Montana Climbing

Howdy all. Didn't see a regional section for Montana, so posting this here. I'll be living in Whitefish, MT, this summer and was wondering about climbing options nearby. Looks like closest listed here is Stone Hill, about an hour away. Of course there's peakbagging in the surrounds like Glacier, etc. which will be gorgeous, but I'd love to get on some technical routes too, if possible on decent rock :). Most experienced in sport, would love to get into trad (baby steps, gotta buy gear too). Also looking for partners. Any suggestions?

JaredW wrote:Of course there's peakbagging in the surrounds like Glacier, etc. which will be gorgeous, but I'd love to get on some technical routes too, if possible on decent rock

Hey Jared, there's a fairly decent climbing community in Montana... just not a ton of internet access so you won't find too much beta here.

This will be your closest crag:
mountainproject.com/v/monta…
There's also Stryker which is just a bit north of whitefish and is only recently developed and often plagued by mosquitoes.
Stone Hill, or Lake Koocanusa is brilliant for the area - solid, accessible and sunny often - and I recommend getting the guide... the folks at Rocky Mountain Outfitters in Kalispell are super helpful. Jandy, who works there, put up a bunch of the routes in the area.

Finally, there is wonderful climbing near Helena. It's not Oregon or Colorado but it can be delightful. If you're into peak bagging, Glacier will not disappoint but the rock is far too chossy to provide any good climbing routes, for the most part.

I haven't lived there in a bit but I loved it there and am happy to help with beta.

Bozeman has some great climbing with tons of routes to choose from. there a whole bunch of great multipitch routes and lots of single pitch trad and sport routes. All the climbing you need is within or under a thirty minute drive from downtown bozeman.
Let me know if you feel like coming out I'd be happy to go climbing with you

(side note) MP.com doesn't do justice to the amount of good climbing in Montana. There is a lot more to climb then what is listed on this site. so don't be deterred from MT.

The Mission Mountains SW of Whitefish have some awesome peaks. Some include short technical climbs. If I were doing the summer up there (again) I'd schedule some rambles into the Missions. Check out SummitPost.com for mountaineering up there.

Most of the rock in that neighborhood is old metamorphics, shales, shists and stuff that comes apart in small slabs. You just have to adjust your expectations.

Also, river floating is good up there.

JaredW wrote:... I'll be living in Whitefish, MN...