Squamish Then & Squamish Now
An Expose of Grading Changes since 1975
I've had a thought on my mind. How come we climb so much harder these days? Fuzzy black and white photos from the 50's and 60's always show grubby white dudes dressed in baggy clothes, getting on to some 5.8 or 5.9 as though it were some kind of big deal. They were wearing funny boots I remind myself. True, true. It did make it more of a challenge. I'll have to do that someday, just for a lark--get on some 5.9 wearing nothing but a garbage bag and stiff soled mountain boots three sizes too large. I bet it would be a bit tougher.
How tough?
I found a curious book in the library the other day. It has shed a revealing light on this whole situation of how hard we are now, compared to how we were back then. Gordon Smaill wrote Squamish Chief Guide in 1975. Most of the routes in it were aid climbs that have long since been freed (and renamed) or buried in vegetation. But amongst the antiquated and forgotten collection there lay some familiar climbs:
Area Climb THEN NOW 2025 projection Murrin Park Lieback Crack Fist Wakey Wakey 5.4 5.7 5.2 5.7 5.10a 5.4 5.10a 5.10d 5.6 Papoose Papoose One 5.9 5.10b 5.11a Bulletheads Sunshine Chimney A Pitch In Time Cataract Crags 5.4 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.10b 5.9 5.10c 5.11a 5.10b Grand Wall Base The Flake Apron Strings 5.9 5.9 5.10b 5.10b 5.10d 5.10d
Perhaps someone would like to volunteer to lead Apron Strings in flip-flops? It's only a 5.9 after all. And I'm embarrassed to think of all the fuss that I made on A Pitch In Time; I recall making rather forceful evocations to each member of the holy trinity. All for a 5.8! I should have done it barefoot just for spite!
Really folks.
Climbers used to be crazy muthafuckas who climbed as hard or harder than most of us would dare. To top it all off they did it with hemp ropes tied around their waists. If you were already aware of (or suspected) this, good on you. If you weren't, well now you know how deluded and given to false achievement we all are.
In any case there is cause to take heart: if there is some grade that you have yet to crack, it will come to you someday in the form of a new guidebook. Just look up climbs you have already done!
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