PRINT: Rock Climb Cowpoke, Eastern Big Horns

Cowpoke

5.10d, Sport, 60 ft (18 m),

Avg: 2.2 from 14 votes
FA: Ken and Marsha Trout 1992
Wyoming > Eastern Big Horns > Crazy Woman Crags > Crazy Woman Cliff

Access Issue: Open public lands (Forest Service). Respect adjacent landowners. Details

The land surrounding the crags is a mix of Forest Service and private inholdings. Several of the minor roads lead to private summer cabins, some of which are quite close to the cliffs.

The main roads are all on public property, but don't drive down anything resembling a driveway or leading to a residence. Maintain a low profile when climbing here. Keep dogs in control or consider not bringing them out here. Camp well away from any cabins, watch your campfire carefully, and pack out all trash! The cliffs and access are all on public land and legit, but the proximity to private holdings requires sensitivity and best behavior. Be good stewards to this special area and we'll all enjoy it for years to come!

Description

Start off the ledge 20' up and pull positive edges and pockets on vertical or slighly overhung terrain. Shares the last couple bolts with Poke in Your Pocket (route immediately left).

Location

Just left of a flaring chimney.

Protection

7 bolts to clip-and-lower anchors.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Cowpoke

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Nick Stayner
Wymont Kingdom

Harder than Bury the Hatchet & not as good of a warmup due to a short, sharp, tweaky crux.

Still, a fun climb for later in the day. Jul 30, 2012

Trevor Bowman
Flagstaff, AZ

5.10d

Replaced the OG anchor on this today with stainless bolts and hangers courtesy of the ASCA. It is now a clip-and-lower setup, with biners in lieu of musseys (didn't have enough). Once these wear out (probably not for a good while with the scarce traffic up here), please replace the biners with some of your own and pat yourself on the back. Sep 29, 2016

Luke Bertelsen
Tucson, AZ

5.10d

I submit the comment below being fully aware there are plenty of routes to climb at this cliff other than this one, and that it sounds a bit whiny. Hopefully there is some useful information tucked in there.........

1. Why the hell is the first bolt 20+ feet off the ground? The last "holds" most climbers will grab before standing atop the ledge/boulder are loose blocks held in place by dirt, plants, and pine debris. Even if you can avoid those for hands, most climbers will stand on them to clip the first bolt - not awesome or necessary.

2. The path of least resistance climbs far from the bolt line at times making it pretty tricky if this climb is anywhere near your limit. I climbed this climb several times trying to see if I missed something.

3. The runout as you mount the final ledge is pointless and dumb. The rock quality deteriorates here and there is a small ledge on the main face below the runout that a climber will hit during a fall.

4. This last little tidbit is what really gets me. The FA bolted this climb poorly and then the bolts were replaced in the same horrible locations? I can't be sure here, as I didn't scour the face for masked old bolts or the like, but it would have been nice if this had been upgraded and fixed with a better bolting job to match actual stances and the path a climbers takes while climbing. I also realize that the rock doesn't always allow for this. I have retrofitted my share of older climbs on several types of rock.

Main takeaway = there are better climbs elsewhere on this cliff band. Go ahead and skip this one. Sep 26, 2022