Rockfall at the Stawamus Chief may be caused by heat, says local climbing group
Posted July 30, 2021 11:26 am.
Last Updated July 30, 2021 11:27 am.
SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) — Numerous rock climbing routes on the renowned Grand Wall of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish are closed after a large slab broke off.
BC Parks says chunks of large rocks came down early Tuesday morning in the provincial park.
A statement from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy says numerous climbing and bouldering routes had to be closed as a result.
It was the largest and most recent rockfall to occur along the face of the 600-metre high granite dome. and geotechnical assessment is underway.
Due to multiple significant rockfalls in the Slhanay, Grand Wall, and Western Dihedrals climbing areas of Stawamus Chief, a large number of climbing routes are currently closed. (BC Parks)
But while the official cause is being determined, those who climb the popular route have their own theory. Social media posts by the Squamish Access Society suggest hot weather might be to blame.
The society that supports climbing in the area has noticed a series of rockfalls beginning late last month, at the same time a heat wave brought sweltering temperatures to several regions, including Squamish.
The society says studies done in Yosemite National Park in California show that water seeping into fractures running behind and parallel to a sheer rock face can be just as damaging during extreme heat as they are in winter, when the freeze-thaw cycle can pry sheets of rock from the mountainside.
No one was hurt when the rocks came down in the middle of the night. Damage is reportedly extensive in the forest and runout zone, Squamish Search and Rescue wrote on social media.
Following the initial closure, more areas were closed to climbing until the area can be deemed safe.
Squamish Search and Rescue shared on Instagram that all it encompasses all routes from, “the Black Dyke to Deadend Dihedral. Popular climbs affected include multipitches Sunset Strip and Millenium Falcon as well as the classic single pitch Arrowroot.”
Climbers are urged to be patient and respect the closure until more information can be provided on a possible reopening.
