Local climber and frequent Squamish Climbing Magazine contributor, Luke Zimmerman has completed Drive (v11) at Cat Lake. First climbed by Tim Clifford and originally graded v12, an easier sequence has been discovered. The original line, Drive, traverses the steep face but is incorrectly described in the guidebook as going straight up the wall. The direct line, Drive Direct (for lack of a better name!), was recently climbed by Jamie Finlayson and reported as the original Drive.

Here is a video of Luke Zimmerman sending Drive (v11)

Luke isn’t the only one making the best of spring conditions. Vancouver climber Honza Kratochvi sent Encore Une Fois (v11) this weekend and Alannah Yip sent the classic highball, Resurrection (v9). Alannah is off to compete on the World Cup circuit starting this weekend and we look forward to following her progress throughout the season. Congratulations everyone!

A very important announement came out of Black Diamond today regarding the voluntary recall of Easy Rider and Iron Cruiser Via Ferrata lanyard sets, Index Ascenders, original Camalots and Camalot Ultralights.

Black Diamond is issuing a voluntary recall subject to user inspection of a limited number of Easy Rider and Iron Cruiser Via Ferrata lanyard sets, Index Ascenders, original Camalots and Camalot Ultralights. The number of affected units is extremely small, and no injuries have been reported. Nevertheless, as a company of climbers, we know the paramount importance of trusting your equipment, and our commitment to this compels us to take extraordinary measures to ensure our products meet all necessary safety requirements.

To find out if your equipment falls within the scope of these recalls and to learn more about the actions we’re taking, please visit blackdiamondequipment.com/recall.

Just a reminder to all of those thinking of being in Squamish this weekend! Ground Up climbing will be hosting their first ever Lead competition sanctioned by Sport Climbing BC. Registration for the event closes today at midnight and there are still a number of spots left, especially in the Master’s, Recreation and Experienced climbing categories. This could be your chance to come home with a win! To register, please visit the Sport Climbing BC website.

I first met Ben Harnden in a Dentville house during a rainy day in Squamish, BC. It was the beginning of spring and the climbers had started to roll back to Squamish after a wet winter. Ben and I were both coming to terms with the idea of ‘communal living’ in a house full of climbers. If there is one thing you can say about Ben, it is that he will make you find the beauty in any place. That summer, we spent our days climbing in the forest, skim-boarding down on the spit and hanging out by the fire on the river. Ben was not just in love with the climbing in Squamish, he was in love with Squamish itself and was ready to share it with anyone who was willing.

Ben Harnden on Family Man (5.14b). Photo by Thomas Burden ©

Ben Harnden is arguably one of Canada’s strongest all-around climbers. With the third ascent of Dreamcatcher (5.14d) and multiple ascents of hard traditional lines like The Bull (5.14 R), The Gunslinger (5.13d R), and Loc-Nar (5.13d R) at Top-shelf, Ben has established himself as level-headed strongman with hands and feet that float up any wall. Originally from Kelowna, BC, Ben was introduced to the world of climbing through a youth camp in Banff followed by getting a pass at the local climbing gym and then later testing out his skills at Skaha Provincial Park. From there, Ben fell in love with climbing, travelling all over the world to find the greatest stone. This spring, on the tails of his first trip to the USA, Ben made the second ascent of Sonnie Trotter’s ‘Family Man (5.14b) while visiting the Okanagan and has now landed back in Squamish to enjoy the summer. We had a chance to catch up with Ben to chat about climbing and other things and here is what he had to say.

Ben in Australia on Journey through Nicaragua (5.13c). Photo by Jai Critchley ©

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This a movie-short from James Pearson featuring the route ‘Le Bronx in Orgon, France. More storyline than climbing with a cameo from none other than Yuji Hirayama.

Squamish Climbing Magazine is now on instagram. Follow us for the latest and greatest in the sea to sky corridor!

@jeffhyoo making use of the dark arts during a midweek climbing break! #westcoastclimbing #scm

A photo posted by Tim Schaufele (@squamish_climbing_mag) on Apr 8, 2016 at 6:27pm PDT

We are pleased to announce that Nathan Hall made an ascent of The Black Council (v11) in the Grand Wall Boulders on Sunday followed by a send of his other project The Black Hole (v11) later in the afternoon. It is great to see this hidden gem is building momentum!

Nathan Hall making good use of his toes on The Black Council. Photo courtesy of Nathan Hall ©

Chris Sharma flick. Nice little insight from Marc Le Menestral on keeping it light.

Last year with my good friend, mentor and climbing legend Marc Le Menestrel , we bolted a beautiful and savage route in La Cova de l’Ocell called “El Hombre Que No Ama”. It’s a cool mix of crimpy “old school” climbing mixed with a futuristic vision.
I like to call it “Futuristic Old School”.

Last weekend, the 2016 Sisu Masters took place in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland. The event is a special bouldering competition in which the competitors set problems in the days leading up to the competition and then compete with each other to finish each problem.

The climbers involved in the event included Jimmy Webb (USA), Daniel Woods (USA), Dave Graham (USA), Nalle Hukkataival (FIN), Anthony Gullsten (FIN) and Ilari Kelloniemi (FIN). The event itself had a lot of hype but was largely ignored by North American climbing media and limited live feed of the competition itself. Here is the full replay of the event and results below. The production itself is quite good and worth a watch!

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Here are two videos from the creek featuring two great characters, Chris Shulte and Devin Fin, each representing a difference discipline of climbing.