Trip Report From Ten Sleep

While climbing in Vedauwoo, we were encouraged to visit Ten Sleep on the way from Yellowstone to Devil's Tower/Bear's Lodge.

Visiting Ten Sleep, reportedly, the scene of a crime, was not on our agenda since it has a reputation for high grade climbs.  But we were strongly encouraged to visit Ten Sleep: "the grades are soft, the climbs are well bolted, you'll love it...just don't buy Louie Anderson's guide book."   "Louie Anderson owns the Rock Ranch and manufactured climbs in Ten Sleep."

 We had read about the manufactured climbs and listened to Episode 18 of the RunOut which covered the chipping controversy.  Interestingly to me, neither Kalous nor Bisharat had climbed the manufactured routes or seen them; both podcasters address this directly.  The person recommending Ten Sleep and discouraging patronage of Louie Anderson had not climbed or seen the manufactured routes but knew the wall prior to the establishment of manufactured routes.      

When we decided not to drive up to I-90 via the Beartooth Highway, Ten Sleep was directly between us and Devil's Tower.  We slept in Cody and were very fortunate to listen to Daniel Kosel (based in Red Lodge) at the Silver Dollar that night.

In the morning, we drove back east to Ten Sleep and stopped into Dirty Sally's General Store.  There we found guidebooks for sale and for rent including the Anderson book.  Both of the current books were recommended by the staff.  Sally's coffee was strong and hot and the bathroom was clean.  We followed a couple bikers in and found that Sally's and the Ten Sleep in general are basically serving bikers, RVers and climbers with beer, ice cream, coffee, camping and plumbing.  We got our hands on the Anderson book only after another climber finished studying it.  Both books are in the modern style: clear pictures, limited descriptions, no climbing beta.

Since we had very little time and no appetite for climbing in the late morning sun, we set our sights on Home Alone (5.8) and its neighbors.  Home Alone was perfectly tucked a way behind high shrubs on a shaded right facing corner.  The climb is well bolted presuming one has a stick-clip, which we didn't.  One man's opinion -- the 5.8 lined up with Gunks 5.5 (think Bunny).  The movement on Home Alone is great and since we only climb easy grades 5.8 felt perfect.

After climbing we passed the Rock Ranch for a second time.  Climbers there looked to be having a fine time in the early afternoon and the place was bright and tidy.

We headed to the brewery for beer and a picnic.  Great beer.  (Ten Sleep is a long way from Buffalo, so don't order wings.)

We never saw the manufactured routes or identified them from the road.  We didn't bother to look for them and they didn't find us.  We didn't see any climbers on the walls, almost certainly due to the midday timing of our visit.  (The shady walls were equally unused.)  From the road we did see the occasional glint from bolts, but even to a curious climbers eye the walls basically didn't show signs of climbing.  Ten Sleep Canyon is huge and beautiful.  The fact that we climbers have not chalk bombed it into looking like a spotted dick is a relief.  As is the inconspicousness, to my eye at least, of the manufactured routes.

We left very pleased with the short visit, happy with the advice we were given and unmarked by controversy.  The walls in Ten Sleep bothered my soft office hands less than those at Wild Iris.  Ten Sleep Canyon is lovely as is the Big Horn National Forest.

If the controversy has piqued your curiosity or discouraged your visiting (as it did mine), go check it out.  Don't trust word of mouth on this one.  I suspect very few commentators, petition signers or MPers have actually seen or touched the manufactured routes.  My sense is folks living in Ten Sleep appreciate climbers and want your business.   There is a great town with hundreds of uncrowded easily accessible climbs in Wyoming.

 

Thanks for sharing,
It sounds like a great area!

Live Perched wroWe headed to the brewery for beer and a picnic.  Great beer.  (Ten Sleep is a long way from Buffalo, so don't order wings.)

Actually, it's just on the other end of the canyon ;)

And yes, while there is a lot going on there politics-wise, it's easy to avoid all of that and just have a good time.

Alex Fox wrote:

Actually, it's just on the other end of the canyon.

Excellent twist right there, my friend!

...you went to Ten Sleep and only climbed one climb??   

Easy Cheese wrote: ...you went to Ten Sleep and only climbed one climb??   

I've done this, though it was in the most awkward climbing situation of my life and I cringe about it every time I think about Ten Sleep.

Early in my climbing career, I was on a road trip through Wyoming. I had shoes and a harness, didn't have a climbing partner in the car. Rolled through Tensleep, had my friends drop me off at the Valhalla/FCR parking area, and told them to pick me up at 4pm. It was 90° in August, and this was at 10:00, when the sun hits the north side. Out of some stroke of luck,  I ran into some random family from Montana (dad, mom, 2 kids, and a dog) at Sex & Drugs around noon. Had an awkward conversation, which led them to awkwardly offer me a belay, which I awkwardly accepted. I TR tough guyed all the way up Vitamin K with dad belaying me with like 5 falls. I had some fun, though felt weird and about it since I was butting in on this family, who I understand now, were totally trying to avoid the crowds in the south canyon in the morning. 

I thanked them and mumbled something about offering mom a lead belay when I got down, which was met with a stern "I got it" by dad. I walked back down the the parking lot with my dead phone and waited under some trees until 5:30 when my friends came by to pick me up an hour and a half late. I was severely dehydrated and a little annoyed that they were so late. They asked me how it was and I said "it was fun," and then we took off for South Dakota.

(Fast forward 3 years when I went back to Vitamin K on the first day of my first climbing trip to Ten Sleep, and I sent it in 2 burns as my first 5.12. How times change; I was half hoping a scruffy gumby with no partner would pop out of the woods while we were on it, looking for belays so I could pay it forward.)

Your perspective on the manufactured route issue seems peculiar to me.... Do you not care?

Easy Cheese wrote: ...you went to Ten Sleep and only climbed one climb??   

Yup...Ten Sleep was not planned and we wanted to get on down the road.   The crags flank the road out of town,  so one can basically “rest stop crag” there.  Short, short approach.

xoxo

Franck Vee wrote: Your perspective on the manufactured route issue seems peculiar to me.... Do you not care?

Peculiar how?

I read MP strings and articles in climbing rags about the manufactured routes.  I listened to podcasts about the manufactured routes.  When my plans changed, I went to an area steeped in controversy and found it empty and pleasant.  
I never climbed, saw, touched or looked for the manufactured routes. 
Frank, if you have climbed, seen or touched the manufactured routes or those walls, I would value your perspective.  When I was encouraged to visit Ten Sleep, by a climber who loved the area and new the wall in question, I appreciated and valued her advice and perspective enough to stop.  My perspective, peculiar as it may be, does not include any first hand experience with the manufactured walls. 

Live Perched wrote:  The fact that we climbers have not chalk bombed it into looking like a spotted dick is a relief.  

Not the first visual that comes to mind for me but alright...

Also, it's a shame you only got to climb one route - there are much better crags... 

Live Perched wrote:

Peculiar how?

I read MP strings and articles in climbing rags about the manufactured routes.  I listened to podcasts about the manufactured routes.  When my plans changed, I went to an area steeped in controversy and found it empty and pleasant.  
I never climbed, saw, touched or looked for the manufactured routes. 
Frank, if you have climbed, seen or touched the manufactured routes or those walls, I would value your perspective.  When I was encouraged to visit Ten Sleep, by a climber who loved the area and new the wall in question, I appreciated and valued her advice and perspective enough to stop.  My perspective, peculiar as it may be, does not include any first hand experience with the manufactured walls. 

Well, on the one hand, you do seem aware there was some issue regarding heavy rock alteration for the purpose of route-setting. I get what I think is your point behind the difficulty is seeing clear through what has become, in part due to the heavy-handed retaliation by anonymous climbers.

Yet you decide to buy the guidebook from the very person who's actions are the heart of all this, for the purpose of climbing a single route.

If it were allegations of say child labor in a factory, with enough substance to know that some harm as indeed been done (even if similarly the extent of it all may difficult to establish from afar), then seems to me a rational choice would be to choose another option than that brand, if such an option was reasonable and available.

Yet you decided to do none of that. That is peculiar way to make a decision, from my perspective...

Seems to me if you've been following the whole controversy you would know that it does not impact all of Ten Sleep. I don't know why you would expect an entire climbing area would be blighted or best avoided because of a chipping controversy that is limited to specific routes.

Perhaps you do not intend this, but this strange premise makes it sound as if you are excusing the chipping. You looked at his guidebook and it seemed nice. Then you went climbing and, guess what, Ten Sleep hasn't been spoiled!

Franck Vee wrote:

Well, on the one hand, you do seem aware there was some issue regarding heavy rock alteration for the purpose of route-setting. I get what I think is your point behind the difficulty is seeing clear through what has become, in part due to the heavy-handed retaliation by anonymous climbers.

Yet you decide to buy the guidebook from the very person who's actions are the heart of all this, for the purpose of climbing a single route.

If it were allegations of say child labor in a factory, with enough substance to know that some harm as indeed been done (even if similarly the extent of it all may difficult to establish from afar), then seems to me a rational choice would be to choose another option than that brand, if such an option was reasonable and available.

Yet you decided to do none of that. That is peculiar way to make a decision, from my perspective...

Didn’t buy a guide book. 

Live Perched wrote:

Didn’t buy a guide book. 

Hmm I misread - thought you'd say you got Anderson's. My bad!

SethG wrote: Seems to me if you've been following the whole controversy you would know that it does not impact all of Ten Sleep. I don't know why you would expect an entire climbing area would be blighted or best avoided because of a chipping controversy that is limited to specific routes.

Perhaps you do not intend this, but this strange premise makes it sound as if you are excusing the chipping. You looked at his guidebook and it seemed nice. Then you went climbing and, guess what, Ten Sleep hasn't been spoiled!

I do not excuse chipping or comment on chipping, comfortizing, manufacturing, pad locking or chopping.

I am not sure what I expected before I visited.  I did not expect Ten Sleep Canyon to be bigger than the Gunks (meaning longer than the faces of Millbrook, Nears and Trapps).  The canyon is massive.  And I certainly did expect to encounter or see climbers at the crag but did not.  We saw a handful of parked cars but no climbers and we drove the length of the canyon three times.  I also thought the bolts would be more obvious and I did see glints but not commensurate with over 400 routes.

My intentions and premise are written plainly.  Excepting your point about my excusing chipping, you seem to comprehend clearly and dismiss much of what I wrote.

I do challenge your assertion that by following the "whole controversy," I would know about the "impact on Ten Sleep."  Even after a brief visit, I would not claim to know more than I wrote: good coffee, good beer, short approach, good climbing, etc.  And I emphatically disclaim any knowledge or understanding of the impact of manufacturing routes on all or any part of Ten Sleep.  Understanding the impact of a controversy on Ten Sleep is very different from knowing there is a controversy and knowing about controversy.

I think I recall an MP post saying you are moving to Golden.  I imagine you'll be up in Wyoming before long.  Perhaps you can share a report on Ten Sleep weightier than mine.  I would read it.   

Franck Vee wrote:

Hmm I misread - thought you'd say you got Anderson's. My bad!

No worries.