The Fellowship

This route has the distinction of being one of the longest in Montana and is mostly sport with a couple of placements per pitch. While the bolting can sometimes be jangus it is a worthy climb for someone who is a solid 5.10+ climber.

Topo for The Fellowship (5.10c 9 pitches)

P1 5.10c

Nothing like getting the game started after an exhausting approach by starting on a slabby 5.10c right! Luckily most of this is sport although the bolting can sometimes leave something to be desired. Takes a few cams for protection down low. I believe there is something like 8 bolts. Pray for your toes...they are in for the long hall. Longish pitch. Bolted Anchor

P2 5.9

Work your way left and clip a bolt that is up in a roof. Takes cams and nuts as well. Sling the hell out of this pitch unless you like epic rope drag. Once you clear the roof start looking around for the next bolt and climb back up and right. Bolted anchor

P3 5.7

Scramble on a loose ledge system towards the the large crack/chimney. There is a bolt on the wall to the left of the crack however you have to be approx 9 foot tall to reach it. Climb through the funky chimney and gain a ledge with a bolted anchor.

P4 5.10a

Follow the rightmost of the bolt lines. The left line goes up the arrete but leads to nowhere. A super fun pitch! Once you have followed the corner system up head to the next ledge with a bolted anchor.

P5 5.9

Climb some slab up through a small steep section following bolts until you reach the next anchors.

P6 5.10a

Kind of an ass kicker but continue out of the belay station following bolts to the buttress. The climbing gets spicy through here as the protection can get a little limited and the rock is a little loose. Hold on tight. Emerge up onto a large loose ledge system.

P7 4th/5th class.

Head up towards the large tree directly above you trying the whole time not to kill your belayer by kicking rocks loose. Belayer would be wise to hide behind the big rock that the anchor is attached too. Probably more dangerous for the belayer than the climber. Once you reach the medium sized tree sling it and prepare for the last two pitches.

P8 5.8

A real gem of a pitch that has little of everything. Keep clipping bolts (which are closer together due to a different party setting the top two pitches) until you reach the bolted anchor.

P9 5.9

More of the same as pitch 8. Fun sport climbing leading to the summit of Ross peak! Bolted Anchor.

See the area overview for a description of the descent. Mentally prepare yourself for it. Expect blood.

The route is just right of middle on ephemeral snow field that forms the skirt of the mountain. Put in a piece or clip a bolt low (depending on snow conditons) early or off the ground preferably as a fall here could send you both tumbling down the snow field into the rocks below. Ouch. It is just left of the dirty large crack that is near the middle.

A light rack consisting of a single rack of nuts from #4-#9 and a #1 and #2 Camalot or equivalent with no doubles should see you through this climb. Most anchors are bolted, however on the 7th pitch you have to sling a tree so bring some long slings. I would suggest slinging a lot of the placements/bolts because this route has a way of wandering that could lead to epic rope drag. (Especially the 2nd and third pitch)