Gallatin Canyon climbing classics

The sun is setting in the valley, and a cool breeze is wafting off the river. Any south-facing walls are lit up with sparkling greys and black, fiery rusts and iridescent whites. The hay fields shine a golden blond, contrasting with the stark green of the pines. The only place you’ll get a view like this is if you’re 500 feet off the ground. Climbers, welcome to the beauty and brawn of Gallatin Canyon climbing.

In the decade after WWII, some exploratory climbing took place in the canyon, but the modern era of climbing in the canyon didn’t begin until the 1970 arrival of local legend Pat Callis,  who also happens to be a MSU chemistry professor. The weekend after his arrival, he put up the first ascent of the uber two-pitch classic Spare Rib (5.8 T), which remains one of the most aesthetic and enjoyable climbs in the state. 

The Gallatin Canyon  offers a bit of everything for every climber, from clipping bolts on sharp limestone to plugging gear in flaring granite crack lines to wrestling some boulders. In terms of climbing style, the Gallatin is sport- and traditional-climbing heaven, with around 100 sport routes and almost 200 traditional routes of various difficulties ranging from 5.6 to 5.13. 

A classic must-do in the canyon is Skyline Arete (5.6 T). It is the longest route in the canyon, amassing 500 feet of climbing in four various pitches. It makes for a great day on good rock with sweeping views, moderate climbing and comfortable belays. With so many unique features, the route can be broken up in an assortment of ways, adding variations such as chimneys, sparse slab faces and interesting cracks that offer more difficult climbing. “Skyline is a really good route to do if you’re looking to learn how to climb multi-pitches and get some good gear placing practice in,” said Peter Gifford, a local climber. “It’s also an easy route to free solo, not that I’m encouraging anyone to do that. You should climb with a partner if you can.” 

For both the local and out-of-state climbers, Songline (5.12b T/S), a beautiful streak of orange rock speckled with bright green lichen, is sure to present a challenge. This area test piece sits above the Spare Rib formation. It looks intimidating from the ground, and proves to be quite a challenge upon vertical ascent too. Beau Baxter, a MSU senior studying writing and a sports and outdoors writer for the MSU Exponent, is currently projecting this awesome route.  “It starts with some mellow technical slab, and then you punch through a 60 foot head wall with some really thought-provoking and strenuous movements all the way to the chains,” Baxter said. “It’s fun ‘cause the holds aren’t particularly small, they’re actually pretty good for the most part. The difficulty comes in the movement and body positioning.” 

Skyline and Songline are just two of many stellar routes that Gallatin Canyon has to offer. There are many more fantastic lines that can boost the confidence of the newest climber and humble the strongest. For directions and more information on the routes, go to https://www.mountainproject.com/.