Timebinder  5.11b

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Type:  Trad, 8 pitches, 900 feet, Grade IV Consensus:  5.11b [details] FA:  Craig Kenyon, Rafael Grana, Steve Porcella 1992 Submitted By:  Kevin Kent on Nov 8, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (10) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Route is in black. Possible alternate approaches i...

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Description 

P1: Entrance Exam pitch. Begin from a grassy ledge, aiming for a lone medium/small tree about 160' up the wall. Apparently there are 3-4 bolts on this pitch but we never saw them (we might have been too far right) and were just fine. This pitch has the most loose rock on the whole climb. 5.9+, belay off tree.

P2: 25' (if that) pitch to good sized ledge with 2 bolts for belay. 5.5 note: if you try to link the first 2 pitches the rope drag gets pretty heinous.

P3: Slab pitch. 90' up a moderately tough slab, a few bolts and a pin or two. Leads to large ledge with double bolt belay. 5.10

P4: Traversing pitch. Climb up and left (there's a hidden fixed pin right above the belay). Continue left, to a dihedral with a bolt on its left side. Do not go up the dihedral but continue traversing. At this, start up, pull a small roof- good holds just above roof. Continue another 30 feet to ledge with 2 bolt belay. 5.10c 130'

P5: Hematoma pitch. Go straight up small crack with fixed pins and a bolt or two to supplement good wires and cams. Tops out at decent sized ledge with 2 bolt belay. 5.10d, 140'

P6: Red Tower Pitch. Best pitch of the route and one of the best pitches in Montana-very aesthetic.
Climb easy ground above belay, moving left to the base of the tower. Climb 100' up sustained crack on right side of the tower, laybacking and jamming. Belay off two bolts on top of tower-small but good belay. 5.10c/d
120'

P7: Climb up and right on easier pitch. I always seem to have trouble finding good pro on this one, but it really isn't that hard, sometimes you just have to clear a little moss out of the cracks. Tops out on decent sized ledge, 2 bolt belay. 5.9, 100'

P8: Crux headwall pitch. Climb up crack from belay. 30' up moves a little left past bolt, up tough finger crack for 25' feet of sustained climbing. Top is slightly easier. Leads to a semi-hanging belay that is now bolted, but can also continue right to alcove and belay. 5.11b 100'

It seems most people rap from the top of P8 because it's so easy with all the bolted belays; however, if you traverse an easy 20' right you reach an alcove with some fixed nuts and slings, and can continue to the summit from there over short, very easy ground. My third time doing this route we finally went all the way to the top and I now regret not doing it earlier. The walk off to the back and right down a large chute is really easy and quite scenic, and it eliminates the need to drag 2 ropes up the route.
If you want to rap, two 50 meter ropes will do the trick, but if you use two 70s you can link some rappels (I've linked from the top of P5 to the top of P3, and if i remember right from top of P4 to top of P2).

A classic route by any standard. I would highly recommend it.

Location 

Approach from west side of campground on north side of creek. Trail kind of disappears but travel northwest for about .5 mile to get to the base of the Prow (the first large feature in the canyon), gaining about 800 feet of elevation from the campground. Be prepared to hike over lots of unconsolidated talus. Continue to a gully that is the dominating feature at the base of the wall, the start of the climb is just to the left of this.

There are alternate approaches to this climb on the right to skip the first two pitches of the route. However, it can be hard to find the correct ramp. Some people may want to belay a really easy traverse to the anchors at the top of the 2nd pitch. Another way I've done it is belay an easy but dirty 5.7 pitch up to the large ledge at the top of the 3rd pitch.

Protection 

Standard rack will do the trick. Doubles in medium/large size cams if you like to really sew things up.

Photos of Timebinder Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: looking up the first pitch. the bolts are extreme...	Heading up the Red Tower Pitch, not the hardest pi...	Jeff Young following the space needle pitch.
Splitter	So good I stopped for a picture.	from above before linking the pitch above.
Looking down from the top of the pitch below the c...