Beloved rock returned after being “kidnapped” from popular Canadian climbing area

A small granite rock nicknamed “Portable” has been returned to the Squamish, B.C. climbing community months after it mysteriously vanished, ending what locals jokingly described as a rock kidnapping.

The 32-kilogram (70 pound) stone had long been a familiar fixture at a popular bouldering area in Squamish, where climbers used it to practice balance and grip. When it disappeared last fall, climbers were left confused about how something so well-known could simply be gone.

As first reported by the Squamish Chief and later detailed by CBC, Portable had earned its nickname because of its size and shape. It was small enough to move, but distinctive enough that climbers recognized it instantly. Over time, it became part of the area’s informal climbing culture.

“Portable” rock returned after months away

“Portable has definitely been around Squamish a lot longer than I’ve been alive,” 23-year-old Squamish climber Ethan Salvo told CBC’s As It Happens. “Us climbers are pretty weird creatures and we definitely approach the woods with some love for nature, maybe a little bit too far at times … but I think Portable became loved just as a fun, silly challenge.”

When the rock disappeared, Salvo said the reaction was genuine disbelief. “It is kind of silly for this small rock that means so much to everyone in the community to just vanish,” he said.

Ethan Salvo holding “Portable” after identifying him in a photo

Months later, the mystery took an unexpected turn while Salvo was on a climbing trip in Bishop. He was alerted to a photo circulating on social media that appeared to show Portable sitting near a campsite, dressed in a Canadian drinking toque, goggles, and a hat.

At first, Salvo thought the image might be fake. He asked a friend who was nearby to investigate. “Lo and behold, Portable’s sitting there in his Canadian drinking toque, just chilling, looking at the landscape,” he said.

After his friend recovered the rock, Salvo drove to meet her later that night. “The minute I saw the shape, I knew it was it. It just looked like home. It felt like home. It weighed like home.”

Salvo believes the rock was likely taken by a visiting climber last summer, possibly without realizing how attached the local community was to it. He plans to return Portable to its usual spot at the base of the Superfly boulder in Squamish, where it will once again be part of climbers’ routines.