Shirtless Saturday isn't the name of a racy Spring Break video or an event at the local gentleman's club, but it is an accurate description of climbing conditions this past weekend.
On Saturday, with the amazing sunshine and temps, Staci and I took advantage of babysitters (nana and papa) and headed down to an area we haven't been in years. Pebble Beach is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful bouldering areas in the Okanagan, and it's often overlooked. With larger areas containing more varied and popular bouldering in the Okanagan, we've neglected Pebble Beach for a while.
Pebble Beach is located right on the beach on Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna. There aren't a lot of problems here, and the rock is friable in spots, but there are some fun lines in an amazing location. Most notable is probably the large overhang/ cave (unfortunately partially burned out due to fires over the years) that, at certain times of year, hangs right over Okanagan Lake. There are steep lines in the cave, techy lines on faces, and some terrific, and at times very high, aretes.
We spent the day hitting a lot of the lines at Pebble, and soaking up the sun. We started with a high, super fun V3ish face climb at the far end of the beach and worked our way back along the beach to the cave. As we worked back, we hit an awesome V4ish lip/arete line, a bunch of stuff on the spray paint boulder from about V1-V4ish, then finished in the cave on some juicy buckets and powerful roof climbing.
Overall, it was an awesome day and by the end of it, we didn't need our t-shirts anymore. It actually felt HOT for this time of year. Fleece pants were a bad idea. But, hey, I'm not complaining. We've been having amazing weather since Feb. It seems like every weekend has been a good one for bouldering since early last month.
So, if you haven't been to Pebble, or haven't been in a while, it's well worth a first or another look. There are more than enough lines, in a variety of styles, spanning a good spectrum of grades to keep you busy for the day. On a nice, sunny day, there aren't many places in the Okanagan nicer to boulder at than Pebble Beach.
Some Pics...
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On Saturday, with the amazing sunshine and temps, Staci and I took advantage of babysitters (nana and papa) and headed down to an area we haven't been in years. Pebble Beach is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful bouldering areas in the Okanagan, and it's often overlooked. With larger areas containing more varied and popular bouldering in the Okanagan, we've neglected Pebble Beach for a while.
Pebble Beach is located right on the beach on Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna. There aren't a lot of problems here, and the rock is friable in spots, but there are some fun lines in an amazing location. Most notable is probably the large overhang/ cave (unfortunately partially burned out due to fires over the years) that, at certain times of year, hangs right over Okanagan Lake. There are steep lines in the cave, techy lines on faces, and some terrific, and at times very high, aretes.
We spent the day hitting a lot of the lines at Pebble, and soaking up the sun. We started with a high, super fun V3ish face climb at the far end of the beach and worked our way back along the beach to the cave. As we worked back, we hit an awesome V4ish lip/arete line, a bunch of stuff on the spray paint boulder from about V1-V4ish, then finished in the cave on some juicy buckets and powerful roof climbing.
Overall, it was an awesome day and by the end of it, we didn't need our t-shirts anymore. It actually felt HOT for this time of year. Fleece pants were a bad idea. But, hey, I'm not complaining. We've been having amazing weather since Feb. It seems like every weekend has been a good one for bouldering since early last month.
So, if you haven't been to Pebble, or haven't been in a while, it's well worth a first or another look. There are more than enough lines, in a variety of styles, spanning a good spectrum of grades to keep you busy for the day. On a nice, sunny day, there aren't many places in the Okanagan nicer to boulder at than Pebble Beach.
Some Pics...
Me playing around on the buckets in the Pebble Beach overhang
Staci on the moderate and sweet lip/ arete problem
Staci working fun edges on the spray paint boulder
Looking back up the beach at some sharp lines
The Pebble Beach Cave
Looking down the beach near the end- what a day!