Vantage

Ever climbed on columnar basalts? Really interesting rock that is very similar to a gym. The rock is very chossy, so make sure that you wear a helmet. A guide book is impossible to buy until spring 2007 (I bought the last one). The VOC club has one in their library that can be borrowed. There is a camp ground with toilets, but no water. The camp ground does cost money, and you must pay at the local grocery store, gas station. Climbing and parking is free.

Do not go in the summer, it is brutally hot and exposed. There is swimming in the Columbia river if you keep following the access road. Vantage is super dry, so is a good alternative to Squamish when Squamish is wet. I hear November and February are not a bad time to visit, but that is second hand information.

How to get there

• Directions to get from Vancouver to Vantage
• Map to Frenchman Coulee - the red text says where we'll meet
• Routes guide

Requirements

• Lots of water (desert area)
• Passport
• Money, especially in US currency
• Helmets; the Frenchman Coulee is a notorious area for fatalities of climbers. Belayers must also wear them for the amount of loose rocks is extensive
• Gas money, since drivers pay none of it