A cache trip to the Village and an Allenspur quickie

Chomping at the bit to get started on the Village this season, Manfred and I hauled the cache out to the Rolling Ramp. Im fresh out of hangers so it will be just scouting and crack cleaning for a little while. I fixed a rope on the Church boulder to try and work on my highball V8-10(?) problem that has been haunting my dreams since I found it 6 or 7 season ago. Its just too overhanging to not have someone belay you up and lower you. I tried attaching the rope to the bottom of the boulder as well as the top to hold me close enough but the climbing is too dynamic for a grigri and just doesnt work. So I tucked my tail all the way to Norris hotsprings.
Sam found some time Sunday afternoon to go out to Allenspur for some sport climbing. Sam lead Look Ma No Hands 5.8, the one right next to it 5.9(?) and the first pitch of another climb 5.8(?). I got to top rope the first two.

This monster tongue of a rock used to be a teeter totter up on the boulder behind it with a perfect pivot point midway. The end closest to us was about 4-5ft off the ground. I was rocking it when the pivot point broke and the whole thing lurched forward and fell down! I was able to ride it like a surfboard for a split second before I bailed on the boulder behind it. Thank god Manfred was sleeping over in the sunshine!

Such a pretty place to climb, Allenspur.

A Bridger and Spire Rock kind of weekend

An old friend and roommate from college, Tim, came to town for a ski weekend. His friend also named Tim accompanied him and along with Sam and I and we spent Saturday crushing what was left of Bridger. It got up to 60 on the hill but the sky was overcast all day so the snow actually skied pretty good.
Avoiding the cost of Big Sky, Sam, Manfred and I gambled on the weather and went out to Pipestone with the hopes of climbing a route we both have been wanting to do for a long time: The White Line 5.8 on Spire Rock. The Tims went up to Big Sky for more skiing. Sam actually lead the first pitch of Aerial Book and built his first trad anchor at the base of the second pitch of White Line's epic dihedral (a much more appealing start if you ask me). I cruised up the second pitch a whistling and a smiling and just having a ball on my first rock climb of the year. We rapped the top pitch and set up a top rope over some climbs just to the right of White Line. I top roped The Royal We 5.10d cleanly then Sam climbed Time Warp 5.11a but it took him a couple of tries to figure out the crux. I also tried Time Warp and almost got it but had to sit once at the crux. I mentioned earlier that we had been gambling on the weather and the gamble paid off until I got back on the ground from Time Warp. We were in warm sunshine most of the day even though we drove through a pretty good rain storm on the way there. Eventually the rain cloud that had been 100yds away all day reached us and it was time to go. It was a deluge back in Bozeman.

Sam, Me, Tim (from college), Tim

The route goes straight up above Manfred.

Pine Creek Ice: Blue and Green Gully

Coming off a strong day in Hyalite, Sam, Manfred and I decided to give Pine Creek a shot. I have climbed Green Gully (WI3) before but I have never linked it with its neighbor Blue Gully. Green Gully is easy to underestimate, both the approach and the climb. You can see it from the trail after very little walking and the damn thing is tall! I lead it cleanly but my hands were excited for me to top out and belay Sam up. We only had a single 70m rope so we had to build a v-thread, aka abalakov, about 35m from the top and rappel twice. We traversed south a couple hundred yards to Blue Gully (WI2?) and Sam lead it without much ado. We were pleasantly surprised to have the place to ourselves all afternoon.

Green Gully. Sometimes its very green colored.

Blue Gully.

Manfred kept the wolves and bears at bay while we played.

Paradise Valley.

Hyalite Ice: Scepter and Mummy 2

So life really got in the way of my February climbing but whats a guy to do? I finally (!) got back on ice after over 4 weeks with zero climbs. I was feeling strong for some reason and went straight to a climb I had never done before called the Scepter. Its normally a WI5 climb but we found it in pretty easy but sustained WI4 conditions. I lead it without much difficulty and Sam got to top rope. We moved immediately right and Sam lead Mummy 2 (WI 2-4) while I got to top rope a couple of laps. It was a really nice day and we got to bs with a local guide that we tend to bump in to around the country at different climbing destinations.

Sam at the base of the Scepter.

Scepter on the left and Mummy 2 on the right.

Sam getting another lap on M2.

Fat conditions.