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!

Merilee heading up.

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.

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.

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.

Fort Peck Ice Fishing

We made it to Fort Peck this year! After last year's weather debacle and the bad ice all the way through January this year, it was looking like we might strike out again. Luckily, some really freaking cold weather showed up and stayed for weeks creating tons of ice on the reservoir. Fourchette ice was still a little unknown so we went somewhere new, Crooked Creek. Crooked Creek marina also had cabins to rent so we left the campers at home. We left town before the Snowmageddon of 2019 hit western Montana and got back right after it was over. Between my Dad, Jeff, Travis and I, we caught a few fish. My holes were pretty slow this year but I still managed to pull a couple of pike through the ice. We really only caught one big fish which was my dad's at 39.5" 18lbs. The high tmep one day was -12 so the funky weather definitely through off the fishing.

We were literally on the edge of the storm. I have never seen such a striking, perfectly straight line all the way across the sky like we got to witness.

Slow cooked wieners.

The bottle of Makers Mark made for some good stories!

The big fish.

The snow hampered our ability to really explore this new area.

Freezer meat.

Crooked Creek meeting the main Missouri river channel.

Cody WY; South Fork Ice: Too Cold to Fire, Mean Green

Usually Im ice fishing president's day weekend but this year found me down in Cody ice climbing with my good friends Lucas and Bailey. We showed about noon on a Saturday with just enough time to climb Too Cold to Fire WI4. We solo'd the approach pitches and I led the main pitch. This was a fantastic climb that I have tried to climb pretty much every trip I have taken to Cody. This year, the approach pitches were in and fat! I took a pretty good chunk of ice to the helmet and expected to find a crack upon inspection but I guess I got lucky!
Sunday we got a fashionably late start (very common theme with me) to the Mean Green 5 pitches WI4. It was a beautiful day but very cold. Luckily, a party of 3 was ahead of us cleaning off the ice and putting in the boot pack! Early bird doesnt always get the worm! I led every pitch but the final, easy, namesake pitch; my partners were cold and done. Time to get back to camp and start a bonfire!

Thats me dragging a rope through the approach pitches. Main pitch is above me to the right.

Here we go!

All smiles on top.

Photo Booth time!

Bailey rapping. 

Mean Green is the big main gully in the middle of the pic.

Crossing the Shoshone river.

Approaching pitch 1 and 2.

Me rope gunning on P1.

P4 crux pitch.

We kept a fire that big for a really long time.

Cooke City Ice climbing first trip: Fossil Cave and Hydromonster

I had never climbed in Cooke City before but decided enough was enough and made plans to go camping and climbing out of that crazy little town. Usually during MLK weekend I go to Cody but Sam couldnt go this year so I roped Kyler in to going to Cooke City. Our first day was Kyler's day. We went to the Fossil Cave where he dry tooled a super hard cave route called Blonde Ambition (?). There was no time for me to climb by the time he was done. I dont even want to talk about the 'ski' out of there. Lets just say I suck at skiing in mountain boots.
Sunday was my day and I wanted to climb ice. One of the longest ice climbs around is called Hydromonster. Its pure ice and a within my abilities.... usually. For some reason, upon seeing the monster, I psyched myself out mentally. But we carried on. I try not to ever back down from a climb until I am standing at the base, harness on and roped up. It gives you time to think about things and calm down if needed. I calmed down and we free solod the first little pitch up to the main flow. I lead until I ran out of screws and had to belay Kyler up and he finished it. I had to sit on just about every screw because the pump in my forearms was too bad to climb continuously. That usually means you are over-gripping and using poor technique which means you are usually battling demons in your head. Whatever the case may be, we got to the top with out any falls.

Fossil Cave. Kyler sent the gap he is standing in.

Thanks Conrad for the customized bottle.

Doing everything he can to avoid the ice.

Slayed that puzzle and that box of wine.