This cliff is accessed from the same parking lot as the Chief, but is on the west side of the road. Although it is invisible from the road, it's considerably larger than you would expect, with routes up to three pitches. Some very high quality and legendary climbs are here. There are steep crack testpieces as well as more recent bolted slabs.
The cliff is divided into a lower and upper section, with a number of the climbs on the Lower Malamute closed due to the CN Rail right-of-way along the tracks at the base of the cliff.
On most days the Malamute is a windy place, even when the air seems calm on the Chief. It can be cold in the wind if the cliff is still in the shade (until about 1:00pm, depending on the season), even on a hot day.
Getting There
If coming from the south, park as for the Chief and take the new pedestrian bridge. If coming from the north, there's a parking lot for about ten cars and a trail that takes you to the pedestrian bridge.
From the pedestrian bridge, head up a dirt trail, across the logged area and look for a trail that heads up on to the tree ridge. The trail will lead you to the top of the cliff between the Starr Wall and the Stooges Slab.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Malamute:
This classic crack offers some excellent crack climbing with some of the most amazing views in Squamish. The 5.8/5.9 crux is right at the bottom, it's all smooth sailing from there....[more]Browse More Classics in International
By Peter Spindloe Administrator From: North Vancouver, BC Apr 15, 2007
Everybody: Please read the note about access issues. Also, please note that the more standard approach is to park at the Grand Wall parking lot, cross the road and take the trail over the top of the Malamute. However, just a few weeks ago (March, 2007) much of the top of the Malamute was logged! It's quite a sad sight. More details on this later. I don't have any current information about access to the top of the Malamute in light of this.
As of 9/1/07, the majority of felled trees have been cleared from the top of the Malamute. It is straightforward to hike through the clear cut using the trail that begins from the parking lot at the chief. For updates on access at the Malamute, refer to this page maintained by the Squamish Access Society:
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