1st Issue

Contents

WABA 2024 Tshirt Timeline

Welcome to the start of something new and exciting! This is the inaugural edition of the WABA newsletter (or WABAler). The pace of development and growth of the Alberta bouldering scene over the past few years has been mind-boggling. Over that time the WABA board has been hard at work building the infrastructure to support the growing community.

This summer we printed a small run of guidebooks for the new Highwood crag. If enough people pester Scott, he might be convinced to run a second printing. Keeping in the Highwood vein, Tristyn has designed an epic new shirt featuring the Cowboy Crypt boulder. Another new development is that Brian Henderson has joined the board as the new Treasurer replacing myself (Alessandro) so that I can put more energy into the upper level work with Alberta Parks through CASA (the Climbers Access Society of Alberta). Brian has built an e-commerce store on the WABA website, which is where our T-shirts and future merch will be available for purchase. https://westernalbertabouldering.ca/store/

Featured Crag and Climb:
Cowboy Crypt in The Highwood

A Brief History and Description of the Highwood Boulders By Tristyn Butler:

Photo – Tristyn Butler Repeating his FA Tatanka V5 – Click Video for Video Link

In my youth, I frequently drove Highway 40 near Longview and noticed a cliff band past just East of the Highwood House. Although it intrigued me, I never managed to explore it until 2022. That year, two things happened that caused me to stop the truck and walk up the hill. First, a friend of mine mentioned he had hiked up there and saw a collection of boulders including a crack line in a steep roof that would later become known as “Rocky Mountain Wildflowers V2 – FA Tristyn Butler”. This climb boasts 25-ish feet of 60-70-degree overhung climbing. It has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best V2’s in Alberta. Second, my main bouldering partner Bradley George injured his wrist that spring at The Nest. Unable to climb, he was motivated to search for new boulders to develop in Alberta while he was recovering.

On our first visit to the Highwood, we trudged straight uphill for 30+ mins becoming more and more skeptical if we were going to find quality climbing or any boulders at all for that matter. But after about 40 minutes of hiking, we rounded a ridge and were presented with a collection of boulders made of a high-quality and dense form of Conglomerate rock. Ecstatic, we spent hours exploring the new area like a couple of kids in a candy store. Over the next year, Bradley and I, along with a small group of others, cleaned boulders, developed landings, and built trails. While developing we gradually began introducing the Highwood to the Alberta climbing community.

Since its soft release last year, the Highwood has seen an influx of climbers adding new lines like “Rose Thorns V7 – FA Marc Eveleigh” and its sit start “Bloody Thorns V9 – FA Jared Gillis”. Pretty quickly one line became the most sought-after tick. This is “Cowboy Crypt Sit V8 – FA Bradley George”. The V5 stand start is similarly popular. The hype was so great around this climb that it seemed only logical to design this year’s WABA shirt around it. What the Highwood lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. Small by global standards, it offers a dense collection of high-quality steep lines with several yet-to-be-developed problems. The Steer Wrestling Cave project will likely prove to be one of Alberta’s hardest lines once completed.

The season can start as early as April but be prepared to trudge through snow and battle some seeping. Access usually begins in May and June but look out for ticks as this spot can be bad early in the season. Like most areas in Alberta, the conditions are best in Sept, Oct and into Nov depending on when the snow flys.

Photo Left – Keith Nalepa on Cowboy Crypt Sit Photo Right – Brooke Norton on the FFA of Cowboy Crypt Stand

Click Photos for Video Links

The Highwood can be divided into three sections: the Main Area, including the Mudroom the Bunkhouse, and the Ranch House; the Lean-To, featuring the standout “Rocky Mountain Wildflowers”; and The Teepee and Kletterhause, which boast some of the hardest lines like “Dances with Wolves -V9″ and “Sundance – V10.” FA’s by Tristyn Butler.

Currently, there is only a small print-run guidebook for the area (50 copies, a few remain up for grabs). For information, contact Tristyn Butler, Bradley George, or Scott Eveleigh. I’ve included links to a Google Drive Folder – Highwood Guide – with a list of the developed lines. However, this folder is currently out of date so if you are looking for more information Sendage provides a fairly comprehensive list of most of the climbs in the area. I recommend checking out the following YouTube accounts for those interested in Beta Videos for the area. Grifter, Scott Eveleigh, and Big Choss Bouldering

Access Issues “Big Rock and Bears Paw Bluff”, Ethics “Land Use Zones”

Bears Paw Bluffs Access Issues: A Note from One of the Developers

Sam Carr – “It has come to my attention that the Bearspaw bluffs (everything from the middle sector to creekside, including sacred ceiling, the gems, Texas, and cocaine edges are on private property. The landowner has requested that climbers stop using the area and give notice that they will not tolerate trespassing. As far as I am aware climbing at the Ravine is still Acceptable”

This quote was taken from a Facebook post on the WABA Facebook Group For further information and updates please join our Facebook page and or follow us on Instagram.

Big Rock Bouldering Access Issues: A Note from WABA

Stef Kujawa – “Many of you may already know that climbing at Big Rock has been a touchy subject for a while and a lot of you are asking about climbing permissions.

We have recently been in touch with both Alberta Historic Resources and the RCMP. They have made it clear to us that for now climbing is not allowed and that they are willing to prosecute people who continue to climb there.”

Climbing access at Big Rock has always been a tricky and somewhat touchy subject. For many years the Calgary Mountain Club (or CMC) acted as stewards of the rock and had a very good relationship with the farmer on whose land the rock was located. In the 1990’s the farmer sold this parcel of land to the provincial government and jurisdiction of the rock was given to Historic Resources Alberta. Shortly after this there was an attempt to prohibit all public access to the rock. This was met with major outcry and a series of public consultations occurred. At the end of these consultations the CMC negotiated a verbal agreement allowing for climbing on the rock provided no pitons were used.

That was the state of things from the late 1990’s until around 2021. During that time a number of things happened: Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Black Lives Matter, and COVID 19 Pandemic, The Population of Calgary grew by ~500 000, including a large increase in the number of climbers, and the land manager who negotiated the agreement with the CMC retired.

From the inception of the WABA in 2020, we have worked to build a relationship with Historic Resources Alberta but it has not been easy. Over the years we have heard different stories about what is and is not allowed at Big Rock. While there have been several incidents where RCMP told climbers not to climb at Big Rock, we could never ascertain if this was complaint-driven or if there was a mandate to enforce a new/old rule. In the spring of 2024, a young climber was ticketed for climbing at Big Rock. This is the first instance of a climber being fined. There is a court case scheduled for early 2025 about this fine. WABA/CASA and the CMC are all monitoring the situation and plan to engage both the Alberta Government and Historic Resources Alberta following the ruling on the fine.

Land Use Zones Within Alberta and Access Issues / Regulations: A Note from WABA

When bouldering in Alberta, please take the time to look into the kind of land use zone you are headed into from PLUZ (public land use zone). For National Parks, the types of regulations vary significantly as do the rules and laws around them. We have compiled a list below of the majority of kinds of Land use Zones in the province. We encourage you to read through each zones regulations and take note when you head out bouldering next what kind of zone you will be in.

Alberta Government PLUZ link – https://www.alberta.ca/public-land-use-zones

Alberta Parks Link – https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/visit-our-parks/regulations/

Parks Canada Regulations Link – https://parks.canada.ca/agence-agency/lr-ar

Happy Bouldering everyone!

Fall Pub Night and AB/BC upcoming events

Past / Recap: Big Rock Clean Up – 2023 Summer Pub Night

Spring Clean up at Big Rock in Conjunction with the CMC – See Photo below for a link to an article from the Western Wheel summarizing:

Photo – 2024 WABA and CMC Big Rock Clean up – Click photo for Link

Pub Nights

WABA usually hosts / co-hosts 2-3 Pub nights per year intending to provide a space for folks to come together and discuss their latest projects, new climbs, and developments within the bouldering scene over the past few months.

Photos – 2023 Summer Pub Night in Conjunction with CASA – Hosted at Sheepdog Brewing in Canmore

Upcoming:

Fall Pub night will be mid to late October stay tuned for details
Fall Pub night will be mid to late October stay tuned for details
Rock the blocks Kelowna Saturday Sept 7th
Tour De Frank will be Saturday Sept 7th
Fall Clean-up Bonsai – Tentatively Saturday Sept 21st

Donation / Patreon Information

As a non-profit association run by volunteers, any donations are greatly appreciated and will be used to fund: the purchase of tools for trail days, insurance for group events, website hosting, and ongoing development and access to local crags, including long term development such as better trail networks, signage, potential parking, washrooms, etc. Follow the link below to become a member of WABA or donate.

Donate: https://westernalbertabouldering.ca/donate/

Become a Member: https://www.patreon.com/WABA708