Rock Climbing – Ice Climbing – Ski Mountaineering
The past week Bobbi Clemmer and I have been climbing ice in Cody, Wyoming. Our first three days, we climbed four classics in the Boulder Basin/Lower & Upper Bench area - Bozo's Revenge (WI3+), Sendero Illuminoso (WI4), Animal Rights Activist (WI4+) and Hunter Creek Pillar (WI5).
The "Banana Couloir" is really not a couloir, but rather, a 3,300 foot slide path of epic proportions. The entire descent is pure "fall line", sustaining an average slope angle just above 30 degrees with no pitches steeper than 38 degrees, making for a incredible moderate objective catered to fast and fluid skiing.
I've skied the Boyscout Couloir two... or three... or four times over the years - I forget - because every time has been in marginal snow that should've been excellent. Today was my first time nailing this quirky 2,200 foot line in soft conditions, and today the snow was downright heroic.
On December 18, 2025, Bobbi Clemmer and I channeled our inner Teton spirit, raging up the 2000 foot mega-classic Solar Slab as our final climb of 2025. We climbed the full route and scenic "walk-off" to Oak Creek in a civilized nine hours car to car. We also climbed a few harder variations to the standard route.
Refried Brains is a lesser known but highly acclaimed route on the left margin of the famous Black Velvet Wall. Unique for the wall, it caters to the crack enthusiast with three long pitches of sustained and steep crack climbing, and one penultimate bolted arete pitch.
Triassic Sands is a legendary crack climbing route in Red Rocks, home of few long and continuous cracks. The first four pitches follow an incredible crack system the entire way, logging some 600 feet of consistent jamming, with the second pitch's miraculous 45 meter hand crack being the standout.
Cookie Monster is a high quality 300 foot 5.7 on the East Face of Mescalito Dome that links seamlessly into the final and best two pitches of the Red Rocks easy classic Cat In The Hat (5.6, II).
On November 30th Bobbi and I dusted off the Thanksgiving rust with a quick lap on the Tahquitz moderate classic, Fingertrip.
On Tuesday November 10th, 2025, Bobbi Clemmer, Joy Seward and I climbed Edge Dressing via Chasing Shadows on Mescalito Dome. Woah - what a final pitch!
Montana's revered Hyalite Canyon is one of the best North American venues for learning mixed climbing and drytooling, two invaluable skills for serious winter climbers. Below are my five favorite beginner mixed routes in Hyalite, presented as a progression culminating with the "best single pitch mixed climb in the United States" - The Thrill Is Gone (M4+, WI4).
Ten Thousand Too Far 