Why Go: Gorgeous scenery, excellent forest bouldering, friendly locals, a chance to flail on the problems you've only seen on video, and it's one of the only destination bouldering areas comfortable in the summer months. Also, the camping is inexpensive and convenient and the exchange rate is good (IE cheap supplies).

Getting there: Squamish is about 40 minutes north of Vancouver, BC a large cosmopolitan town in the southwest corner of the country (the third largest city in Canada). You will most likely come into Canada on I-5. Once in Canada, this becomes Highway 99. Just stay on Highway 99 (watch carefully for signs when you start getting into the city) until you cross the Granville Bridge into Downtown Vancouver, once across the bridge you should be on a one-way street called Seymour. Start looking for Georgia Street. When you see it, take a left, and follow it across the Lions Gate Bridge. After crossing the Lion's Gate Bridge, you're home free. Just follow signs for Highway 99 North, and Whistler. You can't possibly miss Squamish, it's about 45 minutes up this beautiful portion of Highway 99.

The Scene: Before you go, take warning: Ragging on America is the third most popular Canadian pastime, coming in right behind Watching American Movies and Listening to American Music, and right before something called "Moose-Hurling" (#4) and Being Obscenely Polite (#5). The up side is that that means it's only fair game to do a little ripping on Canada while you're up there. It's great entertainment.

Making fun of the way they talk is classic, but here's some tips: while throwing "Eh?" at the end of a sentence then rolling on the ground in laughter might work for harassing the odd Canuck down in Hueco, as a guest in their country I must suggest something a little more subtle (though you'd be surprised at what verbal ridiculousness you can get away with if you keep a straight face). I'd start off with an easy one: "oooohhhh my goodness" or the classic "oh yah". (See the movie Strange Brew for pronunciation. No, on second thought, don't. Just ad-lib something. And if that doesn't work, ask them if they knew you could by guns at Wal-Mart in the States. That scares the B-Jesus out of them.)

Another, more personal means of attack is to rag on the actual problems themselves. Suggestion: "Look, another mossy Squamish lip traverse three feet off the ground!" Or, as my friend Jason said, looking at a ridiculously low sit-down, "You must have cleaned this problem for a 6-year-old, because I can't imagine anyone of adult size wanting to climb this." Which leads us into:

The Climbing: The bouldering in Squamish is actually quite good. The whole area under the Grand Wall is like one big scree field with problems on boulders of all sizes from midget problems (see above) to high-balls on house sized chunks of rock. Every type of landing is represented as well, from Pretty Sketchy to Really Really Really Sketchy and even a few Decently Flat. The rock is quite unique for granite in that it lends itself to sloper climbing. Virtually all of the Squamish problems involve grappling the lip of a large feature so if you like fun challenges without the brutal crimps this is a great place to visit. There are at least three guidebooks to the bouldering under The Grand Wall. That's one for every year people have been seriously bouldering there (!). The best, in my opinion, is the newest: Squamish Select, which also features some of the roped climbing in the area, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

There are plenty of new problems to be done in the area. But remember: just because it's covered in moss and sick hard doesn't mean it hasn't been done before-it only takes a winter for vegetation to grow back and one rainy spell for all the chalk to disappear. As far as that goes, there has been lots of gardening of the boulders to make the problems climbable-most of them were covered in a virtual carpet. There doesn't seem to be a large stigma against cleaning excessive amounts of vegetation to complete a good problem, but take into account if your new classic is ever going to get climbed again. Moving rocks from the bases of boulders to make a better landing is a different matter. There has been debate within the local community about this. Just follow your gut instincts, but I wouldn't go tromping around with a crowbar and car-jack.

The Weather: If you're a little worried about the weather in that part of the world, Good for you. You're thinking. There's a reason why everything is so green. Summer (June-August) is the time to visit, but even in the summer I'd expect to get rained out at least once during your trip. Enjoy it-a couple days of sitting in the cab of your-pick up will add flavor to the trip and a memory you won't forget. The third day, you'll start chain-smoking. And by the forth, you'll want to kill your travelling companion for having burritos for lunch again (Why, Jason?) and know there's a reason they don't sell guns in Wal-Marts here and will this god-damn rain ever end or what?

Eats, Treats, and Water: The town of Squamish is everything a climbing town should be. It's small, but with all the essentials and a little color. For cheap, excellent, pastry breakfasts and extremely yellow wallpaper try The Sunflower Bakery right off Cleveland Ave in Downtown. For great lunch, dinner, beer, and climbing spray go to The Howe Sound Brewery. It's the big building with the white chimney at the very end of Cleveland Street. You can't miss the IGA (grocery store) at the entrance to town and check out the prices! They only look the same, you're actually saving about 30%-40%. If you're looking to buy some beer to take back to the campsite, you won't find any in the grocery stores (beer is bought at the beer store, stupid American). The beer store is found in the funny blue building covered with paintings of sea-animals right off Second Street. It's really expensive though, and the selection is meager. You're better off just hanging out in The Brewery anyway.

You'll find water right in the campground which is within easy walking distance of the boulders and even town itself (about twenty minutes) expect to pay about five US dollars a night for camping. There is free camping available nearby (right next to the river), but expect to go there, look around, and say "Let's go back and pay five US dollars a night for the real campground" unless you're really desperate.

Rainy Days: The library is nice and located on Second Street (the only other big street in downtown Squamish). Take a right at the first four-way stop (the one with stop signs, not the lights) and then your next left.

Miscellaneous: If you're like us, you chuckled silently to yourself at your mental image of The Royal Canadian Mountain Police or (as the residents call em': Mounties)-big hatted, funny-talking, gangly, pale-faced Northerners tromping around, mounted on the back of some overweight Canadian Horse. Well, take note: the only thing they're mounted on these days are the plush seats of suped-up Ford Sedans. And they'll chase you down faster than you can say swallow whatever you bought passing through Vancouver.

Oh, and don't try to claim ignorance on the Miles/Kilometers thing. They've heard it.

Dain is an english major at Northern Arizona University. He has been bouldering almost exclusively for over 2 years and climbing for about 7.

Photo Credits, in order of display:
Jason Jackson climbing, Dain Smoland photo.
Andrew Pacey climbing, Chad Pritchard photo.
Dain Smoland climbing, Chad Pritchard photo.
Pete Brink climbing, Jason Jackson photo.
Steve Nelson climbing, Jason Jackson photo.
Jason Jackson photo.