Carl belaying Keith on the Sword of Damacles

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All Locations > International > North America > Canada > British Columbia > Squamish > The Chief > Grand Wall Area > The Grand Wall (5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c A0)

Carl belaying Keith on the Sword of Damacles

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Adam on the vescalator (velcro escalator).

Your pro is below your feet as you pull the crux of the Sword pitch. I like to place a nut and a cam before launching into it. Photo of Kelly Franz by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

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Carl Pelletier

Sep 16, 2009

“Carl belaying Keith on the Sword of Damacles”

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Nearby Photos

The second crux of the Sword pitch. Photo of Mike Hengeveld by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

As the Split Pillar goes from hands to fists... Photo of Alisdair Buchanan by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

I belly-flopped onto Sail flake! Couldn't mantle, or pull up on anything else ... and had to rest before the next moves.

split pillar

Adam on the vescalator (velcro escalator).

Carl belaying Keith on the Sword of Damacles

Your pro is below your feet as you pull the crux of the Sword pitch. I like to place a nut and a cam before launching into it. Photo of Kelly Franz by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

The Sail Flake, the final pitch of the Grand Wall (unless you're continuing up The Roman Chimneys). Photo of Alisdair Buchanan by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

Climber leading the Sword pitch. He's looking pretty comfortable for this being a crux section!

Bracksieck leads the first 5.10 pitch.

Right in the middle of the crux of the Sword pitch. Photo of Mike Hengeveld by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

Ty Johnson on the Split Pillar

The Grand Wall. The first pitch shown is the Split Pillar, and the last belay station is on the Bellygood Ledge.<br>
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Bolts on the individual pitches are not shown. All belay stations are 2 bolts + chains and a big fat steel rap ring.

Tony leading Perry's Layback. Skipping every other bolt saves a lot of effort.

The Sword pitch.

Top of Perry's layback - glad it hasn't rained yet, but still cold!

Starting up the Sword pitch from the fantastic belay at the top of the Split Pillar. Photo of Kelly Franz by Matthew Buckle, used with permission.

the exposure of the Grand Wall

View of Howe sound from top of Perry's layback - on a chilly day, with rain threatening. I was climbing with a Canadian, who's better adapted to cold!<br>

Where are we, Indian Creek?

Split Pillar, Sword, and Perry's Layback as seen from the base of The Grand Wall.

Contemplating the "Flats"

The Sword

Bellygood Ledge, which traverses from the top of the Grand Wall route to the trees on the right (climbers') side of the wall. This ledge traverse is exposed enough that I wouldn't want to do this without a rope.

The aid pitch above the Sword, on a very cold day.

Aid pitch, standing on the dental-floss slings hurts the feet!

Once the sustained part of the Split Pillar is done, you still have some climbing to do. Saving a #1 Camalot for this section is nice.

From the base of the Sword, looking down on Mercy Me (tiny red dots).

Keith leading up the Sword of Damacles

Reachy bolt ladder leading to the bottom of the Split Pillar

Tristan and Gerhard on the Split Pillar, Grand Wall

Looking for the dry foothold to finish P2.

Andy Ross on Bellygood ledge 1999

George Bracksieck leads pitch one of the wonderful Mercy Me dike.

Bellygood ledge

The final bit of climbing across the top of the Seal Flake. After this, a few feet to Bellygood Ledge!

Merriam checking out the reachy crux on the Flats pitch of the grand wall.

Nice exposure on The Flats pitch.

John climbing the tree at the beginning of the final pitch (the Seal Flake pitch).

Looking down from the anchors at the top of the beautiful Split Pillar pitch.

Looking up Perry's Layback.

Tony following the second pitch of Mercy Me on our way to the Grand Wall.

Enjoying the split pillar tooo much?

Super-cool tree belay at the base of the Split Pillar

Tony almost done on The Flats pitch above Perry's Layback.

Perfect hands in the Split Pillar

Arm bars provide a much-needed rest!

Split Pillar - middle of the layback

Not a great shot, but you can see what the traverse is like in this shot, taken at perhaps 11am, befor the sun hit. Peter Spindloe is at the end of this traverse. Photo by Tony Bubb 7/08.

Looking back across Bellygood

Crippling toe pain usually ends the fun for me on long routes. My new super-sized Acopa JB's fixed that, making the cracks, faces, and trees fun.

Approaching the Split Pillar (fun with angles)

A picture from a traverse on the Grand Wall Lite

Tough girl style on the Split Pillar (liebacking w/ a pack)

The bolt ladder after The Sword.

Perry's layback

Midway up Perry's Layback.

Groups on the Split Pillar and the Sword. Taken from Cruel Shoes (5.10d). The wall is vertical, so the photo is not an accurate representation.

The Flats.

Comfy belay before the A0 bolt ladder