Bulleit Train

Bulleit Train, 5.12.

Shrouded in a haze of rye aged stoke, Bulleit Train was established ground-up roughly over 8 days across 3 years. Located about 500 vertical feet below Shock Treatment, Bulleit Train climbs 8 pitches of half crack, half slab up the steep north face of Big Rock Candy Mountain. Pitches 5-8 have some of the best rock quality in the SPlatte. If you’re a face climber, we highly recommend this climb! It truly has something for everyone: undercling roofs, heel hooks, stem corners, slab, and easy OW. 

This climb is currently listed as #4 “Big Aid Route A2” in the Haas guidebook as an unfinished aid climb. Evidence of previous parties was found as high as pitch 3. Please let me know if you started it, as I reached out to many of the SPlatte regulars and could not find who did.

The route can be rappelled with a 70m rope, or continue to the top by climbing into pitch 9 of Rotten Teeth.

The grades are suggested, we welcome feedback.

P1: 12- Rising, undercling traverse (1/5 for the beginning, 4/5 stars for the rest).

6 bolts + gear, 25m.

Climb 15 feet of bad rock. I recommend stickclipping the first bolt (a 0.75 or 1 fits in the first pod if you prefer not to use the sticks we left at the base). After the 15 feet of crumbles, traverse out right clipping bolts and intermittent gear. Eventually you’ll come to the traverse's end, then climb the awesome, hanging handcrack. After 20 feet, look left for the anchors. They are guarded by an 8 foot 5.9 slab traverse that's more heady for follower than leader.

P2: 12- Heel Hook in the SPlatte? (3/5 stars).

1 bolt + gear, 18m.

Channel your inner Clear Creek wankster, clip a bolt, and perform some pretty powerful moves off the belay. If you’ve somehow held on, ready yourselves with your microcams for a short but technical 11 finger crack. Finish the pitch with glory wide hands, looking for the anchors left on a small stance.

P3: 5.9+ Cowboy Traverse (2.5/5 stars).

2 bolts (old), 30m.

Start up a fun, dual finger crack that ends too shortly. The leader will then most likely channel their inner 5.9+, wide climber in the...well wide, semi-awkward crack. The glory of a toprope will allow the follower to mostly stem and slab their way up the face. Find an old anchor, and keep going! Traverse the wide gorge left. Don’t feel ashamed if you throw a leg up and over the ledge while you traverse for the cowboy up experience. Truth be told, I groveled through the far back reminiscent to the womb fight pitch of Maiden Voyage in The Black!

P4: 5.10+ Earth Corner (1/5 stars).

3 bolts, 18-20m.

“The earthy corner looks good from afar, but it’s far from good” - Nick Schlichtman.

We’re sorry. We tried real hard to find a way around this pitch, but the climbing above (pitches 5-8) deemed forging through necessary. This pitch isn’t great (1/5 stars). Climb a vegetated corner up to a vertical dihedral. Climb through occasional good handjam to choss to handjam. Yes...we bolted a crack… but it seemed like whippers on this pitch may rip out parts of said crack, so enjoy the 3 bolts.

***You'll notice a beautiful handcrack flake up and right off the belay. We tried to make this go. The start is crumbly, and the handcrack awesome. There are bolts above this pitch. In order to connect back into P5, it would involve probably 12+/13- friction slabbin'. It's all yours if you want to put in the work!

P5: 5 bolts, 23m (4/5 stars).

Good microcams off the belay set the leader up for the start of the slab adventure! Consider this pitch a warm-up for what's to come! Climb up the groove protected by bolts eventually leading to a decent run to a jug. Gear can be found around the arete to take the spice out of the runout (0.1 - 0.2 size). Continue up 5.8 jugs, and traverse right to the belay on a sloping ledge.

P6: 12- Rainbow Trout Traverse (5/5 stars).

9 bolts, 20m.

Climb straight up off the belay into the corner protected by bolts. Place a cam high in the corner, and start your journey rightwards (we tried going up straight up the dihedral but hit really crappy crappy crappy crappy rock - not recommended, but there are anchors up there). Undercling the crack while pasting your feet on the slab. Every 4-5 feet there are good underclings to be found if my giant tickmarks have faded. Pull up into the corner, and finally find an ok rest below a gently rising roof. Slab and roof climb all at the same time, pulling the roof on the far right side. It is helpful to unclip the last bolt to reduce drag while bringing up your second. Enjoy the fun, hanging belay.

 P7: 5.12 The Guardian Slab (5/5 stars).

12 bolts, 32m.

While your belayer enjoys that hanging belay, start climbing up 5.8/5.9 fun slab up and left. After bolt 4, things become progressively harder. Pray that someone before you has ticked the holds, because an onsight of this slab would be impressive. Let me know, and I’ll happily buy you a beverage of your choice! Continue up and left slabbin' your way to glory! It’s a really cool position with a steep plunge below the arete to the left. If you’re feeling peachy, combine with the next pitch, if not (like us), stop at the belay. This pitch comes into the sun around 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the summer.

P8: 5.9ish? (5/5 stars).

3 bolts, 15m.

This last pitch felt 5.8/5.9, but we were tired, so it’s somewhere in there. Climb on a really cool position with a dropoff belay the arete to your left and awesome slabbin' to your right. Make a small run above the last bolt to easier terrain eventually to a 2 bolt anchor.

Rappel with a 70m rope or continue up and right into Rotten Teeth pitch 9.

It is located roughly 500 vertical feet below Shock Treatment. Bulleit Train is listed as climb #4 in the Haas guidebook. 

If approaching via the west: simply walk past Childhood's End and Rotten Teeth, and walk up the gully until at the base of a prominent, rising roof arch (see the photos).

If approached from the east, take care to find best way down the loose gully in front of the North face. It's an adventure in itself if you've never tried. Walking down south face gully is much more straightforward but MUCH longer.

A set of RPs, single set of cams 0.1-.03, a double set of cams 0.4-4, and 10 quickdraws, 5 alpine slings (15 total).

Consider an optional #5 for the wide portion of P3. We brought it up once and then never again.