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Nanaimo River climbing area

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nanaimo River climbing area is located near the city of Nanaimo, adjacent to the Nanaimo River. The rock is mainly sandstone and conglomerate.[1] The crag is Sunny Side. This is aptly named as Sunny Side is located on the north side of the river.[2] During the summer the water warms up to around 24–25 °C (75–77 °F),[3] so the river is visited by swimmers, kayakers[4] and fishermen.

History

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Bolted routes started being set during the late eighties / early nineties.[1] Nanaimo River is not, and has never been, a developed or maintained park.[5]

Sunny Side

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Getting there

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Driving north past the Nanaimo Airport, take the first right off the #1 highway onto Nanaimo River Road. This road will pass under the highway, and cross over railroad tracks. Continue until major power lines pass over head. This is where you park. Walk under the power lines to the south.[6] The trail will fork into three: the first right will take you to the top of the cliffs, the second right will take you down some steps to the bottom of the cliffs, and the final path continues to the left and takes you to the swimming area.

Climbs

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There are several cliff faces on the Sunny Side. The First Cliffs are literally the first set of cliffs you pass when approaching from the stairs. The Upper Deck is the higher portion of the cliffs that can either be approached from the top via the first path turning off. The Lower Deck is directly underneath the Upper Deck, and can either be approached by a rappel, or by scrambling over rocks from an approach path between the first cliffs, and the Upper Deck.

First Cliffs

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Climb name Rating Protection Description
God is AFK 5.8 bolted
Lineage 5.8 bolted

Upper Deck

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Climb name Rating Protection First Ascent Description
Bigger and Better 5.11b 6 bolts Greg Soerensen
Feeling Gravity's Pull 5.10a bolted Chris Gill
Finger in the Goo 5.10b bolted
Green 5.8 bolted Chris Gill
Jamaica Jerk Off 5.7 bolted Greg Soerensen
New Shoes 5.11c bolted Chris Gill and Ian
Bat Shit 5.10a trad (gear to 2")
Titanium Man 5.11b 10 bolts
The Becky Route 5.9 7 bolts
Psycho Babble 5.9 trad (gear to 1.5")
Pseudo Placenta 5.11a bolted
Barking Burritto 5.10a mixed (2 bolts + thin cams and nuts)
Eyore 5.9 6 bolts

Lower Deck

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Climb name Rating Protection First Ascent Description
Bulgung Flank 5.9 bolted Ryan Kurytnik
Fluid Thrill 5.10b bolted Ryan Kurytnik
Butterscotch Puddin' 5.8 trad (gear to 2")
High Tide 5.11d 5 bolts Ryan Kurytnik
Lower Momentum 5.10b 4 bolts Ryan Kurytnik
Turbulence 5.11c bolted Ryan Kurytnik has a runout start (see Glossary of climbing terms)
Wishbone 5.8 trad (gear to 1.5" & 1 )
Dink Charmer 5.9 top rope or trad Minimal placement opportunities for trad; top rope would be safer
Junkyard 5.12a 2 bolts runout to the anchors

References

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  1. ^ a b Nanaimo River Rock Climbing Guide 5th ed
  2. ^ "Rock Climbing Routes in Nanaimo River, Vancouver Island North - Rockclimbing.com". www.rockclimbing.com.
  3. ^ "Nanaimo River Swimming, WildPlay Bunjy Zone, Crystal Clear Pools, Sunny Beach". www.ourbc.com.
  4. ^ "Outdoor Recreation – Vancouver Island News, Events, Travel, Accommodation, Adventure, Vacations". www.vancouverisland.com.
  5. ^ "Nanaimo River: Best Swimming Holes on mid Vancouver Island, BC, Canada". www.nanaimoinformation.com.
  6. ^ "UVic outdoors club".