Chugwater spires

Rick on "Little Fin".  "Middle fin" is the big one to the right.

Found some excellent choss spires.  I recruited the corn fed dark horse, Rick Dvorak, to climb a few of them with me.  A taste of Utah right here in the WyMont. The nice part about these towers is that they went free, although loose and scary.  Classic tower experiences. We put anchors on the top to belay from but be ready to tandem rappel.

Myself hiking into the spires (I guess I haven't had an ACL in my left knee for 2 months now - doesn't seem to affect me...?)

Myself heading up "Middle fin" on the F.A.

Myself on the 5.8+ hand crack of "Middle fin"

Rick on top of "Middle Fin" - these things are skinny!

Rick on the sporty F.A. lead of "little fin" 5.8+?

Rick on the top of 'Little Fin"

Wilson dog

Cheers, Loren

A few "new" ice/ mixed lines

Austin Hart in go mode - priming the tucker cat

This winter was pretty bleak in terms of Beartooth ice climbing - the warm Chinook winds blew constantly this winter and we spent more days carrying our ice packs around than climbing.  With that said we did nab a few "new" climbs.  

Austin scoped this beautiful line and nabbed the probably first ascent on this ephemeral pillar- thus "Foxy Lady" was born.  I feel luck to have held the rope for Austin on this one.

Austin getting in deep with "Foxy Lady"

Rock creek falls was pretty anemic this winter and the left set of rappel anchors were off to the side far from the ice.  I decided to mix climb to them.  Go half way up the ice the venture out left on the white rock vein to the anchors - M3 - bring small gear and pins.

I retro bolted (with permission) a line just to the left of Hellroaring falls.  "1/4 mile Lyle" M5/6        10 clips on pumpy and techy rock.

Cheers, Loren

Pryor Climbing Club Story

We had a story written up about the climbing club in Pryor I helped start; click the link to read

.

Last Best News

Cheers, Loren

The Last Best News - Pryor Climbing Wall

I started a climbing club at the school where I teach at (Plenty Coups High School).  Madeleine Cummings wrote an article on the club.

click the link below to read the story:

Pryor Montana Climbing Wall


Thanks, Loren

Rock Creek Falls Ski

rock creek falls

On the first day of 2015 I decided to try a backyard multi-sport day.  I have always wanted to check out the gully above rock creek falls in Red Lodge.  This historic ice climb is a classic of the area and is arguably the first ice climb in the U.S.A. that was climbed using the modern front pointing technique.

I skinned up the approach on skis, alone, in an extremely quiet forest covered in bobcat tracks.  When I got to the ice, put the crampons on, and soloed up the falls in ski boots.  I rigged an anchor on top and hauled the skis up on a munter hitch.  It worked great.

Once on top I stashed the climbing gear and clicked back into my skis.  The gully above was a consistent 25-30 degree slope to the plateau 1,000 feet above.  I was not expecting such a mellow (and fun) descent, the skiing was blue square terrain all the way back to the ice climb with 2 inches of fresh snow on a crust I was staying on top of.  

When I reached the ice I rappelled it, clicked back into my skis and skied the entire approach back to the car.  I was back home 4 hours after leaving it that morning.  I am excited about this ice/ski and will do it again this year; I highly recommend it.

looking down the ice

Hauling the skis

the gully above the ice

my tracks heading down the mid section of the couloir

The skiing below the falls was a wee-bit bony

Cheers, Loren

The Bear Lodge

Went to the Bear Lodge (Devil's Tower) this fall with Austin, Nick, and Bridget.  Amazing place, amazing climbing.

Bridget leading "Soler"

the gang on top

Nick on the 200 foot pitch of "Walt Bailey"

Bridget coming up "Walt Bailey"

Austin heading down

We didn't have time to make it to the west face, but it looks good!

Cheers, Loren

Post #100 AND Summer Montage

mon·tage

mänˈtäZH,mōn-,mōN-/

noun

1. the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together separate sections of film to form a continuous whole.

   • a sequence of film resulting from this.

     plural noun: montages

     "a dazzling montage of the movie's central banquet scene"
   • the technique of producing a new composite whole from fragments of pictures, text, or music.

     "the play often verged on montage"

   
   

linea alba

Luke Johnson - Bachelor party on the wall!  

Austin Hart pulling a roof

Jack Clinton in the 'pine

fingers

the taste of defeat

Brad Cox on the Montana-Mexico border

A calf-screaming good time

Watch your daughters

It always feels good to work with the Beartooth Mountain Guides and get a family to the top of Montana!!

The top of Montana

Bailing before even roping up (my bad)

But more importantly.  Today marks 365 days and one trip around the sun since we lost our friend Kevin Volkening to a climbing accident.  As I type this I am a 6 pack deep and my mind won't relax.  I still, and will always feel, a profound loss.  I know Kevin would appreciate the beauty and aesthetics of the places we climb at and the partners we share on a rope.  His presence is always with us in some form or another, whether a memory, a spark of inspiration, or a mannerism we picked up from him.  Here's to K-Bone!

K-Bone after climbing Moonlight buttress

Loren

The Microwave

Bridget and I bolted a few small routes at the ovens.  Here it is.

Camelot Tower

The Camelot Tower

Had a fun time on the Camelot Tower the other week with Nick Gaddy.  We climbed the adventure route called "Asian Duct Tape" located up the West Resebud a few miles up the trail.  Here are some pictures.

Nick at the top of P1

Nick on P3

Myself on P4 (Photo by Nick Gaddy)

Nick coming up P4

We got rained on a few times that day.  Nick Gaddy:  poops excellence and pees rainbows.

Nick kissing the summit

Me on top (Photo by Nick Gaddy)

We rappelled off the back side and got stuck in a fourth rain storm; here Nick down climbs slick lichen rock while getting soaked.

Cheers, Loren