Gripped

Ten Sleep Wyoming

- Rich Wheater is one of Canada’s foremost climbing photograph­ers and writers and is based in Squamish. He is a regular contributo­r to Gripped.

Senja Palonen on the Joy of Heresy 5.11d, The Ark

they opened more routes in the Valhalla and French Cattle Ranch areas, which produced classics such as Helion 5.13c, Great White Behemoth 5.12b and Center El Shinto 5.12b. Eventually, it was Wendling, Canadian powerhouse Kevin Wilkinson and the strong James Litz who made 5.14 a reality in Ten Sleep with powerful lines such as Fd in the A 5.14a at the Superratic and Galactic Emperor 5.14a at Sector d’or et Bleau.

Over the past 15 years, climbers’ stoke their and drills are still smokin’ and Ten Sleep Canyon has become a climbers’ haven. Today, there are more than 900 sport routes on over 30 walls. Each summer, Ten Sleep turns into a bustling community and although there are plenty of developed routes, lots of rock is still untapped. There are climbs for all abilities and 5.10 climbers shouldn’t miss Insane Hound Posse 5.10b at Dry Wall, which is possibly the best 5.10 sport route anywhere. There is also the famous Beer Bong 5.10b at Mondo, which is a novel route that you must stem facing outwards, with the entire canyon dropping away below your feet.

The pink Ten Sleep limestone is pure joy to climb on and relatively unpolished, for now. There are crimps and pockets of all sizes and the prickly surface offers foot placements just about anywhere. The area is mostly vertical to gently overhangin­g, though there are roofs and bulges here and there. In general, the angles are slack relative to other well-known simian hangouts such as Red River Gorge, Rif le or anywhere with steep cave climbing.

No one makes a trip to Ten Sleep Canyon without spending time in town first, which has an interestin­g back-story. Back in the days of the Wild West, early trappers knew of a large Sioux camp along the Platte River, near the present-day town of Casper, Wyo. North of there, along the Clark’s Fork River, near presentday Bridger, Mont. was another large camp. These camps were crossroads of the nation and trails led in every direction. To travel halfway between the two took 10 sleeps – the natives measured distance in “sleeps” and since it was 10 sleeps from here to either of the two camps, the name stuck.

Today, the town of Ten Sleep is a tourist trap for road-trippers bound for Yellowston­e and has a permanent population of about 260. Most of the inhabitant­s are ranchers, cowboys, hunters, fringe dwellers and a small posse of full-time rock climbers. There’s not much there and what it lacks it makes up for with character and charm. You can’t say you’ve been to Ten Sleep until you’ve tried the waff le-cones

Jeff Wenger on Hanoi Hilton 5.11d

and baked goods from Dirty Sally’s General Store, or had a drink with some of the ol’ fellas at the Big Horn bar. For extra kicks, check out the Ten Sleep museum for a look into yesteryear, or take in live music at the Big Horn Stage Company.

Want a look into genuine cowboy culture, then be sure to visit during the Memorial Day weekend and attend the Beauty and the Beast Rodeo. This event brings much hullabaloo to town and guarantees good times.

Without a doubt, one of the best things about Ten Sleep Canyon is the guidebook. Penned by renowned photojourn­alist Aaron Huey, the book is filled with wacky route descriptio­ns that usually make no sense and is a mandatory collector’s item that speaks volumes about the history of characters that have come to make Ten Sleep climbing what it is. Unorthodox in design, Huey’s guide utilizes a unique rating system that consists of complex symbols – essentiall­y a very strange roster of iconograph­y supposedly in line with a five-star system. Routes tagged with art depicting nationalis­m or military activity get five stars. Climbs with sexy ladies or porn-oriented graphics get four stars. Those adorned with various forms of a cat’s head get three stars. Then there are numerous pages featuring complex charts describing left-field ideologies, elaborate drawings of fantastica­l religious

events and bizarre notations on the exploratio­n of drugs, psychosis, aliens and space travellers all in a complex, illustrate­d format that is highly entertaini­ng, yet nearly impossible to comprehend. It makes the climbing beta for which the guide is intended, almost secondary.

Ten Sleep Canyon holds the Cowboy State’s largest concentrat­ion of sport climbs set in a national forest with jaw-dropping canyon views. With a warm local vibe, great camping and a splendid selection of fun routes, it’s easy to see how Ten Sleep has earned a reputation as one of North America’s best summer climbing destinatio­ns. Giddy up!

 ??  ?? Jesse Brown on Cocaine Rodeo 5.12a, Valhalla
Jesse Brown on Cocaine Rodeo 5.12a, Valhalla
 ??  ?? Ten Sleep Canyon
Ten Sleep Canyon

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