Scrambling Sky Pilot in Squamish, BC

July 23/24, 2021. Steve and I headed up the old Sky Pilot access via Mamquam and Stawamus FSR. The road is quite rough and really is only for 4wd capable cars with good tires and good drivers of Subarus. We stopped at 550m elevation and walked our bikes up to the normal end lot and gate at 750m. From there, we biked and pushed our bike to the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola where the old road flattened out and we were able to bike a few kilometers into the valley. We dumped our bikes at the intersection with the Habrich climbing route and hiked the rest of the valley as the sun set. We camped at treeline at 1450m elevation with our ultralight backpacking gear.
We left camp the next morning at 630. It was 99% snow free until we reached the bowl below Stadium glacier where we put spikes, helmets and took our ice axes out. Not required, but the smart and responsible choice that everyone should be doing. From there, we gained the west ridge and followed the obvious foot bed to pink slab which was more favorable than the photos and videos we had seen. Borderline class 4 depending on the route you take (this is highly contested on all guide books and forums). From there, we had to navigate to stay on route looking for the correct gullies to go up. A few moves in these gullies were definitely class 4 but with good holds. We reached the summit just before 8:30 and headed back down. Downclimbing we took slowly and was safe and never felt the need to have brought ropes, but you may be different. This is still a proper scramble and should not be done by most without the experience of exposure. The summit register needs a new guide book.
Music credits to Beach House

[@Nadinec10]

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