Overview
Good Gear-5.7-B Slab
Wasootch Slabs might be the best known “beginners” climbing area any where in Canada. I have never seen such a collection of top roped 5.4-5.6 routes in my travels. That being said, my wife and I use the area in late fall to soak in the southwestern exposure on days that would be far too cold to sport climb in our local canyons, Cougar Canyon, Heart Creek, Grotto Canyon or Grassi Lakes. We have climbed on routes up to 5.11 at Wasootch Slabs and have found plenty lead routes away from the top rope slabs. We have climbed both trad and sport routes at Wasootch. The further you are willing to hike back into the Wasootch Creek Valley, i.e. “F” Slab, “Z” Slab or Four Pines, the less polished and more challenging routes you will find. This area is also home to Wasootch Tower which is a fun alpine trad climb with several challenging sport climbs on its southwestern wall.
Wasootch Slabs is featured in the “Sport Climbs in the Canadian Rockies” guide book, but many of the routes have been updated since its last publication (2002). I have come across several routes that were to have been trad routes that are now sport routes. In fact they seem to have been fairly aggressive with bolts in places. I typically skip a bolt here and there on lead of these routes. There are a lot more top anchors in place versus what is shown in the book as well. This was done to prevent rock fall from above as climbers were scrambling up and top roping onto trees.
Routes
A Slab: 5.5-510d/I have not climbed any of these routes. I assume them to be quite polished since they are the easiest to get to and this is such a common area (by Canadian Rocky standards).
B Slab: 5.2-5.11b/The most routes of any slab at Wasootch, 35 to be exact. A 5.2 sport climb? This is actually a trad route and the first I have ever seen. Wasootch is obviously a great place to teach children how to climb. I have climbed on this slab and reference my favorite routes on the route page for B Slab.
C Slab: 5.4-5.11a/I have led the 5.11a here, Sweet Tweet, and recommend it. The 5.11 section runs through about 5 bolts and is not too polished yet, although it is heading that direction.
D Slab: 5.4-5.7/These are all top rope slabby routes.
E Slab: 5.4-5.5/Same as D, except shorter routes.
G Slab: 5.4-5.7/A nice 5.7 trad route called “Layback Route”.
F Slab: 5.6-5.10a/Actually further back than G Slab. I like the two 5.10a sport routes (no longer trad). Nice textured rock, only polished at the very start. I have climbed on this slab and reference my favorite routes on the route page for F Slab.
Irish Rock: 5.9-5.10c/The few routes beyond the bend in the Wasootch Creek Valley.
Z Slab: 5.9-5.10d/Same as Irish Rock.
Y Slab: 5.6/Beyond Z Slab (somebody needs to freshen up on their alphabet)
Four Pines: 5.7-5.11/End of the road.
