The Twin Ribs are the hard (that is, steep) sport climbing in the Ottawa area, with Down Under holding only sport routes, while Copa Cabana also has a few hard trad routes as well. The Eastern Block provides a leavening of more moderate routes on mostly less-than-vertical rock.
NEW ROUTE DEVELOPMENT IS NOT ALLOWED. DON'T DO IT.
https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rock-climbing links to https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Rock-Climbing-in-Gatineau-Park.pdf?mtime=20200113133647 which says, " Creating new routes is not permitted".
The Eardley Escarpment is contained in Gatineau Park, managed by the National Capital Commission (NCC). The NCC has closed climbing at all but a few of the crags. As of 2011, only Home Cliff (main corner area and rightwards to Piton Highway), Western Cwm (left or western side), the Twin Ribs (Copa Cabana and Down Under), and Eastern Block are open for climbing.
Cliff-top access is permitted only at Home Cliff and Western Cwm, at other crags climbs must be climbed from ground up.
The NCC, land-managers for Gatineau park, have a history of changing their web-page layout making direct-linking risky. As of fall 2018, their statement on climbing is available at: http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rock-climbing
While the origins of the closure was ecological sensitivity for the Eardley Escarpment (which is on the southern flank of the park), and originated as specific closures in that area, the current phrasing is a list of permitted areas within the park, meaning anything not in that list is, by omission, not open to climbing.
Park at the end of Chemin de l'Hotel de Ville.
Take the obvious trail at the end of the road, passing to the left of a large rusted drum. When the trail branches, take the left fork (towards the escarpment and cliffs). The trail will, fairly shortly, take you to some boulders and a pair of log ladders.
At the top of the 2nd ladder, branch rightwards then up a slab (fixed rope) to get to Eastern Block.
For the Twin Ribs, continue upwards through the boulders and up a 3rd log ladder. This leads to Down Under. For Copa Cabana, take the trail left at the start of Down Under.
All climbs at Down Under and Eastern Block have bolted anchors and are lower/rappel off.
No new development or bolting allowed. Strong tradition of leaving trad routes trad, even if badly run-out.
Did you know that you can create an account to record, track and share your climbing ascents? Thousands of climbers are already doing this.
5.6 | ★ (unknown 3) | ||
5.10c | ★★★ Sausages | ||
5.11a | ★★ Pieta di Roma | ||
5.12a | ★★★ El Ninjo | ||
5.12b | ★★★ All Mixed Up | ||
5.13c | ★★★ Big Joe |
Down Under - 797ED8BC-38CF-425B-9C33-5879ADB0E2ED.jpeg
Henry Diaz at Copa Cabana - Salut Steve
fred gagnon at Down Under - True Grit
★★ True Grit 5.12a - 3539802E-5C20-4DB6-9AFE-04046B1A3130.png
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