Soaked and Runout: A Diedre Story
From April to October, as you drive out of Squamish, you likely look up at the impressive Chief. And, if so, you will likely spot a handful of rock climbers on the Apron; the huge slabs of granite found near the bottom. While there are many popular ways to climb the Apron, I'd bet money that the climbers you saw on your way out of town were on a easy and popular route called Diedre. Diedre climbs one of the prominent corners of the Apron. It begins and ends with a long section of slab. There are no hand or foot holds, so one must smear the flat of their foot on the crystalline granite and trust that the friction of the rubber on their climbing shoes will prevent them from slipping off. The climbing in the middle of the route is the main attraction. It involves lay backing a crack in a large corner, and protects fairly well. My Hamish was over for the weekend, and we had hoped to climb the route. Unfortunately it had been raining quite...