Conditions

Conditions in Niagara glen vary from season to season, day to day, and to an extent by area and problem. Here you'll find info to help you make the best decisions to optimize your climbing while in the glen.

Seasonal

The glen has three-ish distinct climbing seasons: the cold season, the prime seasons, and the sweaty/buggy season.

• Cold season

  This season typically runs from sometime in December through March once the temperature drops below freezing and snow is on the ground. The friction can be great when it gets this cold but can also easily numb out the fingers. Climbing in this season can still be enjoyable but requires more preperation to do so. On the plus side there's usually plenty of parking spaces open all the time.

  Here's a list of tips for winter climbing at the glen:

  • Putting your feet into cold, tight climbing shoes sucks. Keep them in your jacket against your body while hiking or resting to keep them warm.
  • Bring a tarp for your crash pad: snow melts and can create a mess of mud that a crash pad will hapilly soak up.
  • Hand warmers: use them in your shoes, pockets, chalk bag. They make a big difference.
    (FYI disposable hand warmers like HotHands® are fine iron powder and water, very safe)
  • Dress in layers: a good tip for any cold-weather athletics, but very pertinent for bouldering as it's common to be alternating between periods of exertion and rest.
  • Scope out the top-out and down-climb: good advice for any season, but conditions for the same boulder — ones you may generally be familiar with — can differ quite a bit in this season.
  • A good thermos with a hot meal/beverage is worth it's weight in gold.
  • Beware the freeze-thaw: these cycles can loosen rock.
  • DO NOT start fires. This is outright illegal.
  • DO NOT torch holds to warm them up. The thermal shock can break holds.
• Prime seasons

  Running in early spring and autumn, these are the favoured seasons by boulderers. The friction is good, there's few bugs, and not a lot of foliage crowding top-outs.

  The spring season usually gets going late March or early April once the temperatures regularly climbs back above freezing and the snow starts to melt. The melting snow from the winter will tend to cause boulders to seep for some time through the beginning of the season, and there are some boulders that have a reputation for almost never being fully dry until summer. Towards the end of the season there will usually be a few warms days with good rains causing the glen to explode foliage almost over night.

  The autumn season usually starts once the summer temperatures start dropping and the bugs go away, usually September through November. This is another rich season for bouldering and tends to be a little drier versus the spring season as there's no snow seeping into the boulders. You can also be treated to some really gorgeous views once the leaves start to change colours.

• Sweaty / Buggy season

  This is the hot season, usually starting in June and lasting through sometime in August. There is still plenty of climbing to be done this time of year — particularly for those who enjoy the warmer weather — it's just that conditions are less than optimal.

  Friction is typically worse due to the heat and humidity. Those who tend to sweat through their hands (like me) will be going through more chalk and find the already polished holds almost disturbingly slick.

  This is also the buggy season but the bugs in the glen don't seem as annoying as most other Ontario crags. The main biting insect I've encountered in the glen is mosquitoes, with black/deer/horse flies being relatively minimal. Ticks are also a possiblity so be sure to do your tick checks.

  This is also the season where the foliage is fullest resulting in the tops of many boulders being dense with plants. Consequently, topping-out many boulders is strongly discouraged if not forbidden as doing so will damage the plant life.

Rain Beta

One of the most common questions climbers ask is if the conditions will be climbable after it rains, and, well... it depends, but there are some useful indicators to make an educated decision.

• How much did it rain the day before?
  You'd be surprised how much it can rain the day before and still be totally climbable the next day. The main effect rain the previous day will have is if and how much boulders will seep. Any amount of consistent rainfall will likely result in seep on any of the usual suspects. The more important question is...
• How much did it rain the night before?
  Rain the previous day may not have much effect if there's no rain overnight; the rock can dry out a surprising amount overnight as long as it's not very humid. Rain overnight probably will result in some wet blocs the next day, especially if the rain continues into the early morning. 5mm of overnight rain will probably result in wetness, and 10mm+ will probably leave most boulders wet.
• The litmus test
  The main indicator I personally use to decide if I want to head out after rainfall is how wet the roads are. The morning before heading down I'll have a look at the roads — either out my window and/or via Niagara region traffic cameras. If the roads are still mostly wet then chances are much of the rock likewise will be. If the roads are patchy with puddles then I may roll the dice being more likely to go if the air is dry and breezy. If the roads look mostly dry then there will probably be plenty of dry things to climb.

Areas

Conditions may also vary slightly by area. Bizarro World tends to remain wetter for longer than other areas. Whereas the Land of Oz often receives a nice river breeze that may dry and cool things off. I've also had days where the areas nearer the river were much cooler than those up near the cliff.

Boulders

The vast majority of boulders in the glen are limestone and decades of climbing has resulted in some holds on the most popular boulders losing their texture and becoming very glassy. There are several problems that feel more difficult because of this, but still plenty of fun. Just don't be surprised when you put your foot on something for the first time and it unexpectedly shoots off... It's basically a rite of passage for climbing in the glen :)

There are also plenty of blocs in the glen which are notorious for seeping whereas others are almost always dry. Some of the usual seepy suspects are Love Boat boulder (Rigamortis, Orient Express), Seep vs. the Army of Darkness, Pika, and I don't think I've ever experienced the first hold of Midnight Express any better than damp. Conversely, the X boulder, Black cave, and Main Street are all overhanging boulders that are usually dry.