Dan Bachen > Comments

Nov 18, 2025 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Big Belt Mountains Meagher Bluffs ● Nice work! Hiked up there a few years ago and the rock looked good, but haven’t made it back since. Should… View Comment
Mar 26, 2025 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Hay Stack Rock School’s Out 5.11a ● Hopped on this for the first time in a year or two the other day. Either I’m getting weaker in my old age o… View Comment
Jan 10, 2025 Southwest Region > Helena Area Big Belt Mountains ● The second addition of Central Montana Rock was released in 2022 and is available for order online (book or… View Comment
Sep 26, 2024 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Mt Helena > Water Streak Area Cadillac Desert 5.11c ● I think the difference in proposed grades for this route is twofold. When bolting it, I was thinking it wou… View Comment
Oct 8, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Vision Quest Wall Snake Dance 5.11a ● Anchor updated to 1/2 inch SS bolts and chain replaced by the Helena Climbers Coalition on 10/7/22. Thanks… View Comment
Oct 8, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Vision Quest Wall Peyote 5.11b ● Anchor replaced and mussy hooks installed by Helena Climbers Coalition on 10/7/22. Hardware donated by the… View Comment
Oct 8, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Vision Quest Wall Vision Quest 5.11a ● 10/7/22 Helena Climbers Coalition updated all protection bolts to glueins, replaced the anchor, and added m… View Comment
Jul 18, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Hay Stack Rock School Daze 5.8 ● Due to ongoing vandalism check to see if the hangers/anchors have been swiped before leading this or others… View Comment
Jul 8, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Ant Hill Journey to the East 5.9 ● Excellent route Steve! I'm getting soft or the transition to the crack at bolt 1 is a bit of a sandbag... E… View Comment
Jun 9, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Chief Chief Big Pockets 5.10a ● Route bolts upgraded to glueins. Anchor updated to 1/2 in stainless with lowering hooks. Work done by the H… View Comment
Jun 9, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Chief Chief Plenty Pockets 5.9+ ● Bolts replaced with glueins by the Helena Climbers Coalition and separate anchor with lowering hooks added… View Comment
Feb 25, 2022 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Big Belt Mountains > Hellgate Gulch > Winter Wall Beta picture for the routes on Winter Wall- As near as I can tell, pink is Uncomfortably Numb (5.9+), Blue is weird science (5.9), Green is Irrational Exuberance (5.10b), Yellow is the first pitch of Devil's Highway (5.10a), White is "Meltdown" (5.11a) ● Hell on wheels (10a) is missing. Shares a bolt with Weird then breaks right to an anchor left of Numb. Guns… View Comment
Dec 13, 2021 Southern Nevada > Red Rocks > Juniper Canyon > Brownstone Wall > Requiem for a Tadpole (5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a) Watch where you stick your hands in that chimney. ● Western Small-footed Myotis! Very cool View Comment
Jul 12, 2021 Northwest Region > Great Falls Area > N Fork Teton Ri… > Tears of a Clown Chert On My Shirt 5.8+ ● Thought this was a solid 9 when compared to other routes at Blackleaf and the limestone crags in the Helena… View Comment
Jun 14, 2021 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Mt Helena > Water Streak Area Pay Dirt 5.10b/c ● The chimney is still pretty fresh, but should clean up nicely with time and traffic. View Comment
Jun 5, 2021 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Blue Cloud > S Buttress Gruntfest 5.10d ● Not sure why the original anchor was chopped, but I added a new one near the old bolt holes. Accessible fro… View Comment
Apr 26, 2021 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain Hay Stack Rock ● Since this wall is one of the better beginner areas around Helena, I added a practice anchor tucked between… View Comment
Apr 5, 2021 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Mt Helena > Red Slab Black Lung 5.12a ● Excellent route! Lower half is really fun 10- slab into a hard v3 crimp and layback problem to an almost no… View Comment
Dec 4, 2020 Northwest Region > Missoula Area > Lost Horse > Rdside Boulders > Pullout Boulders Face of Wisdom ● Pretty sure this is the Lonesome Bachelor or at least it was 15+ years ago. There is a rich history of "new… View Comment
Nov 20, 2020 Northwest Region > Missoula Area > Lost Horse > Rdside Boulders > Pullout Boulders Egyptian Magician (aka Many Faces) ● For what its worth I've heard this revered to as the Egyptian Magician bolder since at least 2004 when I st… View Comment
Oct 5, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Indian Creek > Vision Quest Wall Finger Sacrifice 5.11c ● Stellar bolder problem with some bolts to keep you off the blocks at the base. Thought the crux was a solid… View Comment
Oct 1, 2020 Central Region > Banks Lake > Northrup Canyon > Picnic Table Rock Ignorance is Bliss 5.9+ ● Hard 9 or soft ten, with bolts less than 5 ft apart does it really matter? For what its worth I thought the… View Comment
Sep 11, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Mt Helena > Sunset Slab Summer Solstice 5.7 ● 2nd bolt now has a hanger again. Big thanks to the Helena Climbers Coalition for donating the hardware, and… View Comment
Aug 16, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Big Belt Mountains > Avalanche Gulch > Bukowski Buttress Unknown 11 5.11b ● Anchors updated to mussy hooks by the Helena Climbers Coalition View Comment
Aug 16, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Big Belt Mountains > Avalanche Gulch > Bukowski Buttress Serenity Now 5.9+ ● Anchor updated to mussy hooks by the Helena Climbers Coalition August 2020 View Comment
Jul 16, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Hay Stack Rock Beer Barrel Arete 5.7 ● Helena Climbers Coalition replaced the hanger and tightened a few nuts. Should now be in good condition. View Comment
Jul 16, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Hay Stack Rock Unknown 5.8 ● Helena Climbers Coalition has inspected and tightened the hangers on this route and the one to the right. A… View Comment
Apr 9, 2020 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Right Rock Rich Man-Poor Man 5.9 ● The rappel station at the top of this route and the two stations at the top of the Multiple Screamers Block… View Comment
Sep 14, 2018 Okanogan > McLoughlin Cany… > Last Wall > Mid W - Red-tai… > Batty (5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a) Huge Pallid Bat (route's namesake) on Batty ● I've been fortunate to work with both species (professional biologist focusing on bats). Both have large ea… View Comment
Jul 4, 2018 Southwest Region > Helena Area > Sheep Mountain > Devils Thumb Beauty and the Beasties 5.10b/c PG13 ● I'd disagree that this warrants a PG-13 rating. You can clip the first bolt to protect the crux moves while… View Comment
Mar 15, 2018 Okanogan > McLoughlin Cany… > Last Wall > Mid W - Red-tai… > Batty (5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a) Huge Pallid Bat (route's namesake) on Batty ● Actually a Pallid Bat! View Comment
Apr 15, 2016 Southern Nevada > Red Rocks > Pine Creek Canyon Mescalito ● Just thought I would add a little more to the walk off description. First off summiting the formation is co… View Comment
Sep 23, 2015 W Idaho > McCall Area The Thinking Spot ● Great spot close to McCall. We made it out here while vacationing in the area. Quality granite sport climbi… View Comment
Jun 19, 2013 S Central Region > Beartooth Mount… > E Rosebud > E Rosebud Towers > Double Book Unnamed 5.7 ● A fun route and a long pitch to boot, but if you stick to the corner religiously it definitely feels harder… View Comment
Jun 7, 2013 Southwest Region > Bozeman Area > Bozeman Pass > Kitchen Sink Missing Link 5.10b ● Name fixed View Comment
Mar 15, 2013 Southwest Region > Bozeman Area > Revenue Flats > Nuggets Hot For Words 5.9+ ● 3rd bolt(?) is looking pretty bad, actual sleeve is sticking about .5-1cm out of rock. View Comment

1 of 2

Dan Bachen > Comments

Join the Community! It's FREE