Aid around Bozeman

I've done the A2 seam on practice rock, and a few free cracks just for the hell of it. A week or two ago I hiked up and checked out solitary man in the Gallatin Canyon. What else is around? It's getting to be too cold to free climb and ice isn't yet in. I need something to keep myself busy. The thing on ross peak is out as it seems like the coldest place within 100 miles. Or should I keep aiding diesel driver?

As a sidenote: last night I went back to practice rock and there was a rock someone had written on below the A2 seam saying it'd been freed at 12+/13-. Who did it? super solid work, that thing is thin!

Hah. The fact that you've been running aid laps on Diesel Driver speaks to how nice and crowd-free the Gally is, minus a half-dozen trade routes that seem to always have people on them.

You could probably aid (clean of course) your way up India Ink. Nobody ever seems to climb that thing, sadly. It's an awesome pitch. There's also that seam just left of the Dagger on the Gally Tower (heard it goes free at 5.12 but no one every climbs it).

I also wonder who (and if someone actually) freed the aid seam. Various people have worked on that thing forever.

And finally... too cold to free climb? More like the best conditions of the season. Plenty of places to climb in the sun: all the south faces on the east side of the Canyon (Black Line & Skyline offer good options), stuff on the Pass gets sun til midafternoon, Scorched Earth if you're into that sort of thing.... quick drive gets you to Hellgate Canyon or plenty of stuff in the Batholith that's sunny and usually warmer than the Gallatin Valley cragging.

Nick Stayner wrote:And finally... too cold to free climb? More like the best conditions of the season. Plenty of places to climb in the sun: all the south faces on the east side of the Canyon (Black Line & Skyline offer good options), stuff on the Pass gets sun til midafternoon, Scorched Earth if you're into that sort of thing.... quick drive gets you to Hellgate Canyon or plenty of stuff in the Batholith that's sunny and usually warmer than the Gallatin Valley cragging.

Hey, it was pretty brisk on saturday! I climbed at scorched earth the 3rd week of february last year, it was pretty nuts how comfortable that was.

I second the Hellgate comment..... So good

Side note I was out at scorched earth a week or two ago and my buddy ripped off three massive blocks on fist full of steel..... That route probably has been climbed 1000 times couldn't believe it... such a fun area but a bit sketch

I wrote that note, because I keep finding pins in it. I redpointed the a2 seam on July 4 2010. Since then Pat Dyess (spelling?) and Whit Magro have also done it.

Please go practice pounding pins on some of the many pieces of junk rock by Greek creek, not on routes. As an historical footnote somebody made cardiac arête substantially harder by ripping a hold off while hooking, so hooking free routes is also extremely frowned upon in the area.

Joe Manlove wrote:I wrote that note, because I keep finding pins in it. I redpointed the a2 seam on July 4 2010. Since then Pat Dyess (spelling?) and Whit Magro have also done it.

Bad ass. I didn't know that.

Agree with note about aiding too. Based on the routes Keenan mentioned, I assumed he was aiding on all clean gear and was seeking options for more of the same?

It's amazing the amount of wankery that goes on in Bozeman. There are still visible marks all over parts of Practice Rock from idiots drytooling up routes.

A perfect segway into pitoncraft and local ethics.

The first time I did the seam I placed one KB with a couple gentle taps down low. I hadn't heard anything about it being freed and felt the urge. Went up to do it again and with the rock there kept the pins in the pack. 3 camhooks in a row got me past that section, it's just kinda sketchy because if the camhook blows a broken ankle is pretty much guaranteed. I won't place any pins on PR again, sorry about that one. There was a angle that someone had driven in to the point that it was almost flat. I tried to yank it but didn't want to damage the rock any more. The other night it was gone.

However, mixed climbing upcanyon I'll be hammering away quite a bit. I asked a local about that ethic when I was first starting last year and he told me to get after it. Some people might have problems with this though, I've gotten some raised eyebrows talking with climbers around town.

Brian Hagerty wrote: Yeah, I'm glad I live in Billings where none of that wanked out stuff goes on!

Classic. Obviously that kind of stuff never happens here, with all the hardcore alpinists in town and all...

And on the note of cool-weather free climbing spots in the Bozeman region... lest we not forget the Rims above Billings. Just getting good over here!