Kevin Hansen, Sean Muldoon, Jocelynn Smith, and Adam Brown climbed a variation of Mount Borah’s North Face Direct Route that they named Junk Rock Direct, YDS 5.7+ WI 1. Check it out at this link: North Face – Junk Rock Direct, Photo Essay by Kevin Hansen … Continue reading
Brandon Prince is the newest contributor to the website. Brandon is a top-level technical climber with many difficult Sawtooth climbs on his resume. His first contribution is an essay on climbing Warbonnet Peak entitled: Warbonnet Peak and the Fine Art of “Not Giving Up.” I think you will enjoy Brandon’s perspective on climbing one of Idaho’s most challenging summits. Warbonnet Peak … Continue reading
In case you have not noticed private land often preclude or complicates access to Idaho peaks. The Owyhee Mountains and West Mountains and most of the mountain ranges in southeastern Idaho are interspersed with private land. While these ranges are the most likely to have access blocked by private property, you may run into access issues any place you go. … Continue reading
Joe Leonard has provided us with another riveting chapter from his book Son of the Madam Mustang Ranch. This story, The Breath of God, involves a Winter climb on Mount Shasta. Like all of Joe’s writings, you will find yourself caught up in the struggle with the mountain and life. Read The Breath of God. … Continue reading
I am always surprised that not many people climb in the Bighorn Crags. There are few places in Idaho with granite as spectacular as the Bighorn Crags. Knuckle Peak (Fishfin Ridge) is the crowning glory of this area. It was first climbed in 1955. I climbed it in 1984 and found evidence of earlier ascents but I never tracked those … Continue reading
Sadly, my friend and fellow climber Larry Prescott passed away during a climb in the Lemhi Range yesterday. Larry was an exceptional human being and I will miss his company in the mountains, miss his good nature and positive attitude, and miss his trip reports. Condolences to his family and friends. Larry Prescott (1960 to 2016) The Heart of the … Continue reading
Dave Pahlas is the first person to climb all of the White Cloud 10,000-foot plus peaks. There are 50 White Cloud summits that reach above 10,000 feet. The peaks are spread out over a large swath of rugged terrain and 5 USGS quadrangles. Access to some of these 10ers and 11ers is easy, but the vast majority of the 50 … Continue reading
Last week, John Platt completed all of the ranked peaks on the Box Lake USGS quadrangle. While many Southern Idaho climbers think the world begins and ends in Eastern Idaho’s Lost River Mountain, John has methodically demonstrated that the Lick Creek subrange of the Salmon River Mountains is a granitic wonderland for climbers. The Box Lake quad is arguably the … Continue reading
Lyman Dye has provided a memoir for our reading enjoyment: Heeding The Call of the Mountains. Lyman is one of the giants of Idaho climbing and his many first ascents are documented in the book. He operated the first climbing guide service in the Sawtooths and also guided climbers, including the Iowa Mountaineers and the Mazamas, on many first ascents. … Continue reading
There is no shortcut that bypasses Chicken-Out Ridge on Mount Borah’s Standard Route. Wes Collins of the Butte County Sheriff’s Department reports that he has responded to 3 Search and Rescue events on Mount Borah involving climbers who got lost or stranded after attempting a bypass of Chicken-Out Ridge (COR). All of these climbers reported that they heard about a … Continue reading
Check out this fine article if you have or are contemplating a visit to Idaho’s least known Wilderness, the Gospel Hump Wilderness: Seeking Solitude: 4 Ways to Explore Idaho’s Rugged Gospel Hump Wilderness by Pete Zimowsky, 2016. In 1978, Congress designated 206,053 acres land east of Riggins, Idaho, and north of the Salmon River as the Gospel-Hump Wilderness. The terrain varies … Continue reading
On May 7th, 2016 at 2:48 am, Erik Pohlmann of Boise completed an impressive first when he completed a self propelled ascent of all four Grand Slam Peaks (Kepros, Shaw Mountain aka Lucky Peak, Heinen and Cervidae) in just over 20 hours. His ordeal began on the 6th at 6:35 am. Combining mountain biking and hiking, dodging thunderstorms, getting soaked and … Continue reading
Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Joe Leonard’s memoir, the Son of the Madam of Mustang Ranch. Joe is a man who spent his first five years living in the Idaho backcountry in his grandparents’ cabin. From that point, his life just got more interesting each year. Idahoans will learn that Joe was behind many “first” accomplishments in … Continue reading
As bouldering has grown in popularity over the past couple decades, bouldering grades have increasingly become a topic of confusion and, sometimes, contention. The inherent subjectivity of grades makes it difficult to come to any sort of consensus about the difficulty of a particular problem. This can affect the sport, or someone’s experience of it, in various ways. For example, … Continue reading
Ken Jones just completed all 100 Idaho P2k summits when he climbed Grave Peak on September 28th. He is the first person to finish this list. Climbing every peak on this list is an impressive accomplishment which takes an incredible amount of determination and support. Ken notes that: “Although far too many of the hikes were, in fact, done solo, … Continue reading
I am not sure how I missed this book when it came out in 2012. However, better late than never, check out Boise Backcountry Adventures by Sandy Epeldi with Dave Nevins. This great book covers many trails in an extended Boise area. I highly recommended this great resource which will help you reach many peaks. … Continue reading
I was recently quoted in a Pete Zimowsky article on Peak Bagging in Idaho. Pete offers some good tips to get you on your way. … Continue reading
I highly recommend the new edition of Steve’s Boise Trail Guide which is a key to unlocking 90 hiking and trail-running routes close to home for us Boiseans. Here are the details: BOISE – Hikers, dog-walkers and trail-runners can rejoice in the launch of the 2nd edition of Boise Trail Guide, which has been one of author Steve Stuebner’s most popular … Continue reading
Larry Prescott has become a contributor. Larry is a great photographer and has climbed extensively in eastern Idaho. I have added his photos to many peaks and linked to his excellent Blog. Check his Blog out by clicking on this sentence. Check ot the view from Leatherman Peak by clicking on this sentence. … Continue reading
I recently discovered this guidebook to running the Salmon River by Eric Newell. It just happens that besides getting his feet wet in the river, Eric also climbs Idaho Mountains. Check out the March 13th entry on his Facebook page for great photos of a winter climb up Mount Breitenbach. Check out his guidebook by clicking on this sentence. … Continue reading
Idaho: A Climbing A Guide supports the Idaho Trails Association which “promotes the continued enjoyment of Idaho’s hiking trails.” Please visit the Association’s web site and join up. Check the Association’s website for 2015 projects and consider volunteering. … Continue reading
Need a new list to challenge your climbing habit? Tim Worth has provided us with just that list. His article entitled Idaho Summit Steepness list the steepest 500 Idaho peaks. You will find the list provides both challenges and a surprising number of summits that you and I never thought to climb. Tim has linked the list to the Lists … Continue reading
I recently learned that climbers have established a better approach route leading to the Church-Donaldson cirque. This route utilizes the next drainage north from the traditional Jones Creek approach. You can read about this approach on the Donaldson Peak page. Climbing Mount Church and Donaldson Peak just got easier. It is evident when you travel this route that it has … Continue reading
California climbing legend Clint Cummins has contributed the web page he put together documenting many technical climbs in the Sawtooths. It is the single best resource I know of for Sawtooth rock climbing on the Elephants Perch and many other iconic Sawtooth formations like the Finger of Fate and the Goat Perch as well as lesser know features like the Black buttress. … Continue reading
Steve Weston’s backpacking cookbook, IN THE WILD Chef, can make life better in any base camp. Steve notes that “Many a hungry backpacker has arrived at camp to the dismal sight of an over-priced, freeze-dried meal….. and resolved immediately with intense conviction that the menu must be improved. The outdoor experience provides a myriad of different satisfactions for participants, but … Continue reading
