Merilee heading up. |
"Im drawn to open country. It's where everything becomes clear, where the world makes the most sense. When I put myself out there, I always return with something new. A friend once told me: The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning, you didn't even think to ask." -(unknown) Hopefully, this blog will always be a work in progress. These posts are by no means all my adventures, just the ones a camera was present for. MUU: Montana Underdog Unit
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Hyalite Ice: Upper GreenSleeves
Merilee, Manfred and I found an afternoon to enjoy some amazing spring break weather so we scurried up Hyalite for some ice climbing. I figured (correctly) that Upper GreenSleeves would be in the shade and have good ice, plus Merilee had never been. The crux of this route is always simply getting to the ice. Which we did, eventually. I led it, left the screws and Merilee pink pointed it (climbed it with pre-placed gear). We had to leave because I had tickets to the G.Love show at the Rialto!
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Hyalite Ice: Bingo Cave; New Route 'Shamrock Monkeys'
I noticed that the Bingo Cave ice curtain was really building up thick on the non-traditionally forming left side. So much ice that two new flows/daggers appeared below the lip of the cave. I checked out where the left most route exited the cave to the ice and wouldnt you know it, I had found a new route! Bull Dog world finishes at least 10ft to the right of my line. I returned with my drill after work one day and bolted up to the ice. I used the same first bolt as Bull Dog but added 4 newbies beyond it. I came back to climb it with Jack T later that week. I gave it a go, no luck but I finished the cleaning and got the tick marks all done. Jack made a great effort but had to sit on a bolt or two. He was able to get to the ice however and pushed the route to the top where he installed a chain anchor. I came back the next day, St. Patrick's Day, with Kyler. I gave it a go and got the draws hung but didnt make it. Kyler, like a boss, sent it onsight! Onsight meaning he had zero knowledge of the route and had never tried it. I followed with a hang dog on one bolt and again once I got to the ice. I almost made it to the ice without sitting. Shamrock Monkeys M8 20M 5 bolts was born this day.
These two flows either never form, or never form this big. Im not really sure. |
You can barely see my rope running up to the ice. The last bolt is up high in between the two ice daggers. |
Kyler on top post Onsight send! |
Tate D. quickly repeated the route to the ice but stopped here. |
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
The Cottonmouth (Ice climb)
Matt and I had plans to go to Hyalite but when we got to the dam, the road was closed. The heavy machinery operators were not sure when they would get it opened so we changed gears and drove to Middle Cottonwood. We couldnt reach the TH so we walked an extra couple of miles round trip but walking on roads is easy. I was actually able to show Matt a chunk of ice he had never even heard of before! Its short and sweet but worth knowing about. I led it first, then Matt.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Hyalite Ice: Unnamed Wall New Dry Tool Routes
I huffed a bolting kit up to the Unnamed wall with a certain route in mind but while I was traversing the cliff over to the target, I noticed a sweet little less-than-vertical cliff of relatively bomber rock that could host a couple of dry tool routes so I started here instead. This is the cliff/wall immediately climber's right of Magically Delicious. I bolted two 15M routes: Borborygmus (scientific term for stomach rumble) D(ry) or M5 8 bolts to chain anchor (left route) and Discoteca D or M5 9 bolts to the same shared chain anchor. Matt Cornell was my partner for the day. These routes are really fun but technical enough to keep you moving slowly and deliberately.
Matt post FA send of Discoteca. |
My line post FA send of Borborygmos. |
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