Escaladora

Not to be a bummer but...it's going to take more than, even a 4-wheel drive to get up into Hyalite right now. It is stupid to take an automobile, a snowmobile is the best thing. We were up climbing in Hyalite yesterday and there were no less than 30 (yes, that's right) cars, in every direction on the road, in various states of being stuck. It will be a shovel-fest to get up to the dam, and even more fun gettting to the Grotto parking lot. There were two cars that made it all the way to the parking lot and even if you are able to stay in the ruts, you'll have to stop to help others dig out, to get past them. If there is ANY on coming traffic...you're hosed. I strongly dislike snowmobiles, but without it yesterday...well, it still took us an hour-and-a-half from the lower gate on the 'bile - Good luck, the climbing is good - if not a bit avalanche prone.

Here it is...once again. If you need something to inspire you (or perhaps, just drool over) - check out montanaice.com. Take a look at the Hyalite section to see what will be out of reach. Lambone - the road doesn't really need to be plowed to the reservoir, it isn't currently. Although, with recent conversations with the Forest Service, there is a prospective plan to plow it to the dam but with a user fee. That will be a slippery slope (pardon the pun) and isn't paramount. (Yes...they are receiving all of the letters and hearing the ice climbing community loud and clear). Again, please keep it positive - if you write. WRITE TODAY!

Alright, annoying reminder for the day...the deadline is TOMORROW. Please, write a letter - hell, write a post card, send an e-mail (great for all of you who can't turn away from your monitor), call the Gallatin National Forest Ranger office, in Bozeman. Just let your voice be heard. And again...come climbing - it's phenomenal !

As many of you know, and many of us have experienced - it has been an incredible, early ice season in Hyalite. Low snow, cold nights and consistent freeze/thaw cycles have created great ice and access for many of the classic climbs. Access. That's something that may be all but shut down, in the winter of 2004, if we don't voice our concerns, desires and opinions - NOW. Currently, the National Forest Service is reviewing and rewriting the Benchmark Use Plan for the Gallatin National Forest (where Hyalite Canyon is located). The current plan, yes...it's already, tentatively written this way, is to gate the Hyalite Canyon road at the Langhor Campground. What does this mean, to climbers? Currently the road is open, all the way, to the Grotto Falls parking area(access for the Genesis and Mummy climbs, Cleos, Twin, Dribbles, Hangover, Greensleeves, No Name wall, Winterdance etc.)and to the Emerald Lake parking area (access for Palisade and the Sceptre, Alpha & Omega,Horsetail and all of the Flanders climbs etc.). The road is not plowed, however with the number of climbers, hikers/snowshoers and cross-country skiiers driving up the canyon, the road has passable, packed-down ruts. Yes, Hyalite "shuts down" by mid-January with the accumulation of snow but it is still possible to drive to the Blackmoor parking area (at the reservoir) and ski in from there. With the gate installed at Langhor, climbers (without a snowmobile) will have to ski in, approximately 4-6 hours one-way to access the G1 (lower Genesis) area. With an additional 1-3 hours to access many of the climbs above G1, you can see how this will essentially shut down the ice climbing in Hyalite. With the, very popular, Barrel Ice Festival this weekend many of you may be climbing on the fantastic Hyalite ice. Please, even if you are not from the Bozeman area take the time to save one of the premier ice climbing areas in North America. How to do this? The public comment period ends this coming FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22. Write a letter. Send an e-mail comment. If you are in Bozeman for the festival, stop by the Forest Service Office. If you write a letter or an e-mail, keep it positive. Please, no ranting, raving or general spewing. This does not help. Yes, it may help you to vent but the U.S. Forest Service simply does not know the numbers of ice climbers who visit the region. That is exactly what needs to be communicated. Write a hand-written letter. These are given much more weight than a signed form letter. Let the Forest Service know how many days you have used the Hyalite area for ice climbing. Let them know how many days you plan to climb, especially if travelling from out of the area. These user days are what are taken into account when writing the plan. The concern is not to keep snowmobiles and cross-country skiiers away from the area, but to show that there are many, many options for those other uses and Hyalite is the only area for ice climbing. There is no additional cost to the Forest Service, we are not asking for the road to be plowed - just not gated. Letters simply need to be post-marked by November 22nd. Take the ten minutes, do it now, write your letter. Write to: Steve Christiansen P.O. Box 131 Bozeman, MT 59771 e-mail to: mailroom_rl_gallatin@fs.fed.us Thanks...come climb.