The Gift

Jude Spanken spent time in Squamish in 2000 around the time she took a photography course in Victoria. Last year, she was kind enough to send me some of her Squamish bouldering pictures.

This picture of Jude’s really caught my eye. The boulder is the one with the problem Pavelini but the first ascent of Pavelini is listed in the guide book as being in 2013.

The Gift

Nick Gibbs, Brent Mickelson, and Mike Chapman (left to right) watch and Tim Doyle spots while Israel Cruces looks uncharacteristically dynamic.

I started asking around. Mike Chapman remembered:

Summer 2000 below the Bulletheads. This is in the book as Pavelini, but that problem avoids the sit start and traverses in from a stand start from the left – and was done 13 years later. The original lines all start from a sit and go right, direct and to the left for three different topouts. Left exit is super spicy for the spotter as the landing leads to a 50ft drop off a cliff just pass the fallen tree.

I cleaned the boulder but gifted the problem anyway, hence the name.

The Gift

  1. Pavelini V7 Martin Pigeon 2013
  2. Primer V7 Tim Doyle 2000 sit start
  3. Shell Casing V5 Mike Chapman 2000 sit start
  4. The Gift V6 Alistair King 2000 sit start

[Mike made up the names Primer and Shell Casing in 2017 as neither he nor Tim could remember their original names.]

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