The "Wapiti Valley" is a recently developed climbing area on Northern Vancouver Island near Zeballos British Columbia.
A few miles north of Zeballos, the Nomash valley runs southeast between the Haihte Range and the lower peaks to the southwest, forming a large watershed drained by the Nomash River into the Zeballos River. Along this valley runs the Nomash Mainline logging road, providing access to the area.
To the valley's East, the Haihte Range has long been recognized as one of the most important alpine climbing areas on the Island, sporting some of it's largest glaciers.
For years, mountaineers exploring this range have commented on the huge granodiorite slab visible on the other side of the Nomash River valley. Climbers from Victoria, who made the first complete ascent of the slab, call the area the "Wapiti Valley". This valley, drained by Lysanne Creek, branches West from the Nomash Valley near it's head. Approach to the big slab is via the decommissioned logging spur N35, the top part of which is plainly visible in the photo at right.
On the West side of the river, the Zeballos batholith intrudes the surrounding volcanic rock. The peaks are lower and mostly unnamed, but the rock is the granite of many rock climbers dreams. "Dale Earnhardt Dome" is the south-west peak of "Greyback Peak", part of the batholith, and the area is covered under this name in Philip Stone's guidebook to Island climbing "Island Alpine" (page 437).
Note that Philip has the logging spur misnamed as N14, but the official Logging Company Maps clearly mark it N35, as does the sign found buried in bush a couple of years ago!
The summit of the great slab is separated on all sides from the main peak of Greyback by cliffs or steep slab, requiring difficult technical climbing. The lack of any non-technical approach to this summit clearly justifies giving it a separate name and it's dome-like appearance from the approach road is unmistakable.
Exploration on the slab started in about 1992 but it was not until ten years later, in August 2002, that Dave Lepard and Carla Bortoletto finally reached the actual summit. The route, "Wapiti Mainline" will surely become a classic of British Columbia climbing if there is any justice in the world, and has now seen numerous ascents. Fourteen long pitches on immaculate granitic slab, twice the length of your average route on the Squamish Apron and in a spectacular wilderness setting. What more could you ask?
At Squamish, early routes on the apron basically linked up large tree islands with a few bolts in between. Mainline and other routes on the Dome on the other hand, stay pretty much on pure open slab the whole way to the top. For one thing the large tree covered ledges are simply absent on much of the dome. Furthermore there has been virtually no wire brushing or other extensive cleaning because the rock is naturally clean.
As with Squamish Apron climbing, however, a relaxed attitude to lengthy runouts on moderate slab is a prerequisite.
Unless you are very fit you would be wise to treat an expedition from the Nomash River valley to the dome and then up Wapiti Mainline or one of the other routes to the summit, and the subsequent descent as a long day's endeavor. The Mainline has been climbed in under three hours, but fourteen pitches is a very long way, and that's not counting the approach or the descent. Do not take routes on Dale Earnhardt Dome lightly.
The dome is by no means only climbing in the area, and most of it is entirely untouched! Lower on Greyback Peak, the "Watersports" area has seen a couple of routes, which are dealt with elsewhere in this mini-guide.
On the west side of the Nomash valley there is basically a single ridge line all the way from the Zeballos road to Greyback peak. Much of this ridge appears to be exposed granitic rock. The Gold Valley main line from the Zeballos road ascends into a huge cirque that, judging from satellite pictures, may well sport a big wall at it's head.
Across the valley the Haihte range and Mount Rugged expose huge faces constructed from the Karmutsen volcanics, for those whose tastes prefer an alpine setting. The southwest face of Merlon in particular, apparently boasts no recorded routes despite it's huge size. For those with a taste for adventure the potential is truly vast.