February 28, 2018. Is it time to start planning your summer adventures? The website now includes over 1,300 updates covering Idaho peaks, climbing routes, and access routes including many that Margo and I added to the website over the winter. As always we are thankful to our contributors who are the moving force behind the website. This entry focuses on … Continue reading →
The opportunities for those who enjoy climbing mountains are unlimited in Idaho. This guidebook is an idea book and a starting point for mountaineers, hikers, and explorers. In the ten years since Exploring Idaho’s Mountains was published, Idaho’s population has skyrocketed, Boise has become a city and Coeur d’Alene a major resort destination. Surprisingly, this growth has had a positive … Continue reading →
Congratulations are due P.A. Campbell who climbed all four Grand Slams Peaks on Sunday, June 10, 2018. This is the first report of someone climbing all four peaks in one day using a traditional vehicle shuttle. Erik Pohlmann completed all four peaks without using a vehicle in May of 2016 and an anonymous group of endurance runners made the journey … Continue reading →
Fire Lookouts are a great way to experience the mountain world. I just discovered a Boise National Forest brochure (linked below) that covers most of the existing fire lookouts on the forest and provides brief access information for each. (All of these mountains have pages on this website.) Fire lookout sites were chosen because of their commanding views. You will … Continue reading →
Forty-one of Idaho’s mountain peaks serve as the highest points in forty-two of Idaho’s 44 counties. The highest elevations in Jerome and Gooding counties are not mountain peaks. Out of staters Ken Jones and Bob Packard were the first to reach all the Idaho county high points. Dan Robbins was the first Idaho resident to reach the summit of all … Continue reading →
The Idaho Trails Association is an outstanding organization that not only maintains Idaho’s mountain trails but is also literally saving many of Idaho’s trails from extinction. The ITA is looking for volunteers for its 2018 projects. As you will see from perusing the ITA’s website volunteers find the experience rewarding. You can sign up at this link: 2018 Projects. If … Continue reading →
Ever have one of those days when around 11:00 am you think “I should have gone a hiking” and then decided it was too late in the day? Dan Robbins of Idaho Summits fame has come up with a solution to your procrastination, a peak list and guide to 9 Peaks within 90 minutes of Boise. The peak list includes peaks … Continue reading →
Kelly Lance’s impressive self propelled 2017 Labor Day weekend traverse of the Idaho 12ers, covering 119 miles in 87 hours, is recounted in the following article ‘From Diamond Peak to Hyndman Peak: Kelly Lance’s 12er Traverse.’ It is a story combing the best of what we all seek in the mountains with unbelievable endurance and grit set in Idaho’s highest … Continue reading →
Best Maps Ever, an Idaho Company, has published a series of 12 poster maps that will be of interest to Idaho peakbaggers and Mountain enthusiasts. Titles include Idaho 2000+ Prominence Peaks, Idaho Eleveners, Idaho County High Points and Idaho Mountain Range High Points. These are really a cool addition to available Idaho mountains resources. Check them out at this link: … Continue reading →
An Alpinist Guide to Pocatello – Snow Climbs and Scrambles, by Scot Kelchner is now available on the Idaho A Climbing Guide website. This is a guide to some of the local spots Scot Kelchner enjoyed during his 13 years of scrambling peaks in the Pocatello area. He made the guide available as a farewell gift to the community … Continue reading →
Pat Mcgrane‘s Wildhorse Classics guide to the fantastic peaks surrounding the Wildhorse Creek drainage in the Pioneer Mountains demonstrates that the range deserve equal billing with the Sawtooths when discussing Idaho’s best technical alpine climbing. (Pat’s guide is a big file, 46 pages with lots of photos, so give it a bit of time to load.) Please thank Pat for this great contribution … Continue reading →
Kevin Hansen, Sean Muldoon, Jocelynn Smith and Adam Brown climbed a variation of the North Face Direct Route which they named Junk Rock Direct, YDS 5.7+ WI 1. Check it out at this link: North Face – Junk Rock Direct, Photo Essay by Kevin Hansen … Continue reading →
Brandon Prince is the newest contributor to the website. Brandon is a top level technical climber with many difficult Sawtooth climbs on his resume. His first contribution is an essay on climbing Warbonnet Peak entitle: Warbonnet Peak and the fine art of “Not Giving Up.” I think you will enjoy Brandon’s perspective on climbing one of Idaho’s most challenging summits. Warbonnet Peak … Continue reading →
In case you have not noticed private land often preclude or complicates access to Idaho peaks. The Owyhee Mountains and West Mountains and most of the mountain ranges in southeastern Idaho are interspersed with private land. While these ranges are the most likely to have access blocked by private property, you may run into access issues any place you go. … Continue reading →
Mount Borah is unquestionably Idaho’s most popular summit. Associate Editor Margo Mandella has done a spectacular job reworking all of the Borah content on the website. Thanks to Margo, the content is now professionally presented for your reading enjoyment. Thanks also to the many climbers who have contributed to the Borah content including Dave Pahlas, John Platt, Dean Lords, Wes … Continue reading →
Joe Leonard has provided us with another riveting chapter from his book Son of the Madam Mustang Ranch. This story, The Breath of God, involves a winter climb on Mount Shasta. Like all of Joe’s writing you wil find yourself caught up in the struggle with the mountain and life. Read the Breath of God. … Continue reading →
I am always surprised that not many people climb in the Bighorn Crags. There are few places in Idaho with as spectacular granite terrain as the Bighorn Crags. Knuckle Peak aka Fishfin Ridge is the crowning glory of this area. It was first climbed in 1955. I climbed it in 1984 and found evidence of earlier ascents but I never … Continue reading →
Sadly, my friend and fellow climber Larry Prescott passed away during a climb in the Lemhi Range yesterday. Larry was an exceptional human being and I will miss his company in the mountains, miss his good nature and positive attitude and miss his trip reports. Condolences to his family and friends. Larry Prescott The Heart of the Lost River Range. … Continue reading →
Dave Pahlas is the first person to climb all of the White Cloud 10,000-foot plus peaks. There are 50 White Cloud summits that reach above 10,000 feet. The peaks are spread out over a large swath of rugged terrain and five USGS quadrangles. Access to some of these 10ers and 11ers is easy, but the vast majority of the 50 … Continue reading →
Last week John Platt completed all the ranked peaks found on the Box Lake USGS quadrangle. While many southern Idaho climbers think the world begins and ends in eastern Idaho’s Lost River Mountain Range, John has methodically demonstrated that the Lick Creek subrange of the Salmon River Mountains is a granitic wonderland for climbers. The Box Lake quad is arguably … Continue reading →
Lyman Dye has provided a memoir for our reading enjoyment, Heeding The Call of the Mountains. Lyman is one of the giants of Idaho climbing and his many first ascents are documented in the book. He operated the first climbing guide service in the Sawtooths and also guided climbers, including the Iowa Mountaineers and the Mazamas on many first ascents. … Continue reading →
There is no shortcut that bypasses Chicken Out Ridge on Borah’s Standard Route. Wes Collins of the Butte County Sheriff”s Department reports that he has responded to three Search and Rescue events on Mount Borah involving climbers who got lost or stranded after attempting a bypass of Chicken Out Ridge (COR). All of these climbers reported they heard about a … Continue reading →
Check out this fine article if you have or are contemplating a visit to Idaho’s least known Wilderness, the Gospel Hump Wilderness: Seeking Solitude: 4 Ways to Explore Idaho’s Rugged Gospel Hump Wilderness by Pete Zimowsky, 2016. In 1978, Congress designated 206,053 acres land east of Riggins, Idaho, and north of the Salmon River as the Gospel-Hump Wilderness. The terrain varies … Continue reading →
On May 7th, 2016 at 2:48 am, Erik Pohlmann of Boise completed an impressive first when he completed a self propelled ascent of all four Grand Slam Peaks (Kepros, Shaw Mountain aka Lucky Peak, Heinen and Cervidae) in just over 20 hours. His ordeal began on the 6th at 6:35 am. Combining mountain biking and hiking, dodging thunderstorms, getting soaked and … Continue reading →
Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Joe Leonard’s memoir, the Son of the Madam of Mustang Ranch. Joe is a man who spent his first five years living in the Idaho backcountry in his grandparents’ cabin. From that point, his life just got more interesting each year. Idahoans will learn that Joe was behind many “first” accomplishments in … Continue reading →
As bouldering has grown in popularity over the past couple decades, bouldering grades have increasingly become a topic of confusion and, sometimes, contention. The inherent subjectivity of grades makes it difficult to come to any sort of consensus about the difficulty of a particular problem. This can affect the sport, or someone’s experience of it, in various ways. For example, … Continue reading →
Ken Jones just completed all 100 Idaho P2k summits when he climbed Grave Peak on September 28th. He is the first person to finish this list. Climbing every peak on this list is an impressive accomplishment which takes an incredible amount of determination and support. Ken notes that: “Although far too many of the hikes were, in fact, done solo, … Continue reading →
