Cody, Wyoming – Custom Trad Climbing Trip

Description

Trad Climbing in the Lower Clarks Fork Valley

Custom Trad Climbing Trips in Cody, Wyoming

We are privileged to offer Custom Trad Climbing Trips in Cody, Wyoming.  Cody is home to several world class trad climbing venues, the most notable of which is the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River Valley*.  The Clarks Fork has a wide selection single and multipitch trad climbing on some of the best granite in the eastern US Rockies.  With granite walls up to 2000′ high, splitter cracks, techy corner climbing, and dramatic scenery, it’s hard to think of a more attractive place to trad climb in the state of Wyoming than the “Clarky”.  In addition to the Clarks Fork, Shoshone Canyon near the town of Cody has several high quality trad climbs on a variety of rock types.  Whether you’re looking to try your hand at trad climbing for the first time or if you’re an experienced climber looking to push your limits, a trad climbing trip to Cody will make for an excellent adventure.

Not only do we facilitate an incredibly rewarding experience climbing in the area, our ultimate aim is to help you become a safer and more sustainable rock climber.  Our guides are talented, personable teachers who will help you develop new safety skills, useful rock climbing techniques, as well as Leave No Trace best practices for climbing.

*Note we do not guide any climbing in the Wild and Scenic River corridor of the Clarks Fork as per our Shoshone National Forest-North Zone permit.  We do guide in several auxiliary canyons and areas outside of the WSR corridor.

Why trad climb in Cody with us:

Our rock climbing guides are experienced professionals, talented climbers, and well-trained teachers.  They are also humble, personable, and overall great humans to be around in the mountains.  Our guides are adept at providing safe, supportive, and inclusive climbing experiences for people of all backgrounds and ability levels.  Additionally, our rock climbing guides live in the Cody area and climb there throughout the year, which is a major advantage because they know the places they guide extremely well.

Preferred trad climbing venues in Cody:

The Upper Clarks Fork Valley

The Upper Clarks Fork features a trove of easily accessible climbing on exceptionally high quality granite in a stunning high mountain setting near the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park.  The following are some of our favorite trad climbs to guide in the Upper Clarks Fork:

• Five Stages of Reef (5.7+, 5 pitches) – Five pitches of incredible crack climbing ranging from splitter hands to offwidth to fingers.  Engaging the entire way!
• Keanu Reefs (5.9, 5 pitches) – A classic climb featuring varied and high quality crack climbing with breathtaking views of the northern Absarokas.
• Lake Creek Crack (5.10, 3 pitches) – Roadside multipitch crack climbing in the shadow of Pilot Peak – what more could you ask for?

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The Lower Clarks Fork Valley

The Lower Clarks Fork is home to hundreds of trad climbing routes ranging from single pitch splitters to multipitch climbs up to 2000′ in length on high quality granite.  This massive trove of trad climbing is off the beaten path but all the more rewarding given its remote and wild character. The following are some of our favorite trad climbs to guide in the Lower Clarks Fork:

• The Dao Dome (5.7, 12 pitches) – 1700′ of incredible moderate climbing on wind-worn granite, mostly face with some cracks.
• Mother’s Day Spire (5.8, 4 pitches) – Quality granite crack and face climbing on an aesthetic free-standing tower with incredible views of the surrounding valley
• The Tao Tow (5.9, 10 pitches) – 1200′ of alpine-esque rock climbing on the largest free-standing granite tower in the region.

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Shoshone Canyon

Only a few minutes from downtown Cody, Shoshone Canyon is well-known for its bouldering and sport climbing but also features a great selection of trad climbs on sandstone, limestone, and granite.  Some of our favorite trad climbs in the canyon are multipitch tower climbs on bullet-hard sandstone (such as the Sphinx Tower) and we love the variety and ease of access that other areas in the Canyon offer!  The following are some of our favorite trad climbs to guide in Shoshone Canyon:

• Easter Island Tower (5.8 AO, 2-3 pitches)
• Oedipus Rex (5.10, 3 pitches)
• Antigone (5.10+, 3 pitches)

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Trip Itineraries:

• 1 Day Itinerary 

Our 1 day custom rock climbing itinerary in Cody is a great option if you only have a single day to climb but you want to make the most of it!  Your guide will work with you to select some exciting objectives that are appropriate for your skill and fitness levels and that feature fun, high quality climbing on good rock. Our primary objective with this trip is providing a safe and highly rewarding trad climbing experience in Cody that you will remember for many years to come.

• 2 Day Itinerary 

Our 2 day custom trad climbing itinerary in Cody is a full-value experience for those looking for an action-packed two days of guiding in one of the best trad climbing venues in the state.  Your guide will coordinate with you to choose exciting objectives that align with your climbing goals and are well-suited to your skill level. Generally people like to choose several moderate objectives for day 1 to work on technique and streamline their systems followed by more challenging objectives on day 2 to push themselves on harder climbs.

• 3 Day or More Itinerary

This is our most popular custom trad climbing itinerary by far!  Our 3-5 day itinerary is an excellent option if you’re looking to really progress in your climbing and explore a variety of climbs in the area.  Your guide will work with you to select objectives for each day that align with your climbing goals and appropriate for your skill level.  Also, we suggest climbing in as many different zones over the course of your trip in order to experience the incredible variety of terrain Cody has to offer.  We also highly recommend scheduling at least one rest day after two days of climbing in order to recharge for the rest of your trip.

Lessons:

Our Custom Trad Climbing Trips in Cody include personalized instruction on the following topics and techniques:

• Gearing up for multipitch rock climbing
• Climbing safety, belay, and anchor systems
• Crack climbing movement and techniques
• Minimal-impact climbing strategies to safeguard resources and heritage
• Leave No Trace and “Beyond Leave No Trace” practices
• Lessons on the area’s geology, ecology, archaeology, and history

Trip availability:

Our Custom Trad Climbing Trips in Cody are available May 1 – September 30.

Guide to climber ratio:

All of our custom trad climbing trips have a 1:1 or 1:2 guide to climber ratio.

Trip logistics:

Transportation: Cody has an airport serviced by United Airlines.  Additionally, Cody is less than a 2 hour drive from Billings MT.

Accommodations:  We recommend staying at either hotel or bed and breakfast in Cody.

Meeting location:  You will meet your guide at a coffee shop or trailhead the morning of your climb

Daily schedule:  We typically will meet at 7-8am and climb until 3-4pm.

Equipment:  Many climbers choose to bring all of their own gear, but we can provide all technical climbing equipment including CAMP helmets, harnesses, and Butora climbing shoes.

Course guides:

Our talented team of Cody-based climbing guides includes some of the most prolific climbers in the region who are at the forefront of rock and ice climbing development in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Most importantly our guides are skilled teachers who are patient, kind, and helpful to people from all walks of life as they learn new skills.  Their top priority is making you feel safe and supported as you take on a new challenge.  Feel free to request a particular guide for your course.

Dane Steadman is a skilled multi-disciplinary guide with significant accomplishments including the first guided ascents of Pilot Peak and Stinkingwater Peak, guided ascents of Cloud Peak, Gannet Peak, Granite Peak (MT), guided ice climbs in the Cody area up to WI6 in difficulty, and has guided rock climbs across the state of Wyoming up to 5.12 in difficulty.  Dane is also a very driven and talented climber whose main focus is exploratory alpine climbing both in Wyoming and in the greater ranges.  Notable climbs of his include the first ascent of Technicolor Super Dream on Mt. Huntington in Alaska, the first ascent of the North Face of Pik Alpinist in Kyrgyzstan, the second ascent of Titanic on Torre Egger in Patagonia, and several first ascents of hard ice and mixed climbs in the South Fork of the Shoshone River Valley up to WI6+ and M10 in difficulty.  What’s more, Dane is incredibly personable, patient, professional, and really fun to be around in the mountains. 

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Zach Lentsch is an avid climber, guide, and owner of Wyoming Mountain Guides. A Bighorn Basin native, Zach has been exploring wild parts of northern Wyoming for as long as he can remember. In addition to running the business and designing Wyoming Mountain Guides’ suite of climbing programs operating across the state, Zach works extensively in the field and guides a wide range of trips ranging from introductory programs to advanced rock, ice, and alpine trips on challenging terrain. Zach is also a passionate developer of new climbing routes with over 100 first ascents across Wyoming, including the longest ice climb in the state (Ultralight Beam WI3+ 1000m) in the Wind River Mountains, the longest sandstone rock climb in the state (The Fall of Satan 5.10 C3 250m) in the Bighorn Mountains, and a high concentration of rock, ice, and mixed climbs in the Cody area up to 5.12, WI6, and M9 in difficulty.  Zach is an experienced teacher and works hard to integrate as much technical and environmental education into the climbing experience as possible while also prioritizing safety and having a great time together.

Booking and payment:

You can view each of our guide’s availability on the calendar above.  To book your course directly via our website, you need to first select a guide and choose from available dates.  Then to finalize your booking we require a 25% deposit, which is non-refundable.  The remainder is to be paid two weeks before the course and is non-refundable if you cancel within two weeks of the program.  If you do cancel last minute on your own accord and want to transfer your credit to another course or trip, we do charge an additional 30% rescheduling fee.  However in case of bad weather or a medical emergency we will waive the rescheduling fee.

Contact us:

Interested in booking a Custom Trad Climbing Trip in Cody?  Please send us an email including your name, email address, phone number, climbing experience, in addition to a description of what, where, and when you’d like to climb.