Please avoid climbing on the routes Calm and Easy, High Exposure, and Hwy23 at Upper Blanket until July 1st , 2023 (routes 378, 380, and 381 in the guidebook). It's been brought to our attention that some falcons are nesting there, and I'm sure they'd really appreciate a little space!
This coming Tuesday November 2nd is the Revelstoke Climbers Access Society Annual General Meeting. If you care about rock climbing in the Revelstoke area or are interested in getting involved with the RCAS please come to the AGM which will start promptly at 1730 in the Community Centre room MP3.
Remember, if you need to purchase or renew your membership, it's $5, and this can be paid with cash at the door (or via eTransfer, instructions here).
See You all there,
RCAS Board of Directors
On November 22nd, Tyler R Jay and all the other organizers of the Reel Rock screening raised over $1,642 for the Revelstoke Climbers Access Society! This money will support all the cool work that's planned for our beloved crags next season, and we're so lucky to have it. Thanks TJ and everyone who bought a ticket last week!
Thanks to some very, very significant contributions from Jake-Jay Construction, Absolute Contracting, and Rec Sites and Trails BC, the Big Eddy Boulders project area now has a beautiful new parking lot! The work these groups have done for us would have cost us thousands, and we can’t tell you how thankful we are they they’ve offered to make this work happen for us. This is an essential step on our road to attaining rec site status for this wonderful gem in our backyard.
This parking lot was made possible by:
Jake-Jay Construction,
Absolute Contracting,
Joel Pirnke (faller),
Douglas Sproule and Eric Dafoe (super hard working volunteers),
Rec Sites and Trails BC,
Columbia-Shushwap Regional District,
the City of Revelstoke,
and 20 or more additional volunteers throughout the last few years.
Thank you all so much!
Updated on September 10, 2019. For new climbs on other crags at Echo Bay, please visit Revelstoke Rock Climbing’s New Route page:
http://www.revelstokerockclimbing.com/grags_newroutes_echo.html
Installed a new ladder at Begbie Bluffs on May 16, 2018 and spruced up a couple sections of trail. Many Thanks to Eric Dafoe for the ladder and the effort on the install. The old wood & rope ladder lasted about 8 years and was in need of a replacement. The new one is aluminum that's chained & bolted.
The old wood & rope ladder
Many thanks to Eric and Bri Dafoe for taking on the sign fix at Begbie Bluffs. Also, thanks a bunch to our partnership with Rec Sites & Trails BC for the supplies. They are so damn helpful over at that office and are really stoked that we are out there doing stuff for the community.
The new sign we had made up a couple years ago broke off its base completely this past winter so we went out and got a new base from the Revelstoke Forestry office and replaced it.
Wimpy was bolted in 1997. It's a worthy route at Begbie Bluffs but it's rarely climbed cause of the tat anchor around the 4" tree. We installed a proper anchor today and even scrubbed up the finish a bit. Thanks to Jami Kruger for taking the initiative on this long overdue mission and to Craig Ellis who gave us permission to install the anchor on his line.
The original anchor was this tat wrapped around this 4" tree.
The old and the new
Revelstoke's newest climbing area (and one of the sweetest) is now open for business! You can download the guide below. Please consider joining, volunteering and/or donating to the RCAS to help us continue to keep Revelstoke a safe and enjoyable climbing experience. Go here if you would like to do that, Thanks and enjoy!
Any errors within this guide are the authors errors. Use good judgement when using this guide. For corrections, new routes, grading feedback, etc., email geobackcountry@gmail.com
Disclaimer
Climbing is dangerous. All users of this guide do so at their own risk. Users release all liability of risk from the author and the Revelstoke Climbers Access Society. Please, seek out qualified instruction and climb safely.
Click on PDF symbol to download the Echo Bay Climbing Guide
Version 1 - September 2017
18MB
Echo Bay KMZ
Click on text below to download the .kmz file. Open with Google Earth.
Updates
Owl Wall Update
Click on PDF symbol to download the PDF Owl Wall Update
Click on image to download the JPG Owl Wall update
The Bakery Update
The spring work session took place at Begbie Bluffs on June 21, 2017. About 14 people showed up to help keep our local crags safe and enjoyable. Two groups were formed, the first group scrubbed the Kid's Wall and the second group constructed landings for all the climbs at the popular Popeye Wall. Some very large stone was moved into place for the landings and it turned out just incredible. Thanks to all that came out to lend a hand!
The RCAS would like to invite you to the 2017 Info Session. It's scheduled at the Revelstoke Community Centre, Room MP3, on June 7 at 7 p.m.
Newsletter
We're working on a newsletter for our members that will be available within a few days that will outline the work that was completed in 2016 by the club as well as a primer of the upcoming Info Session.
The RCAS is grateful for the support from Ministry of Forests, Lands and natural Resource Operations, Revelstoke Search and Rescue and Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing for the materials to place an emergency spine board kit at Begbie Bluffs. It is centrally located at the Popeye Wall outhouse (See map in next post below).
We would also like to thank Federico and Olivier for signing up for the RCAS Trails Committee and taking the time to help us get this project completed.
The boss making sure everything goes smoothly.
A fresh 'Forest Green'' coat of paint.
Thanks to Revelstoke Search and Rescue and Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing for the spineboard and basket stretcher.
Field mods.
A fresh coat of paint for the entrance.
Almost done...
Completed project!
Fresh coat.
Spineboard Location.
The spineboard location is indicated on the PDF map in the next post below.
The RCAS is pleased to announce that they have completed work on a map for rock climbing at Begbie Bluffs. The Bluffs can be a challenging area to navigate, even with the signage that is in place so we made a map to help you find your way around.
We are working on getting the PDF map georeferenced so you can use it on your mobile device so please check back for an update to this.
Download The Bluffs Map.
You can choose from either a pdf or jpeg version below.
The outhouse at Popeye Wall in Begbie Bluffs received a much needed maintenance recently. The RCAS has also secured an emergency spine-board for this outhouse and we'll have it installed soon for emergency use.
Before
After
After a fresh coat of paint.
A session of brushing occurred this summer with the local Forestry Firefighter crew volunteering to help brush the Begbie Bluffs Trail as well as the Emergency Landing Zone for The Bluffs. Many Thanks to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and natural Resource Operations and to the firefighters!
A welcome addition to the trail network at Begbie Bluffs is the (under construction) Begbie Falls to Cool Wall Connector Trail. The trail will allow for quick and easy access to the eastern crags of Begbie Bluffs including Cool Wall, Kid's Wall and Kip's Wall. Please note that the trail is currently being built and is in primitive shape or only flagged. Check back for updates.
A clean up at the base of Kid's Wall also took place this summer.
In the summer of 2016, David Sproule and Douglas Sproul spent about five weeks cleaning up the Big Eddy Boulders. Many other people stopped in along the way to lend a hand and so was born a family friendly bouldering area just minutes from town. The area has since become very popular with families and beginner climbers.
Read about it in the Revelstoke Review.
Visit RevelstokeBouldering.ca for the beta on the big Eddy Boulders.
Before and after shots
Improvements were made to the Raptor Wall at Begbie Bluffs in the summer of 2016. All work was carried out utilizing stone and mineral soil.
Raptor Wall Trail
Flashdance Landing
Honeycomb Kid/Zoloft Landing
Beak Landing | Before
Beak Landing | After
Raptor staircase
Honeycomb/Zoloft Landing | Before & After
This new crag is a series of cliffs currently being developed. The area has good access, good rock and some amazing potential for numerous, quality routes. Stay tuned as we are shooting for the summer of 2017 to have this area ready for climbing.
Improvements were made to the Crystal Palace Wall at Begbie Bluffs in the summer of 2015. All climbs have had landings added using stone and mineral soil.
Crystal Palace | Before
Crystal Palace | After