[TR] The Wedge - Various 5/1/2007

[powderhound]

Trip: The Wedge - Various

 

Date: 5/1/2007

 

Trip Report:

As the days count down to the end of the semester so does my time in Montana. Well at least until August, so I felt that it was only fitting to get in one last good trip in before I leave for the summer. My buddy Neal and I decided that we should make it a backpacking/climbing trip so off we were to the Wedge with high hopes of great rock and great weather. We always love climbing here because of the history involved and the ethics that are still in place, ground up bolting with a hand drill. Passive clean protection when ever possible.

 

The Wedge:

 

For information on routes please see A climbers guide to Butte, by Dwight Bishop.

 

Here are some recommended routes with some photos for stoke:

 

5.7: Exit 99, take exit 99 variation to top for full value

picture of Exit 99 Variation

 

5.8: Southwest face/Old Aid Line

 

5.9: West Face Direct to variation 3rd pitch of Mutt and Jeff. (this is one of the best lines on the wedge) The 1st pitch crosses the three cracks to the overhang directly above Neal.

 

 

 

5.10-5.11: Climb Dog Leg Montana's first 5.11, to the southwest face (link pitches 2 & 3 of southwest with a 70m), then take Bovine Intervention to the top (5.10c/d) slab.

Pitch 1 5.11a

 

Pitch 2 5.10

 

Pitch 4 Bovine Intervention: it is said that this route name is derived from a time when the dirty socks club tried to chase a cow down for food one time when they were out in the cabin before some hunters burned it down.

 

 

5.12 can't recommend because I don't climb 5.12 trad yet but there is one three pitch route out there with this rating.

 

On the day we did the dog leg to bovine intervention route we left a little message in the summit register along with a little friend.

 

 

 

 

 

The wedge's North and West Face

 

 

Neal and Wendall

 

Gear Notes:

Standard rack up to 4 inch, doubles in everything from a #2 camalot through .5, brings at least a full set of nuts doubles in the small stuff, the passive pro is great. Dozen runners/dogbones. You only need one rope to rappel if you plan on going to the top every time, if not bring two. Note: if 1/4's scare you bring a couple of screamers.

 

Approach Notes:

I-15 south from Butte, take exit 99, to the Wedge trail head. Hike trail for 2 1/2 hours to base of wedge, you will know it when you see the real one. You will think that others are the Wedge but they are not. We found excellent camping in the big meadow bellow the wedge. Water can be found all along the trail and by the old climbers cabin at the base, make sure to bring a filtration system of iodine. Moose can be a problem so you may want to bring bear spray for them.

[DanielHarro]

Looks fun brian!! when you going to the valley?

[Bug]

Nice troll but I happen to know that that dome is in Southern California.

There is nothing even remotely similar to that in Montana.

[jlag]

I 2nd that, never been there.

[powderhound]

Believe what you want. I'll keep it to myself, besides why climb this when you can go climb in southern cali, less people there anyways.

[leearden]

Yo, great pictures of the Wedge.

I especially noticed the black and white photo from the NW. Some friends and I hiked up to a similar vantage point last fall to climb some features we could see from atop the wedge.

Of course we had no beta or literature of the area up on that ridge (other than the published routes on the wedge), which made the climbing that much more satisfying.

Something about just walking up to a cool looking feature that we spotted from across the cirque with no idea as to it's: difficulty, or clean-ness, or descent options, made it a great and uniquely adventuresome outing for someone who can't afford to go to Baffin Island or the cirque of the unclimbables.

Anyhoo, I heard from some locals about a road that has until recently been closed to climbers, that accesses more remote areas of this Southern Californian Spire climbing mecca.

If you pm me with beta I swear on my figure-8 that I'll never tell any of those wankers from Seattle about your secret so-Cal spire climbs.

peace out

 

[BigChief]

Post deleted by BigChief

[Bug]

BigChief say too much.

[powderhound]

BigChief say too much.

 

Interesting statement concerning the availability of this:

 

http://www.firstascentpress.com/butte-guide.html

 

[BigChief]

I am crazy. Never been there nor have I seen it:)

[Bug]

BigChief say too much.

 

Interesting statement concerning the availability of this:

 

http://www.firstascentpress.com/butte-guide.html

You are so naive! The butte chamber of commerce cooked up that book to lure tourists into their raped valley. Check out the coordinates they give you in that book. It puts you right in the deepest part of the Butte pit. It is an old open pit copper mine over a mile deep. It is now filled with arsenic laden water that will overflow into the headwaters of the Clark Fork killing the entire river down to the Snake, and then the Columbia.

How else would they get you there? I've heard stories of climbers wandering through the hills for days and only finding toothless unemployed miners trying to sell broken lawnchairs for beer money.