Sloper Climbing

Yep. It’s that time of year when the ice tools start to vibrate in the garage and the rock shoes look a little deflated. I have to admit as hard as it is to say good bye to Summer and a beautiful Fall, I do love the change of seasons and the psych each season brings. Pictured above is Michael Arnold on ‘Alexander’s Chimney’ WI4 M4 on Long’s Peak in Colorado. This route saw it’s confirmed first ascent in 1922 by J.W. Alexander with speculation that it may have been 1919 by Werner Zimmerman. Welcome to winter folks! Enjoy and play safe out there. Photo by Fredrik Marmsater. #iceclimbing #rockymountains

As a father of a 10 and 12 year old, I am always looking for a good place to climb as a family. It would be great if that place was a cool hang, had enough easy routes for the kids and a couple of harder routes for Dad (but not too hard ). So glad I had the chance to check out Porcupine Creek in Kananaskis Country, Alberta and add it to the Sloper Climbing App. At the main climbing area, one side of the creek is a sector, ‘Across the Creek’ is a sector littered with 5.7s a...nd even a 5.5 and a 5.4. These are all in the shade so can make for a great hot day destination. A skip across the creek and you are at Blind Man’s Bluff 22 routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.12c thanks to a couple of recent additions from local developer Ian Perry as he visited the area with his family. The hike is a pleasant 20min form the road and well worth a visit!

This place...south-facing, solid quartzite, 30-40m bolted climbs. Yes! More development news on it’s way for spring. #rockclimbing #banff #bowvalleyclimbing

Great time of year to hit one the adventure filled crags of Saddle Mountain. Although we were clipping bolts all day long, with 6 pitches of steep climbing, we had that alpine feel that Saddle always delivers. #rockclimbing #banffnationalpark

Just a huge shout out to the folks that have helped us grow over the last few years. This has happened in many ways from helping us fill in any content, find bugs, correct a bolt count or recommend the Sloper Climbing App to a friend travelling to a place like Kalymnos. Sometimes we miss some a chance to say thank you to a few of you so we want to change that. If you have an opportunity to tell Sloper about a friend, tag us, and as a thank you we will completely unlock the App for you! Thanks again for the support!

It’s a stellar time of year to catch a beautiful evening or early morning climb before or after work. For years we have called these sessions after work sessions ‘after school specials’. I think we these named after CBC shows that usually come on the TV about the time you piled off the bus from a day at elementary school. Long before the days of on-demand TV, digital photos and a world where you get what you want a few minutes after you seek it...This is Andrew Burr on top of Sultan’s Tower in the Black Hills, South Dakota. Photo by Andrew Busse.

It’s getting close to that time of year when routes like Etch-a-Sketch, on the Ship’s Prow, in Rocky Mountain Nation Park, come into season! Cool alpine air, crisp rock temps, don’t get much better than in RMNP. A bit of a hike gets you away from the crowds of busy sport crags and into adventure. What big routes in the alpine are you going to tick off this year? Check out this route and others in the Sloper App or the Guidebook and add some gems to your Tick List. Photo by Fredrik Marmsater of Joe Mills on the second pitch of Etch-a-Sketch. A three pitch 5.13a put up by Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell. #colorado #rockclimbing #rockymountainnationalpark #longspeak

We love guidebooks! There is no doubt that guidebooks connect a community and our ignite the passion we all have to hit the Crags. With the Sloper App our vision isn’t to replace guidebooks but to create a bridge from revision to revision of the guidebooks we all love. Thinking about writing a guidebook? Hit us up on the DM. BAM! This is Adrian (Canape) Morales on Talibán 13b at the Pared Principal Sector of Ixcatan, Mexico photo by Benjamin Soto Ferraris.

Last week a new Sector at Barrier Mountain opened up called ‘Cornerstone’. As well, the crew completed a couple of unfinished projects on the Yellow Wall. The Cornerstone has nine new routes ranging from 10c to 13b and the rock looks spectacular! Checkout all of the new routes in the Sloper Climbing App photo of Marcus Norman by @pizza_bungy The Mentor finessing the upper slab of Name Of The Wind at Cornerstone. Be one with the rock.

Hey Pebble Wrestlers!! In coloration with Marcus Norman, we are excited to let you know that we have added The Big Rock to the Sloper Climbing App. Have a little fun with the 3D model below and make sure to download all of the Big Rock topos in the App as it, and the rest of the Bow Valley climbing areas, are completely free. Happy Climbing!

Parks are slowly opening and this gem, Niagara Glen, is one that folks in the Great Toronto Area (The GTA) are keeping a close eye on. In the mean time scroll through the App and make a tick list of a few Problems you want to smash away at this summer. Keep in in mind, if you are willing to walk a little further, the less people you’ll see . This is author and adventurer Jesse Wong on Superfly Face. Just look at those flakes!! Yes Please! #ontario #climbing #onatriobouldering #rockclimbing #canada

You have to love Spring. The rock is crisp, the sun is warm and it feels so good to move on the rock. This is Dave Montgomery on his ‘100 Proof’ at the Creekside Crag of Clear Creek Canyon. Ohh that rock! by Darren Mabe #clearcreekcanyon #denvercolorado #climbing #rockclimbing

Climbing is open on the island of Kalymnos! New routes have been going up so watch for updates in the App. Here is @mike9jr on one of those new routes! Arginonta Valley One of the new routes left of central wall. 6b? All 4 between 6a and 6b. Well worth doing! #legalclimbing ... #kalymnosclimbing #kalymnos See more

Last week many crags opened their doors for business and a record number of climbers hit the rock. As a responsible user group, let’s do our best to keep these crags open. Now is a great time to have a plan A, B, and C in our back pockets. If you see an unprecedented number of cars in the parking lot to a particular crag, move on to the next one. We all know of little gems that see fewer people but maybe aren’t quite as classic. Now is a great time to visit those crags and ...show them a little love and I’m sure you be surprised how good the routes actually are! Not to mention how great the solitude you’ll enjoy. Walk a little further to get away from the crowds choosing a further sector or a crag with a longer approach. Communicate with you partner how you intend on climbing safely with each other. Does this mean using your rope and draws for each of your burns or do you designate either end of the rope to each other. We are a pretty creative and intelligent group of individuals and now is the time to think about the best way to climb. Use a stick clip, triple check your systems and stay safe! Photo by our good friend @johnpricephotography