Scattered throughout this month are the 20th anniversaries of Gibbs Cave, The Hulkster’s Humpfest, Heartbreak Hotel, and more. There were a few problems established earlier in Squamish but the four areas Nick Gibbs developed in March 1996 made Squamish a bouldering destination. (He’d discovered Gibbs Cave in early 1995 after a winter in Hueco.)
When Nick returned to Victoria, he called me and excitedly explained that “It’s going to be bigger than Camp 4!” The next time I saw him, he lent me his hand drawn originals of Squamish’s first bouldering guide book. I was psyched and spent many weekends during the summer of 1996 and beyond visiting Squamish with Stu Worrall.
Conspicuously missing from Nick’s drawings is The Black Dyke Boulders area. He didn’t climb there because it looked like someone else (later learned to be Adam Diamond) had already pulled off some moss in that part of the forest and Nick wanted to be sure he was getting first ascents.
Nick’s originals are long gone but I made copies. I doubt more than about four people have ever even seen these. They have been in a box in my parent’s attic since I finished referencing them while writing Squamish Boulder Problems in 2000.
For you bouldering history buffs out there, enjoy!
If there is a dry day this month, I’m going for some anniversary sends and I’ve been trying to convince Nick to join me. 🙂