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Don't Put Your Hand In It

5.8, Sport, 60 ft (18 m),  Avg: 2.6 from 42 votes
FA: Randall Green, Dave Jones 1990
Montana > Northwest Region > Rattler Gulch > Sidewinder Buttress

Description

This is a great climb on good rock, very similar to its neighbor Snake Eye. Heads up the left most bolted line to a dihedral, then up to ledge to share anchors with Snake Eye.

Protection

New tightly spaced glue in bolts, chain anchors.

Location

On the uphill end of the buttress, this climb is located on a lower angle bowl shaped wall. Do some 4th class moves to get to the base, marked by a large, dead juniper tree. This is the left line of the two sport routes.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Bryan Gartland
Helena, MT
  5.8 R
[Hide Comment] IMO this line could warrant an R rating given the distance between bolts, the rusty Chouinard knifeblade mid-route, and the heavily polished holds from bottom to top - you can tell it gets a lot of traffic. It's not your typical moderate Montana limestone clip-up. A climber that blows the second clip will likely deck from 20 feet on the dead juniper ledge... All that and the large, semi-detached flake (with lots of chalk on it) just below the top out. Pull down, not out!

The holds are all there and the chainlink hangers seem to be in good shape but it will be a heady lead for a newer climber or someone who maxes out in the 5.8 range. Jun 27, 2016
Ishani Sawant
Leadville
 
[Hide Comment] Amazing jug holds at the crack. definitely not a 5.8. But i loved the route :) Aug 15, 2018
Alec Handhold
Your mom
  5.8
[Hide Comment] Super fun route. Definitely a 5.8, but not a ladder. Some thoughtful movement for the grade. Check out the old Chouinard piton halfway up! Be sure to clip it for luck. Sep 22, 2020
Tom Ponte
Las Vegas, NV
[Hide Comment] If you are worried about leading this based on the comments the anchors are only about 4 feet from the anchors to the climb to the right on the same little ledge. Yes a couple of small areas on the face are slick but there other places to put your feet. Aug 22, 2024