Although the first recorded climbs in the Cheakamus Canyon were during the late 60’s, it has only been recently that the area has recieved much attention. Since 1992, the Cheakamus Canyon has been the main focus of sport climbing in the Squamish corridor. It now boasts three excellent crags and a plethora of routes, mainly one pitch face climbs on some fantastic featured granite.

Location

Just over 20 km north of Squamish, the highway becomes narrow and windy as it enters the Cheakamus canyon. Despite all the rock visible from the highway, most of the crags are a ways off the road throughout the next 8 km.

Weather

Being higher and further inland, Cheakamus is often a few degrees colder than squamish, though during the summer it is usually quite comparable. The climbing season is generally from April to October, depending on how early the snow comes and goes. Like the rest of Squamish, the summer is generally warm and dry, while the rest of the year is unpredictable. If it does start to rain on you in Cheakamus, head to Chek and climb on The Main Event, sheltered under the imposing overhang of The Big Show.

The Climbs

The Cheakamus Canyon offers some of the best sport climbing in the Squamish corridor. With over 100 routes from 5.8 to 5.14, this area includes some of the most prestigious sport routes in the country. The rock is a featured granite, and bolted face climbs predominate at most of the crags.

Chek

The climbs at Chek are located on a series of east facing 20 to 50 metre cliffs, in a small rocky valley about 1 km off the highway. This area was discovered after the stunts to the movie Shoot to Kill were filmed here. The valley creates a nice quiet atmosphere, and the eastern exposure provides some welcome shade on hot summer days. While a few climbs have been developed on the routes on the first few walls encountered on the trail, the main cliff is about a ten minute walk from the road. The vertical and overhanging rock sports a number of climbs from 5.10 to 5.14. The steeply overhanging wall of The Big Show has a number of routes in the 13+/14- range, and provides some shelter for the easier routes below during the rain showers common in the spring and fall. In addition to the main cliffs, the large boulders at the base of the cliffs have a number of routes, mainly 5.9 and 5.10. All the routes at Chek are fully bolt protected.

The Gorge

A pleasant change of pace from the sport crags just down the road, The Gorge offers a number of one to three pitch gear and mixed routes on the cliffs right above the Cheakamus river. The narrow canyon with the sound of the fast flowing water at the base of the climbs gives The Gorge an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Squamish. A few of the routes may only be reached by rappel at high water, creating an even more adventurous atmosphere, as climbing is the only way out.

Rogues Gallery

A true roadside crag, Rogues’ Gallery has a number of fine sport routes on featured edgy granite similar to that at Chek. Rogues’ consists of about half a dozen 20 to 30 metre cliffs within a ten minute walk of the highway. Most of the routes are in the 5.10 to 5.12 range, and all are fully bolt protected. The easy access and large number of high quality, well protected face climbs has made Rogues’ a very popular and often overcrowded crag.