The Upper Slocan Bluffs offer an amazing collection of moderate trad and sport climbing with beautiful views of Slocan Lake. This area was developed in the early 2000s but needed a bit of TLC. TAWKROC director Lukas Fodor took it upon himself to organize a crag clean up to bring new life to this wall.
On September 25th, 2021 Lukas and all the volunteers from Castlegar, Nelson and Slocan area met at the parking pullout. They had a whole set of tools including shovels, pickaxes, pry-bars, wire brushes, hammer drill, sawzall and more! They split up the tasks which included trail maintenance, installing new bolts and anchors, and scrubbing the wall. Lukas added two new chain anchors to the wall on routes that previously relied on trees above for anchors. There was a run-out unnamed route in the middle of the wall which volunteer Carmell Bornau scrubbed and added bolts to create a fun modern sport climb which she named “Trailblazer”.
By the afternoon the trails to Blaze Wall and neighbouring Cheddar Wall were in excellent shape. In total 3 routes were cleaned on Blaze Wall: Blaze’s Corner, Trailblazer and Drop Drill. The volunteers climbed all three routes and everyone agreed the day had been a success!
Directions to Slocan Upper Bluffs:
When driving North on Highway 6 (from Nelson or Castlegar), drive past the turnoff for Slocan. After 2km you’ll see a pullout on the left (lakeside) and an avalanche gate. Park here. Find the large trailhead at the North end of the parking area and take the first left turn on the trail. This will take you to Blaze Wall, continue along the trail for another 3 minutes to reach Cheddar Wall.
