Rock climbing is not something I ever really expected to get into. I first flirted with it on and off a bit at a local climbing gym, mostly bordering after work or climbing the routes that had auto-belays setup. When I started I did it entirely for a fun - a good way to kill some time in the evenings. Not taking it particularly seriously, I never made any attempt to learn much about technique and enjoyed pulling myself up the bouldering wall using my arms as much as possible; pretty much the opposite of what you're supposed to do.
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| Cleaning an anchor up here can be pretty nerve-racking! |
When my friend Hung, who I met through a local outdoors club, suggested we go down to Skaha (a popular climbing area outside of Penticton, BC) I agreed immediately. The club we are both a part of was making a car camping trip to the Okanagan area over May long, so we booked some time off work and made the long weekend even longer. Having very little climbing experience, Hung gave me a crash course the week before we went, and taught me the basics of belaying, lead belaying and cleaning an anchor.
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| View over Skaha Lake |
I really didn't know much about climbing, and all I had heard of about Skaha was from Hung, who seemed to like it there. True to his word, it didn't disappoint and made a great destination for a getaway! We stayed at a campsite across the lake from the Bluffs, which was only about a 10 minute drive to the park parking lot. The scenery really is gorgeous in Skaha, which really was a contributing factor in my enjoyment of this trip.
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| Easy climb with a view! |
The climbing was great as well! Although I really didn't have much to compare it to, the rock just felt
good in general. I got the impression that I could trust flakes with a lot of weight, and nothing fell off the top. (When Hung was out with me the weekend before a large rock fell off the top of the wall and hit him in the arm.)
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| Descending from a 9** on Kids Cliff |
I found that for a beginner climber like myself there was a lot of great routes that I felt comfortable doing but made me check my technique and focus on making the right moves. The first day we warmed up with some easy 8s and 9s, and then Hung tried a 10c but fell on the last bolt.
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| Me Climbing on Kids Cliff |
The second day we went to Kids Cliff, which was by far my favourite place this trip. It was far enough from the parking lot that it was a bit of an adventure going there, and we had the cliff entirely to ourselves. There were some great 9s and 10s that really pushed my limits with fun but challenging moves. Hung was able to find a few routes there but it was a bit too easy for him.
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| Walking back after a good day of climbing. |
Our last day of climbing gave be an opportunity to lead, first on a 6 to get an idea of the technique and then on an easy 8 to push myself a bit harder. I was able to onsite the 8, which I am quite pleased about. We finished the day up with a 10b which had a very difficult crux on the second bolt. Both Hung and I got stuck here, although for me it took much longer to get past it. These three days made for a great introduction weekend to sport climbing at one of the top destinations in Canada. We are already talking about our next climbing expedition, hopefully to Squamish on the way to the North Coast Trail, which we will be doing with the club at the end of August.
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| We did a nice and easy Hike on Saturday overlooking Kelowna. |
Next, we met up with some other members of the club at the Ellison Lake Campground for some hiking, wine touring and relaxation.
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| Wildflowers are out! |
We got a chance to visit a few local wineries and on Sunday did a much longer hike as part of the Okanagan Rim Trail.
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| Wine tasting! |
I enjoyed this trip immensely! It was nice to be back out in the great Canadian outdoors, although after the Himalayas the mountains here seem smaller than I remember...
