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Bowling for Buicks

5.12a, Sport, 80 ft (24 m),  Avg: 3.9 from 96 votes
FA: Tom Kalakay 1988
Montana > Southwest Region > Gallatin Canyon > W Side > Gallatin Tower

Description

Awesome sport climb on the Bowling Ball Wall (Gallatin Tower south face). Fun, diverse climbing on slightly overhanging, heavily featured gneiss.

Location

Look for the route near the left end of the wall with a high first bolt and lots of chalk. A guidebook is helpful since there are a lot of routes on this face.

Protection

Bolts. Probably want to stick clip the first one.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Some of the best rock in the canyon on this climb, and the neighboring climbs for that matter
[Hide Photo] Some of the best rock in the canyon on this climb, and the neighboring climbs for that matter
tough start
[Hide Photo] tough start
This route is great! 12a feels accurate to me
[Hide Photo] This route is great! 12a feels accurate to me
Kenley giving it the old 1-2
[Hide Photo] Kenley giving it the old 1-2

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

GRK

[Hide Comment] great route, great name!
possibly the best line on the wall. Nov 18, 2010
Fink Fink
Jackson, WY & Bozeman, MT
  5.12a
[Hide Comment] Favorite line on the wall as well. 2nd and 3rd bolts are vastly easier to clip if the draws are already hanging. Needing to hang the 2nd draw in particular requires an extra foot move from the shake at the horizontal. ymmv. Oct 14, 2012
kozzybear406
Livingston, MT
[Hide Comment] Comments on the route just to the right, Bull in a China Closet? Nov 18, 2012
Brennan VanDyke
Rogers, AR
 
[Hide Comment] While Bozeman sport climbing generally isn’t too much to write home about, this route is awesome. Really good rock, really fun movement, small holds on solid rock. A must do for the Bozeman area. Jun 23, 2020
Aaron Day
Washington
 
[Hide Comment] I felt like the rating was on par for the route, felt exactly like what a 12a should feel like. Really fun climb, one of the best on the wall. I personally think the very first bolt was the crux so I would highly recommend stick clipping it. Its also very easy to top rope this route, you can scramble up from the left side to access the anchors. Jul 12, 2020
Allot Raddishes
  5.12a
[Hide Comment] I fell more times than my ego would like. 3 raddishes Mar 10, 2021
Joshua Schuler
Bozeman
[Hide Comment] This route is the quintessential gateway 12. It’s getting very chalked up which is inevitable but please do your part and brush the holds when you’re done climbing! It’ll only get polished even faster if we all don’t clean up when we’re done, best to keep it as nice for the next person as we can. May 9, 2023