Stawamus River Headwall
Stawamus River Headwall is a more-than-400-metre cliff beneath the northeast side of Mt. Habrich, beside Fluffy Kitten Wall. The wall has four routes and is primarily an alpine trad venue, with climbing recorded from 5.9 to 5.11b.
The Goldilocks Zone is the wall’s fourth route: a 15-pitch, roughly 480-metre trad climb at 5.10b, with sustained difficulties mostly from 5.8 to 5.10a. Its approach follows the Fluffy Kitten Wall access: a high-clearance 4WD vehicle is required, the Stawamus River is crossed on a cable Burma bridge, and the walk to the base takes about an hour.
Expect alpine route-finding rather than a straightforward crag day. Loose blocks remain, and descents from the wall are complicated and time-consuming; fixed belay hardware and rappel equipment are present on The Goldilocks Zone, with in-place slings and biners intended to remain available for retreating parties.
The headwall is also the start of Life in Space, a 27-pitch, approximately 750-metre trad link-up that continues to the summit of Mt. Habrich. The wall and adjacent Fluffy Kitten Wall commonly remain slow to dry after winter snowmelt and are typically in better shape from mid-July onward.
Difficulty
5.9 5.11b