Sinks Canyon

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

By Pocholo Martinez

If you’re getting ready for a road trip or just tired of the plastic you’ve been pulling on all winter, a trip to Sinks Canyon near the city of Lander with some friends is a great warm-up to the climbing season.

The warm south facing cliffs allow climbing even in February. The drive through the alpine environs of the Tetons and jawbones of the Absorakas around Togwotee Pass to the desert environs, red rocks, and lavender hills past Dubois alone is worth it. The anticipation of the great climbing ahead as you approach Lander will have you stretching your forearms and have your palms sweating.

Sinks Canyon offers sport climbing, traditional climbing and bouldering on limestone, granite and sandstone. The mouth of the canyon is composed of tensleep sandstone. The crack and corner systems on the buttresses and cliffs here offer one to three pitches of both bolt clipping and gear placement. The next section of cliffs is where most of the climbing takes place and where you’ll find the most folks. Bolted routes on caves, faces, roofs, and aretes with crimpy edges, huecos and pockets on tough dolomite limestone are what’s offered.

Further on up the canyon more corners, cracks, and bolted routes can be had on granite. And littered on the slopes below the crags are boulders of all three types of rock for those who prefer not to carry all that gear around. Just bring extra skin because them rocks is sharp.

PERMALINK:
Sinks Canyon | Planet JH News Article: Sports & Recreation

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