SUMMER2016
MOUNTAINLIFE
43
By Robert Morris
I imagined Phil Stone would be as big as the
mountains he had spent his life protecting.
Instead, he stands five foot six, including
his thick auburn hair, owns a tiny belly, and
hikes at a brisk pace while leading me up to
Lakeview Crag in the Chinese Mountains on
Quadra Island. Above us, a canopy of fir trees
blocks the sun and the muddy puddles still
haven’t dried from last week’s rain, but Stone
assures me the crags are dry.
And he would know. Over the last year alone,
Stone has established 125 new sport climbing
routes in the Chinese Mountains—nearly all
graded below 5.10+. Not that Stone did all the
work alone—in his self-published guidebook
to the area he shares credit with friends,
local climbers, and his wife Renee—but Stone
is the common thread weaving everything
together. So, after thousands of hours and
more than thousands of dollars spent on
these routes, many of which lack the difficulty
to challenge a climber like Stone, what
motivated him to do it?
TRAIL
BLAZER
PHILLIP
STONE
Over the last year alone,
Stonehasestablished 125
newsport climbing routes in
theChineseMountains
Phil Stone onMarbleRock. COURTESYPHILIP STONE
