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MontanaIce.com has ...
Ice Conditions, Weather, Avalanche and Road Conditions- We recently introduced Forums Pages- exchange information about ice conditions, find partners, find out info on weather, road, and avalanche conditions. Also historical weather data: find out what the weather has been like for the last few weeks, so you can know what to expect out there!
Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan -The Forest Service has released its Travel Plan for the Gallatin National Forest, including Hyalite Canyon. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as well for ice climbers in Hyalite Canyon as we expected. Earlieer, the Forest Service had indicated that they wanted to plow to Chisl=holm Campground, but leave the road open after that to facilitate climbers getting to the ice, especially in low-snow years.
However, when the final decision came out last month, the plan indicated that they intended to plow only to Blackmore Parking area, and gate the road beyond there beginning on Jan. 1. While we can understand not plowing the entire distance (plowing is expensive!), climbers do not understand gating the road at that point. We feel mislead and let down by the Galltin Forest Planners.
Take a look at this topic in the Hyalite Canyon Forum for info,
and add your own thoughts on the travel plan at this topic.
The Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition isworking with the Gallatin Forest and other user groups to improve climber access to Hyalite.
The detailed maps of the travel plan are available at the Gallatin Nat'l Forest Website.
Submit an Ice Conditions Report-Get out recently? What climbs are in and
what climbs are out? Let us know what you've seen!
First Ascent Index- Find out who got there first.
Approach- Leave I-90 at exit 305. From
the interstate, go south on 19th Str. though town; after 3.9 miles you will pass College Str, which is where
you'll be entering town if you are coming from the south and west. Continue on
19th for an additional 6.7 miles past College, to turn left onto Hyalite Canyon Road. From this intersection, the following are the
distances to these points in Hyalite:
Lower Fishing Access & Langhor are good places to park for
snowmobile access. Conditions / Season- Hyalite Canyon has some of the earliest
forming accessible ice in Montana, if not the lower 48. The first climbs
are usually doable in early November, with most climbs formed by late
December. Most climbs last through the end of March and many into
April. Climbs generally belong to one of three categories- early season, broad
season or late season. Early season climbs rely on the first snows and rainfalls of
Oct. for their moisture. But as temps get colder, the water source
disappears- freezing at the source- and no new ice forms. Dry, cold temps
can make these climbs brittle and thin in mid season, and non existent in
late season. (Sphinx, Mummy 3-4) Broad Season Climbs- form in drainages, where creeks or trickles
flow all year long. They tend to be the big fat climbs, popular
during the main season, when one is are unsure what's up and what's not.
Conditions on these climbs change as the season progresses, developing
from steep steppy climbs in early season to broad calf-burner sweeps in
late season. They also tend to stay wet, hence less brittle in cold
temps. Late Season Climbs form from the water flow and cold clear night
temperatures which develop in mid March and April. A snowmobile is almost
always necessary to reach Hyalite at this time of the year. These include
many extreme climbs such as Smear Today Gone Tomorrow and Rarely Forming Climbs require special conditions to form
(usually a wet fall), and are included mainly for historical first ascent
info- but you may get lucky! We aim to note their formation in the
Current Ice Conditions Journal. Winter Road Access -Later in the year the road becomes closed to
cars because of high snowfall- the Forest Service doesn’t plow it.
road will turn off to the left ( small FS sign). It is 9 miles up this
road to Hyalite Reservoir. Crossing the dam at Hyalite Reservoir becomes
the crux of the road driving because the railing on the dam is an
effective snowfence for snow carried by the wind from across the lake.
This usually happens during January, but can be as early as the middle of
December, or as late as March! After the New Year, the road may well be open, but difficult. Heavy
traffic will entrench deep ruts for your tires, but when you encounter
someone coming from the opposite direction, you will both have to pull out
of one rut to allow each to pass- and remember, this is the most highly
visited Forest Service Recreation area in the state, so you WILL encounter
another vehicle! Ice Fishing on Hyalite reservoir, hunting, and
snowmobiling are also popular recreational uses of this canyon. Add to
this people just going for a Sunday drive in front wheel drive vehicles
and you have a full-on rodeo! As you drive out of the canyon at 5:00, there will be people driving in
(for what, at that hour, I have no idea), and you will have to pass them-
be sure that you will be able to! Or you may find yourself at the back of
a long line of vehicles, the front one of which gets stuck. Don’t be
that vehicle! Keep yourself appraised of the road conditions (B, NLTC )
and if the road is bad, make sure that you are in a 4WD vehicle, with
chains, shovel, and ideally a come-a-long (a mechanical advantage system
with a STATIC cable, available at car parts stores). Do not rely on
anyone to pull you out! Otherwise, you may find the 20 miles back to
Bozeman requiring 4 hours (no joke!), and the people who are stuck behind
you for that 4 hours will not be pleased! In addition to preparedness, drive slowly. This is not the place to
imagine that you are in an SUV commercial. Observe the tire ruts
carefully- in some places, other cars may have entrenched ruts which push
your tires into the ditch on the side of the road- you will need to
correct against thes ruts. Given cautious driving and a sufficient
vehicle, one can avoid ever being the cause of a 10:00 dinner in Bozeman (
though avoiding being a victim is another matter!) The Window Rock Cabin- The Window Rock cabin in Hyalite is a useful installation of the
Forest Service. It is located in main Hyalite canyon, past the reservoir,
about 3/4 mile past the E. Hyalite turnoff and 2.5 miles before the
parking lot. It is available for rent on a nightly basis for $20 from the
FS ( call (406) 522-2520 during Government working hours ) and provides easy access to the
climbs in the Main Hyalite Canyon. It is most useful for climbers who
want to stay and climb for several days in a row, and out of town climbers
who don’t have friends to bivy with in Bozeman. There is a wood
cooking and heating stove ( with wood provided by the FS), utensils and
pots, 8 bunks and an upstairs loft for sleeping as well. With the stove
cranking, you can get it warm enough to dry out your gear and warm up your
bones. Be careful parking-if you pull down towards the cabin
you will have a lot of trouble turning around and getting back up to the
main road. Ideally, you want to back in to this spur road a few feet off
the main road and carry your stuff to the cabin- its not far. Snowmobiling into Hyalite- At some point, even if the road into Hyalite Canyon is not too
snowy to drive, it becomes easier to use a snowmobile to access the
climbs. The presence of many underequipped vehicles make it likely that you will
become stuck behind one on the way in or out; deep ruts make the road
hard and unpleasant to drive on; and you can probably just plain ride
quicker on a ‘bile than drive in your car. A common point to park your car and begin ‘biling is the Lower
Fishing Access, about 3 miles from the main road and one mile after the
road enters the canyon, providing a good place to turn your trailer
around. The next dependably good spot is at Langhor Picnic area, 9 miles
from the main road. Geology and Protection on Hyalite Mixed Climbs- The rock in Hyalite varies from
pretty good to very bad. The bad layer is found
on the east side of main Hyalite,and in Flanders and East Hyalite drainages.
The "chunky" nature of this layer means it requires a wide variety of
gear, from tricams and TCUs to angle pins and large cams. The good layer
is Absoroka Volcanics, a 50 million year old andesite, and is found on the
west side of main Hyalite Canyon. It tends
to accept thin gear ( KB pitons or thin stoppers), and has very parallel-sided cracks.
Rack appropriately.
Distance Distance from South 19th
2.1 Lower Fishing Access
6.1 Langhor Picnic Area
10.0 Hyalite Reservoir & Blackmore Trail Parking Area
11.7 East Hyalite Canyon turnoff
12.7 Window Rock Cabin
13.9 Main Hyalite Parking Lot
Mt. Blackmore Trailhead gives access to the Tusk on Elephant
Peak.
At East Hyalite turnoff, go left to get access to E. Hyalite and
Flanders drainage climbs. .9 miles down this road you can park at the
Palisade Falls Parking Lot for access to this climb and Alpha & Omega.
Park for Flanders drainage 1.8 miles from Mail Hyalite Road on a short side
road to
the right which leads to the creek. It's 2.5 miles to the end of this
road where there is parking for all other East Hyalite climbs.
Window Rock Cabin is on the right - see below for more information on staying at the Window Rock Cabin.
Alex Lowe working on Bulldog World.
Climbing on Twin Falls.
Following the snowmobile on a high-speed
Hyalite approach.
