Climb Nova Scotia

Columbus clean and climb was super productive! Anchors installed above Coping Retrogressively, bolt added to JP’s Arete, ladder built to go from Keyhole wall to 3D ledge, bench fashioned at Pet Wall, rediculous stumps cut down, deadfall cleared, path created from the top down to Headpoint Wall, GQ scrubbed and ready for climbing again… All in all a good day’s work.

Thanks to Martin for this shot of the new ladder from Keyhole to 3D

Thanks to everyone who came out!

COLUMBUS WALL CLEAN and maybe climb on Saturday, December 17th

In the spirit of the season it’s time again to give back to Columbus Wall for all the joy it’s brought us. The last few years have been hard on the trees surrounding the crag. Many have died or blown over making a general mess of things and a few of the routes could use a bit of scrubbing and maintenance.

On Saturday December 17 we will be holding a clean and climb at Columbus Wall with the objective of clearing up some trees and installing and replacing anchors. It would also be great if a few routes got a bit of a scrubbing and afterward (weather permitting) we can get some climbing in.

Climb Nova Scotia will provide brushes, pre-set anchors and ropes, gloves and safety glasses and helmets. They will also provide coffee and hot chocolate if there are enough volunteers to carry in the water needed (we’ll use snow if there’s any out there, but then probably no one would show up

Join us at the Columbus wall parking area at 11am on Saturday December 17 and don’t block the gate unless you want your car crushed by a logging truck.

RSVP to climbnovascotia@gmail.com so we know how many people to expect. See you there.

NOTE: This event was listed in the May/June 2011 issue of Profile Halifax as taking place on May 28th. The event has been postponed until further notice due to tick infestation at Admiral Park in Bedford.

Eagle’s Nest is the only rope climbing area in Nova Scotia accessible by bus. Located in Bedford’s Admiral Park with a great view of the Bedford Basin, it sees more traffic from people looking to dispose of old TVs, light fires, and smash beer bottles than actual climbers. The crag is littered with garbage and broken glass and badly in need of a cleanup.

With the help of The Trail Shop, Clean Nova Scotia, and hopefully local MLAs, Climb Nova Scotia is organizing a cleanup of Eagle’s Nest on Saturday, May 28th from 10am – 4pm POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. We will provide trash bins, garbage bags, and a trailer to haul all the junk away to the dump.

You should bring work clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, long pants to protect yourself from ticks, study boots or shoes with covered toes, lunch and water for yourself, and work gloves if you have them (we will have a few extra pairs available).

Join us to help out and make Eagle’s Nest the great climbing destination that it once was! Parking will be here at the dead end off of Snowy Owl Drive. From there walk to the end of the pavement and follow the orange flagging tape for 10m into the park and you’ll be at the top of the cliff. For those wishing to carpool, several drivers will be leaving from the parking lot at Dartmouth Sportsplex around 9:30am. Click here for driving directions from the Dartmouth Sportsplex.

Please RSVP to climbnovascotia@gmail.com if you plan on attending.

*Note: Admiral Park has been found to contain ticks. Wear long pants to minimize your chance of contact with ticks and be sure to check yourself for them after the event. TICKS ARE PARTICULARLY BAD THIS YEAR – EVENT IS POSTPONED.

The Sheet Harbour Clean and Climb has been canceled this weekend because of rain.  Thanks again to the hard core people who came out to the Clean and Climb last time round in the rain and we will keep you posted on the next event!  Thanks to all your support and don’t forget The Reel Rock Tour Thursday Night!

-Heather and Chris

Photo by B.Redden

Saturday – Some dedicated climbers; Chris S, Sean M, Heather and Chris set out in the pouring rain to cut and tape some new trails.  I would like to say that we couldn’t have done it without our Gore-Tex jackets and pants but Sean proved that it was possible by toughing it out with NO rain gear at all, what a trooper!  Brad and Dan showed around 3pm with a bucksaw and a BIG truck to help us finish up the trail and to help bring everyone back to the camp down the bumpy dirt road.

Special Thanks to Pete, Sherry and Dean for the use of the camp and the delicious chili and rolls!

Photo by B.Redden

Sunday – Gavin and Chloe drove down to join the crew as we set out to clean the Kahuna boulders, luckily with only intermittent showers today.  Brad and Chris S. set up some anchors so that they could hang over the edge of the steep boulder to clean the sketchy top out, Chloe cleaned and got the FA on D Flat, Dan and Chris R. cut some dead trees and moved some very heavy rock to make for safer landings and Heather and Gavin did lots of cleaning and took some photos!

Photo by H.Bray

Thanks to everyone who came out to help, the more we clean, the more we can climb throughout the Winter and Spring, and let me tell you things are looking good!

We have a tentative date for the next Clean and Climb set as Saturday, November 6^th.  If you’re interested in coming down to help out please email heather.bray@gmail.com.  We will let you know when we have more information.

Rockmasterflash lovin' it! Photo by B.Redden

Saturday, September 18th starting around 10am will be a Clear and Clean and Climb and Toprope day at First Face. The owners of First Face have given Climb Nova Scotia permission to clear a trail on their land that will extend from the old parking area on Paces Lake Drive to the top of First Face, bypassing the lakeside talus-field approach.

Cassidy on Mea Culpa

The trail is mostly covered with deadfall so bring some work gloves and a saw if you have one. It shouldn’t take long with a bunch of us and then we can toprope and lead some classic Nova Scotia sport lines with the man himself, Sean Cassidy. After we are all too dirty and tired to climb, we’ll head to Cassidy’s place for a bonfire, burgers and beverages, courtesy of Climb Nova Scotia!

C’mon out and lend a hand this Saturday. Please RSVP to climbnovascotia at gmail dot com so we know how many hands we’ll have on deck.

Contrary to popular belief, fixed hardware does not get there on its own. Developing new climbs takes a lot of work. Someone needs to scout out an area, find anchors, clean off the rock and look for holds, remove choss and loose stone, and hope that the line is good enough that others will want to climb it before getting the drill out.

Don't worry, those are safety flipflops

Nette found an area outside of Baxter’s Harbour last winter that showed some promise for ice climbing, so he returned in the spring to see if it had any rock lines as well. The rock was dirty and often loose and certainly would not take any natural protection so the decision was made to place some bolts. Scott and I rolled down to the valley with the drill and spent the day getting soaked in the pouring rain, rapping the lines again and again with a crowbar and wire brush, trying to find good clipping stances and solid holds.

It was more work than we expected and we only got two lines bolted, neither of which we had the chance to climb. “Ash Face” and “Mud Butt” both look like a lot of fun, probably in the 5.9 range, and there’s definitely potential for another 8-10 lines there, some of which could be reasonably hard. Expect to hear more about this area in the coming months.

-mick

As many of you heard on Friday at the film screening, poor Roger recently lost his entire trad rack when his car was broken into in Montreal. Car insurance won’t cover it and climbing bums never have home insurance either so he’s back to square one. Trad gear is expensive and most people take a while to build a whole rack so it is especially unfortunate when the whole collection gets snatched away all at once.

Given enough time, every trad climber becomes a gear whore

If you’ve ever met Roger or climbed with him, you know what a great guy he is. Roger is incredibly positive and upbeat, a mentor and coach to many young climbers at the Rock Court, aspiring routesetter, and a strong lead climber on both rock and ice. Several local climbers have already stepped up to help him, donating pieces of trad protection including a brand new #2 Camalot from Seb, and a full set of vintage Chouinard hexes from Todd!

Other community members have approached Climb Nova Scotia wondering how they can help too so we’ve decided to make a day of it. On the weekend of August 14th-15th Climb Nova Scotia will rent the cabin at Main Face, so come on out for a day or two of trad climbing and/or swimming in Paces Lake. We will try to visit some of the less-traveled routes and do a little cleaning in addition to a lot of climbing. If you already lead, or are interested in learning a bit about trad climbing, gear placement, and anchor building, Main Face on Aug 14-15th is where you want to be.

Come for the day or bring a sleeping bag and stay the night. Admission to this event is a donation toward a new rack for Roger! A gift certificate to MEC, a new nut, a used cam, or just a few dollars will go a long way toward getting Roger back on the sharp end.

Bomber can placement

Please RSVP to climbnovascotia@gmail.com if you plan on attending so we have an idea how many to expect. It would probably be a good idea to bring a tent if you plan on staying the night as the cabin only sleeps 6.

Seb on Heavy Petter - Photo by Chuck Sutton

As part of Climb Nova Scotia’s ongoing efforts to maintain and improve existing climbing areas, we will be holding a Columbus Wall Clean n’ Climb day on Saturday, September 12.

Columbus Wall is a fantastic crag in Mosquodoboit, home to dozens of stellar trad, sport, and mixed climbs. Most climbs can be easily toproped, there are tons of moderate climbs for new leaders, and some harder gems are still awaiting first ascents making Columbus Wall a destination for climbers of all levels. The approach trail and trailhead are easy to find thanks to the recent reflagging by CNS volunteers Rich and Zig. If you’ve never been to Columbus Wall, now is your chance to check it out.

Despite all this awesomeness, many climbs are overgrown with moss and vegetation and in need of maintenence. Come on out on Saturday, September 12 and help clean a line or two and do some climbing afterward! Brushes will be provided, and if you need a harness, belay device, helmet or rope let us know and we can make those available too.

Cheers
mick