RRC Archives

dustonian wrote:...Russ Jackson and Scott Hammon for getting the FFA and FA of two uber-classic 5.10 cracks in the southern region...

such a tease. i'd love to know a little more-which walls/areas, is it ok to pull on the poison ivy?

Post edited. Poison ivy is off-route.

So I went to Montana and found some 5 star classics. This climb had me hooked at first site even though it had the longest approach and it ended in being showered with marble size hail and lightning too close for comfort. I had a hard time picking which classic to climb next at this area. And the kicker, nobody was around. Not a single other person was to be seen in three days of climbing and the climbing area can only be compared to having several Senecas stacked together. Most climbs were two pitches but some were up to six pitches and many were of high quality.

The start of a sample route


End of pitch 1


Sweet Splitters


Small roof to offwidth crux

That looks an awful lot like the rock in the Gallatin Canyon, but three days and not another soul? The Gallatin is a pretty popular area. Looks like you found some fine lines.

TradMike wrote:So I went to Montana and found some 5 star classics.

Montana is a big place. Why so cryptic? Where did you go? The rock looks great!

You're right Larry. That has to be Gallatin Canyon.

How do you even red tag the trad route? Put some tape on the rock? Paint the rock red? Pee on the bottom? Or hang a long string from the top with some tape on the end?

That all sounds like bullshit to me.

that last pix of the roof to OW is scary nice. black at the center. perfect halloween costume. well done and thanks.

Well... big shout out to Paul Nelson as well (camhead on here) for a redpoint of Welcome to Ol' Kentuck this past Sunday. His first 5.13 trad line.

Having been conscripted into hiking up to Pebble Beach a handful of times myself to belay my partner on the prodge, I had worked on the .11cR seam/face climb below the main ledge on Welcome on toprope previously, and that went down on lead Sunday as well.

art, you need to grow some sack...looks like there are some trad daddies out there putting up big numbers. I'll come to the wake.