Coast Range Outdoors

Nina and I decided to try Chewbacca’s, a 3 pitch 10b on the Gobsmacking Wall. The Squamish Select uses words like “burley” and “hard for the grade”. I typically don’t climb much harder than 10a / 10b on lead, so this felt like a good outing to push into some challenging-for-me climbing.

Our plan was to swap leads. I ended up taking the first pitch (10a) and battled about as hard as I’ve ever battled on a rock climb. By the top of the pitch, the amount of sweat that had been produced was slightly alarming.

Nina took pitch 2, and again, I got my ass kicked. This pitch is a 10a chimney pitch, which felt extremely burley for the grade. I made some actual Chewbacca noises on my way up while trying way too hard. Perhaps this is where the name of the route comes from? (Insert loud Chewbacca noise here).

Fortunately, Nina is a badass climber who is significantly stronger than I am, and she got us up the crux 3rd pitch. This pitch involves a heady traverse where the gear is at your feet, as you step left into a dihedral feature. As I was seconding up this, I felt thankful that Nina had lead this pitch. I would have been scared and sweaty at the same time – a combo I often find myself experiencing, but try actively to avoid.

We topped out and enjoyed the views before walking back down to the Shannon Falls parking lot. For the average 10a/10b climber, this route will likely feel challenging. It’s a great climb, but prepare for battle.