Trying routes that get no stars in the thorough new Busse and Burr Rushmore guide is a gamble. Rarely, such gambles pay off and you find something at least ok to pretty good (like the route Tenuous for me on Veiny recently) ... other times you experience something like this. First the good: The climbing on the top of Belmont Brie is really engaging. Steep sustained 5.9 crimping through rolling bulges with good rock quality and interesting holds. Otherwise, this thing has a lot of drawbacks. First of all, the guidebook 5.8 rating is a bit sandbagged. Taking everything into account, I would rate it 5.9+. The bottom has suspect rock quality and lots of slick lichen on it. The middle of the route is a total chossy mess. Protection on the route is unreliable, the bolting is bizarre, and the anchors are suspect. In its current condition, this route should probably be avoided. 

   If you do decide to give this thing a try...To start, cautiously ascend a shallow dihedral to the right with delicate footwork on lichen-slick rock to the first bolt. You will discover that most of the 8 bolts here are loose spinning buttonheads-- really unreliable in the case of a lead fall. Bolts 2 and 3 are also inexplicably way off line to the left (what the first ascentionists were thinking here, I'm not sure... Was the rock quality better in 1989? Were they trying to avoid extending a draw for some reason?). To clip or clean these bolts requires awkward destabilizing lunges out onto crumbling, featureless lichen-covered rock. The middle section is slightly steeper with less lichen and the bolt line back where it should be , but the rock quality deteriorates further. Holds flex, and the belayer will probably feel like an extra in the Mel Gibson movie THE PATRIOT as musket-ball shaped chunks of rocks will fall upon him/her with greater rapidity than your average Revolutionary War Hessian trooper could fire! Then the pretty darn good top, followed by the decayed "roll the dice" disaster that are the anchors. My partner (who backed up the anchor to lower me) and I both sent this thing cleanly, and he won the rappel lottery. BTW, This route's alternate name is Don't Leave Webbing On the Rock (so listed in the older Phinney guide), so there is some kind of story here that I, as an out of towner, don't know. But the whole thing was a really bad, bad idea on my part that could have ended up being not funny at all. Moral of the story -- be afraid of no star routes, be very afraid...

Belmont Brie

Piranha Crack

Corruption is Contagious

Child of Chaos

Creature of Habit

Piranha Roof

Side Arm

Too Easy for Hard Men

Creature Comforts

Hill City Shootout:  Bullets Not Blanks

Crystal Ship

Seven Year Itch

Crystal Ship, named in memory of Steve Badour (and his favorite band), is across and slightly up the gully from Teachers Pet.  From the base, scramble up the easy gully 20', then move left along a small ledge to clip the first bolt.  Straight up from there . . . enjoy! 

  There are some interesting thoughts about reasons behind the name of the tune "The Crystal Ship"  Check'em out.

This route climbs a little bit of easy face to gain a crack.  The crack is followed to a pod with a tree in it, where one moves out left and climbs the face up and left through three bolts.  The upper face is definitely the business of the climb.

Steep opening moves on giant crystals lead to a low crux and continue upward on classic Rushmore slab/crystal climbing. The true crux may be down low but this climb will put your slab skills to the test!

Climbs better than it looks!  Involves all kinds of movement going left of the cracks, right of the cracks, and sometimes up the cracks!  In the course of all this you'll find a few nice finger and hand jams (tape the right hand). 

  The crux is getting past the fixed pin and bolt about 45' up, then another 20' takes you to a nice ledge. 

  From the ledge traverse right past two bolts to the base of the summit blade.  Lieback the blade for a few moves and then hand traverse left to the anchors and a stance.  Although not technically too dificult, it's a burly lieback! 

  The route takes great gear and is well protected, although it does meander a bit so take some long slings to reduce rope drag.

Starts out steep and requires some thoughtful movement to keep your balance and get your feet where your hands are!  Crystals and knobs to a sidepull\lieback crux to the 5th bolt.  Above the crux you will find the edge of the blade within reach.  From there it's 5.8 if you use the edge, 5.10 if you don't.  Fairly sustained climbing but there are many nice rests and clipping stances.

This route is named so because of Piranha Crack, the route to the right.  The routes share the last 3 bolts. 

  The route climbs over the totally atypical to the area and very obvious roof.  Pull the roof and continue climbing the face to the left of Piranha Crack.  Eventually, you'll see a pod off to your right with a tree growing out of it.  Stay on the face to the left and continue up and generally left through the three bolts that are part of the route Piranha Crack.

Side Arm is across and slightly up the gully from Teachers Pet. It ascends the arete to the left of Crystal Ship.  From the base, scramble up the easy gully 20', then move left along a small ledge (continue about 15' past the first bolt on Crystal Ship) to clip the first bolt. Straight up from there . . . enjoy!  Note:  Clipping the 7th bolt can be strenuous, make it quick!

Climb up the middle of the NW face - This route was originally started by Mark Jacobs who gave up after several bolts declaring that it was too easy -- hence the name.

A fun route with a variety of movement that includes typical crystal pulling, some steep bulges, and nice 5.10 friction climbing.  The route is fairly sustained, but has many nice rests and clipping stances.  I've seen 4 people on it and they all did it differently!

High quality, fun climbing, with a nice variety of movement! 

  Climb past 2 bolts to the left-rising trough, where you can place a #3 Camalot.  Continue up the trough until it peters out, where you can place a solid #5 stopper.  Face climb up to the horizontal crack, then gear the crack as you move left, until you can clip a bolt that protects the step across onto the big face above. 

  Traverse left another 10' where you can clip the bolt at the base of the crux.  A few moves of steep, thin, face climbing will get you to the knobby face above. 

  Fun, easy climbing on big knobs and crystals takes you to the base of the summit overlap.  Clip the last bolt and pull through to the belay/rappel anchors, which are shared with Sidearm.  

  The route name commemorates the fiasco of the (last) Hill City Shootout on June 17th, 2011, when one of the Dakota Wild Bunch re-enactors had live rounds in his pistol!  I just happened to drive through town as the wounded were being loaded into ambulances.

Bouldery crux right off the deck, make past the 2nd bolt and enjoy 5.9 crystal magic to the chains. This route is "tastefully" bolted with just enough bolts to make it safe, be prepared for 10'-15' between bolts on the upper part of this climb. Shares anchor with Too Easy For Hard Men.

This blade of rock is in the northern part of the Monster area and offers a lot of really nice new bolted lines as wells as old school routes, all long routes without much traffic nearby.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Abominable Snowman