A Rock Climber’s Guide to New Brunswick

2013 Edition Dominic Caron

New Brunswick is one of Canada’s three Maritime provinces. Impressive for the size, there are over 600 routes on mostly granite. Climbing started during the 1960s at Eagle Rock, where or iginal pitons can be found. The first guidebook was published in 1978 and there were 10 subsequent editions, including the latest by Dominic Caron.

The newest installment is one of the finer area guidebooks in Eastern Canada. The cover, with Peter Adamson on a route his father established 18 years before the photo was taken, hints at the histor ical detail between the covers.The introduction, climbing history and local beta contain plenty of content and will answer any questions about the area.

The book is separated into three sections: Welsford Crags, Charlotte County and St. John Crags. Each crag has a chart listing the climbs, hours of sunlight, quality ratings and approach times. The maps detail the important infor mation and leave out the clutter. The photos are big and br ight, mostly top-down shots. The route descr iptions are easy to understand, but leave out important beta which is good. The topos are photographs of the crags with digital lines drawn overtop, leaving nothing to the imagination. Many climbers in Canada are well aware of Cochrane Lane, titled the crown jewel of New Brunswick climbing. This guidebook does an excellent job detailing the history and quality routes.

Caron’s guidebook is a must-have for climbers visiting or living in New Brunswick. It does justice to the area, the history, the climbers and, most importantly, the climbing.–