The Route

One of the Best 5.12s in Skaha

Apricot Jam, Skaha, B.C.

Of all the great routes at Skaha Bluffs, a notable and desirable climb goes by the name Apricot Jam. The 30-metre route is a true hero’s journey – it’s the type of route that strikes a climber with a joy that can only be summed up in a short phrase: hot damn. This great pitch begins at a talusfield located at the base of Blipvert Tower. Blipvert protrudes up near the ultra-popular and famous Doctor’s Wall. It hosts a variety of Penticton’s best climbs, such as: Italian Jam Shop, Browbeaten, Banana Mega mix and one of the Park’s top 100 5.10c’s: Max Head Room. All of which were established by Australian John Fantini in and around 2008. That’s with the exception of Max Head Room which was climbed by the man and legend Howie Richardson in the ’90s.

With all those mega-classic routes on one wall, Apricot Jam shines the brightest, except in the morning when it’s in the shade. The route has a lot of diverse movement, unlike anything else in Skaha. The sought-after pitch begins with a thin crack which eventually leads into a wider one higher up. As per classic Skaha cracks, it’s mostly not splitter, but does provide some good secure jams.

At around 20-metre mark, you’ll find your style completely mixed up. There is suddenly some spicy climbing, you must now switch from crack into roof mode. It will come as a surprise if you didn’t give the route a lookover from the talus. As obvious as the roof may seem from the ground, the sequence through the overhang has sent many top climbers plummeting downwards. ou may think, or at least hope, that the party is over after the roof, but instead you get another 10 metres of vertical Skaha crimp climbing. You have to switch from thuggish roof-mode to finesse movements on devious slopers and thin edges.

Apricot Jam is a pitch that shouldn’t be missed at the grade and goes at 5.12b. There isn’t one single move that stands out as the crux, but the grade comes from the diversity and pumpy nature of the route. It’s a great climb to try to onsight or project and protects great through each crux.

Blipvert Tower, combined with Doctor’s

Wall, can make for a very nice outing. Although Blipvert gets wet in the rain, Doctor’s Wall has enough overhang to host some hang-dog session during stormy weather. Once the sun hits Blipvert around 1 p.m., Doctor’s Wall will be in the shade. The approach is about a 30-minute walk from the lower parking lot.

Spring is the best time to visit Skaha, so once the weather is good enough to climb, pack the avocados and belay glasses out, fire up the van and head Apricot Jam, one of B.C.’S best single-pitch 5.12 routes.

Connor Runge is a west coast-based climber.