Castlegar Rock Climbing

THE KOOTENAYS

The Kootenay River begins in the Canadian Rockies running south into Montana then west crossing Idaho and through Washington. It heads back north into BC crossing the border at Creston then turns west cutting through first the Purcell, then the Selkirk Mountains before finally joining the Columbia River at Castlegar. All of the mountains along the Kootenay River are called the "Kootenays".

The local guide book is the West Kootenay Rock Guide, by Aaron Kristiansen and Vince Hempsall (circa 2007). Rock climbing in the Castlegar-Nelson-Valhalla triangle is plentiful and well developed. Valhalla Pure Outfitters, in Nelson, BC, is the climbing shop to find the West Kootenay Rock Guide. The local climbing scene is quite old, keeping up with the standards of Yosemite since the 1960's.