PRINT: Rock Climb Dancing Bear, Tieton River

Dancing Bear

5.10+, Trad, 100 ft (30 m),

Avg: 3 from 7 votes
FA: Ed Mosshart, May 1988
Washington > South-Central &… > Tieton River > Bend > Bend North

Access Issue: Currently closed (2021) due to nesting eagles. Details

Access Issue: Fire Burn Area Details

It appears that the Rimrock Fire burned through the Tieton. If anyone has updates, please post them in the comments. Until then, consider climbing elsewhere.

Description

Great route.
I entered this at the FA given rating of 10b.
It is really sustained and insecure, feels more like 10c/d. Starts with tough finger crack, splitter hand jams up top gets wider as you go. Stemming options on Heartbreak to the left which is so close it seems fine to me, it splits off after the hard start.

Location

Right of Heartbreak of Psoriasis.

Protection

double rack to 3", #4 good up top.There is no anchor, you could make a anchor with hand size gear or cordellete on column, or traverse left to Winds of Change anchor, 60 meter rope works for rappel.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

5.10b my butt... I can't even get my finger tips in that crack!

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Joshua Thompson
Seattle, WA

5.10c/d

This is a sandbag rating for this, don't be fooled. When it says it feels like 10c/d, that's because it's at least that. And what's referred to as a finger crack is so thin that I had to use micro nuts to aid part of it because I couldn't even get my finger tips in a section of it. I can see it being doable if you're stemming left onto the other route but it's exactly that, another route. Anyway, it was really hard for me. I climbed the 10.c to the left of it to grab my bail nut and that route was actually enjoyable. Sep 18, 2016

Jon Nelson
Redmond, WA

Thanks Joshua.
You can suggest a rating. MP will give a weighted average to all ratings with the original rating having a larger weight. But with enough suggested ratings, the original will be overridden. Sep 19, 2016

Geoff Georges
Seattle, WA

5.10

I entered it as 10b because that was the rating given by the first ascent. For some reason all the routes on this face are really hard for their given ratings when compared to the West Bend routes and Royal Columns. But I think it is fair, most ratings are soft in Wa., we just need to humble ourselves, or get better. But I did add that I think it is 10+.
I don't know what Ed intended with the grade, but whatever my body parts can reach are in for me on outdoor routes, there are no tape or color holds to follow. Sep 19, 2016

Space Dust

5.10c/d

Good sustained route. If you go straight up the thin cracks it is quite delicate. Using cracks to the left make it easier. Solid 5.10 to 5.10+ Sep 29, 2023