Squamish, bears and bikes

I'll be camping at Squamish and doing a wee bit of climbing on a family road trip later this month.

Whistler and Gallbraith are also part of the trip so I'll have my mountain bike with me. 

What is campground theft like there? I'll be camping about 10 miles from the Chief from my understanding. Can I lock a bike to a tree in my camp and leave it for the day? Would it be better locked on the back of my car instead?

Also, how much of a problem are bears? Our site has bear boxes. Are we talking Yosemite style bears or just generally don't be an idiot type of precaution? Also, can a full size cooler fit in the boxes or should I use my soft picnic style coolers?

High Flatulence,

Squamish is rad!

Bears: At the chief camping, I saw a tent destroyed for toiletries and the first aid kit a couple years ago. I talked to the guys from that tent and they said their food was in the bear bin, and the bear went after their first aid kit. I also have seen bears in the smoke bluffs. Last year I was not able to find an empty bear box, but since I was car camping I was able to leave my stuff in the car (unlike Yosemite camping). 

Theft: From the chief parking, I had a friend have their work laptop and hard drives stolen from their car. The police recovered the laptop and said it was locals from town. I've heard of this happening to other people. People leave old crapy bikes unlocked in the campground sometimes, but I personally would not leave a good bike lying around. I am not worried about climbers, but tons of people come to hike and walk though the campground and campground parking. Maybe other people feel differently.

Enjoy your trip.

WillF wrote:

High Flatulence,

Squamish is rad!

Bears: At the chief camping, I saw a tent destroyed for toiletries and the first aid kit a couple years ago. I talked to the guys from that tent and they said their food was in the bear bin, and the bear went after their first aid kit. I also have seen bears in the smoke bluffs. Last year I was not able to find an empty bear box, but since I was car camping I was able to leave my stuff in the car (unlike Yosemite camping). 

Theft: From the chief parking, I had a friend have their work laptop and hard drives stolen from their car. The police recovered the laptop and said it was locals from town. I've heard of this happening to other people. People leave old crapy bikes unlocked in the campground sometimes, but I personally would not leave a good bike lying around. I am not worried about climbers, but tons of people come to hike and walk though the campground and campground parking. Maybe other people feel differently.

Enjoy your trip.

Are there local meth heads cruising the camps and parking lot with angle grinders? Or would typical locking practices  (U lock + kryptonite chain) be adequate?

I'm sure it's not he nicest bike in BC but it's got a little bling and when I go climbing, I'll be away from it for several hours at a time. I'd prefer not to give it away.

So the bears aren't breaking into vehicles? Only tents? Lazy Canadian bears.

IMO, maybe it’s improved over the years, but leaving a nice mountain bike locked to a tree or an unattended vehicle is asking for trouble.  

Darin Berdinka wrote:

IMO, maybe it’s improved over the years, but leaving a nice mountain bike locked to a tree or an unattended vehicle is asking for trouble.  

This is what I'm trying to find out. Squamish, unlike many climbing destinations is also a city. I'm sure it's got a load of great people as well as tweakers trying to rob the tourists.

Not bringing the bike isn't an option. I have become a truly shitty climber, like, "what's the fucking point?" bad. But I'm still improving on the bike and having a great time doing it. I'm hitting Whistler, I'm hitting Gallbraith, I'll hit some trails in Squamish, I'll belay my wife up some routes and flop like a seal up a few routes. To be clear.

Where are you camping? If you haven't yet made a campsite booking, I'd check out the chief campground, its $10 per night per person, first come first serve. Worth driving by and seeing, as its close to town and the climbing. The other campgrounds are kind of a ways from the climbing and town. Since you also mentioned that you are biking it sounds like you might be at one of the campgrounds a bit north of town (Alice Lake Campground?).

Bears - lock your food away in your car is the best bet when you're away, or if there is a bear bin available at the campground use that. There has been a bear in the campground at the chief recently causing some trouble so the rangers have been there making sure the campers are extra diligent at keeping smelly things away from them. They have been pretty bold and going into tents / grabbing backpacks as of the last week, I have a feeling the bear will be destroyed unfortunately (happens each spring around this time...). I'm not sure what campground you are staying in as the bear problems will be pretty varied across town.

Bike - absolutely keep it locked in your car if you can, and covered as best you can. At the Chief campground or another busy campground I have a hard time believing that someone would break into a locked vehicle in such a public place (there's often always people around the Chief campground and a car alarm would definitely draw attention), but I'm sure it happens on the rare occasion. I think most theft must be items left outside of cars or inside tents, or unlocked vehicles with valuables left out in the open to see.

Squamish is rad, have a great trip!

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:

Are there local meth heads cruising the camps and parking lot with angle grinders? Or would typical locking practices  (U lock + kryptonite chain) be adequate?

I'm sure it's not he nicest bike in BC but it's got a little bling and when I go climbing, I'll be away from it for several hours at a time. I'd prefer not to give it away.

So the bears aren't breaking into vehicles? Only tents? Lazy Canadian bears.

I saw tons of bikes locked with really thin cables. I can’t speak of bike theft, I just know car break ins were common bitd. 

Enjoy the trip! Good climbing!