We are pleased to announce that Peter Winter has completed his crag, The Pilots Lounge, that sits high above Mamquam Service road above Valley Cliff. Last week, Peter finished off his last line on the wall, This is your Captain Speaking (5.13a.b), completing his run of the routes here. It should be noted that Peter did leave one ‘open project’ that may fall in the 5.14 range. The cliff boasts a number of fun route and is surely not to be missed. The only caveat is that this cliff is rather difficult to get to and only those strong enough to get there will be rewarded with some great climbing (plus a small pack of peanuts and have a glass of sugar water!)
Pilots Lounge. Photo by Peter Winter ©
Here are the details for the crag.
Pilot’s Lounge
The Pilots Lounge sits to the left of Top Shelf and currently has six routes ranging from 5.11a to 13a/b. The rock is solid but very unique to Squamish, featuring a number of pockets and pinches that make the routes climb like limestone. The main cliff of Pilots Lounge sits 30 meters above the forest floor, meaning that you need to climb a 5.11a to get there!
Peter Winter at the top of the 5.11a to get to crag. Photo courtesy of SCM ©
How to get there?
To get to the Pilots Lounge, start hiking as for Top Shelf, which is located approx 2.7 km from the highway on the Mamquam FSR. Park just before the bridge and walk back to find the trail. As you move up the steep trail, keep left and all forks in the road. Once you see Top Shelf to your right, move left and up around a cliff band for approx 3-4 minutes until you come to a 30 meter cliff and a fixed line. Attach your pack to the fixed line and climb a 5.11a up to the cliff! Be sure to bring a belay device for the way down!
Below is a topo courtesy of Quickdraw Publications
