a 200 pound boulder shifted under minimal pressure. After pluging in a cam above the loose death boulder I manage to climb around to the right of it as to not knock it on to Aislinn.

I get up to a nice stance for Ais to snap some photos of the crux and plug in a 3 piece gear belay and get set up to take a video of the block that needed to get purposely trundled.

Aislinn nearing the loose death cookie;

The Trundle;
[Click to View YouTube Video]



A quick rest on a green camalot above the 2nd overlap allowed the lactic acid to temporarily flow out of my forearms just long enough to make it 2 more horizontal meters to the bolt on the roof for shake out and rest.

From this point it is full commitment, 2 more meters of sustained tips underclinging, at the threshold of my ability, with a fairly sharp edge below. A fall anywhere past this bolt would undoubtedly gouge the sheath of my lead line, so I rest and study my objective. After a 5 minute rest I feel ready to send, I get halfway out the traverse from the bolt and get a face full of blinding sun, my hands start perspiring at an unprecedented rate, all I can think about is my cord rubbing along that edge below.. EEEEK

Keeping my eyes on the foot holds available I manage to pull around the corner into the final 6 or 7 meter section of flarey hand and foot jams to the chains, with my chalk-less hands still sweating uncontrollably none of the jams feel secure at all.. "Oh F*#k I'm gonna blow it I should put in cam" "Theres no way these dripping wet meat hooks will hold you up long enough to get a cam it, KEEP GOING!"

I sh#t you not my hands were sweating so bad that they were leaving moisture on the rock making my foot jams feel insecure.

Some how I managed to battle through the dampness and made it to the chains with a huge dosage of adrenaline pumping through my blood stream! What a rush!

I set up a dynamic anchor out of the rope long enough so I could take picture of Aislinn following, and haul up the camera on the haul line.

Aislinn cleaned the pitch right to the bolt, I politely suggested she lower out off the bolt, as to not risk an unpleasant fall over the sharp edge. Aislinn has only been climbing for 2 seasons so far and she has caught on extremely fast, there no doubt in my mind she would have cruised those final moves, with her small fingers and good footwork, but we didnt want to jeopardize our lead line or the casual vibes of our Saturday outing. So I talked her through her first lower out and we set up for the final pitch.
The Final pitch was not a gimme for us either starting out with 5.10 fist jam roof pull to mantel and finish up with some heady slaby moves!
And thats the tale of our first 5.11 of the season!

*A few words from the first ascensionist, Brian Norris, who put up the route in 1970*

"Overly Hanging Out - a good route. Eric and I climbed the entire arch from left to right. To get to the bottom of the climb, we found an old railway tie and laid it above the water from the railroad right of way to a "ladder" bolted to the cliff. As usual, we started climbing at the crack of noon and were only able to climb the first pitch. We had been watching the tide come up and eventually our railroad tie floated away. From the top of the first pitch, Eric rappelled down over the huge overhang first. He was able to pendulum into the wall below the overhang and attach himself to the cliff about two feet above the water. He couldn't climb to the right or left to escape. When I rappelled, I remember stopping at the lip of the roof and looking down at Eric clinging to the wall and looking rather sheepish cause he couldn't move. I rappelled over the lip till my toes were an inch or so above the water. I had a lot of clothes on (it was late in the year and cold) plus a full rack and the rappel rope running through my brake. When I finally decided the only way out was to keep going down, I swam the 20 feet to the railroad right of way pretty damn quick. I tied off the rappel rope to the railroad track for Eric and he did a Tyrolean about 6 inches off the water. We ran down the railroad tracks to Eric's car and got the heater on before I was totally hypothermic. Another fine day of climbing at Squamish...
"

*A few words about the first free ascent in 1980*
"THe upper pitch of OHO we did in the winter. It was cold and the day was short. We got to the base of the final pitch & Peter went up to free it. Pro was sketchy - this was before any cam-type stuff or RP's. He worked his way up the thing and put in some final piece of pro and set off for the tree at the top. And disappeared out of my sight.

Later he told me what had happened ( and also later on I saw the upper part of the route )The route was not clean & there was a lot of lichen. He ventured out from the last piece he put in and encountered some hard climbing. He was gripped and it took what seemed like forever to gather the courage to make those sketchy dirty final moves well above his pro towards the tree.

For my part, I was on a hip belay , down below and slowly congealing as the sun drifted towards then behind the mountains to the west and the rope didn't move but I didn't hear anything. I assumed Peter was still on lead. The temp dropped and I was underdressed for the effort. The rope would move a little and then go slack. After what seemed like hours, the rope shifted out from me and I heard a little 'off-belay' and then Peter lowered back into view.

We rapped from there as darkness fell.

I don't recall how hard he said it was. It was certainly hard. And epic! I simply froze my ass off. " - Tami Knight