Mountaineers with aspirations to climb Bears Tooth should be warned that it is no small feat. Bears Tooth has seen very little climbing activity for such a prominent feature, perhaps only a couple of ascents per year. Much of this can be attributed to the arduousness of the approach, but also to the difficulty and hazard of the climb itself. Many climbers admit that the hardest, most tedious, and most dangerous part of the ascent is just reaching the base of the spire. From the canyon upstream of Black Canyon Lake, ascend steep slopes and precarious boulders into the amphitheater below the enormous east wall of Beartooth Mountain. Scramble diagonally from lower left to upper right over exposed and slick slabs covered with granite grit. To climb the west arete, one must climb three pitches to gain the notch between the main mountain and the spire. The first two leads tranverse across the wall below the notch from a fixed piton and the final pitch climbs straight over 5.8 loose rock. The west arete contains four pitches of 5.9 climbing in steep cracks and overhangs. To climb the more popular east arete, continue traversing diagonally across exposed sandy ledges and rope up for a 5.6 unprotected slab traverse across the south face of the spire. The east arete entails four pitches on excellent rock trending on the north side of the arete. The crux 5.8 layback near the top dramatically overhangs the Beartooth Glacier Basin.
I'm looking for some advice about an attempt from the south (via Albino Lake and and Two Bits Lake). I sent you a Private Message and email, but not sure if they went through - the website was acting strangely this morning. Let me know if you get them. thanks
OBIJUANKENOBI71 - Dec 13, 2004 4:22 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentNice!!!
Juan
tlogan - Dec 13, 2004 7:04 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentBeautiful peak... nice page.
Nelson - Dec 14, 2004 8:48 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentGreat work on this page. Nice idea combing the tooth and the spire together. They belong on the same page.
brenta - Dec 14, 2004 4:04 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentWell-written page and excellent pictures of an impressive mountain. Thanks for posting!
Brice Neugebauer - Dec 14, 2004 5:17 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled Commentall right, all right... I did a spell check. Here's some more : )
labelled -> labeled
tranverse -> traverse
snowpack -> snow pack (?)
arete -> arête
brenta - Dec 14, 2004 7:30 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentSnowpack is in my Webster's...
rpc - Dec 14, 2004 4:58 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHoly cow!!!
Wow, what a formation. I've never seen/heard of it before!! Are any of the routes up that spire listed in any climbing guidebook?
I'll be thumbing thru. my Rock Climbing MT guide tonight (probably not even in there??).
I'm speechless. You just gave me another climb to daydream about.
Thanks for adding this beauty!!
Brice Neugebauer - Dec 14, 2004 5:03 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentCheck of Thomas Turiano's book Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone...
Mountaineers with aspirations to climb Bears Tooth should be warned that it is no small feat. Bears Tooth has seen very little climbing activity for such a prominent feature, perhaps only a couple of ascents per year. Much of this can be attributed to the arduousness of the approach, but also to the difficulty and hazard of the climb itself. Many climbers admit that the hardest, most tedious, and most dangerous part of the ascent is just reaching the base of the spire. From the canyon upstream of Black Canyon Lake, ascend steep slopes and precarious boulders into the amphitheater below the enormous east wall of Beartooth Mountain. Scramble diagonally from lower left to upper right over exposed and slick slabs covered with granite grit. To climb the west arete, one must climb three pitches to gain the notch between the main mountain and the spire. The first two leads tranverse across the wall below the notch from a fixed piton and the final pitch climbs straight over 5.8 loose rock. The west arete contains four pitches of 5.9 climbing in steep cracks and overhangs. To climb the more popular east arete, continue traversing diagonally across exposed sandy ledges and rope up for a 5.6 unprotected slab traverse across the south face of the spire. The east arete entails four pitches on excellent rock trending on the north side of the arete. The crux 5.8 layback near the top dramatically overhangs the Beartooth Glacier Basin.
rpc - Dec 14, 2004 5:12 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentSorry - my mess-up for not noticing this earlier. Ordered the book.
Awsome page!
gato - Feb 8, 2005 11:50 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentNicely done!
granitepeaker - Mar 18, 2006 7:33 pm - Voted 5/10
No Route DescriptionI would like to see a route description to the summit of Beartooth Mountain.
Brice Neugebauer - Mar 31, 2006 7:33 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: No Route Descriptionthe info is there - check out the getting there and main overview sections.
ericksms - Jul 24, 2006 2:17 pm - Hasn't voted
AdviceBrice - nice site.
I'm looking for some advice about an attempt from the south (via Albino Lake and and Two Bits Lake). I sent you a Private Message and email, but not sure if they went through - the website was acting strangely this morning. Let me know if you get them. thanks