Dubois Wyoming Ice

Looking west in the Northern Wind River Range Photo by Max Fisher

Today was a good day!

I have been visiting family and doing first aid for the past 10ish days, which has been great..... it is rare for me to go 2 days without getting outside and doing something so I've been itching since the first aid course finished Saturday.

Fortunately my good buddy Nick Storm was getting into Lander and we had tentatively made plans to do something today. Storm called me and we planned to meet at 7am and head to Dubois WY to climb Lake Louise Gully a classic WI3 150m.

Dubois is a small town that is 70miles or 112km from the closest town so pretty remote for the Lower 48. Dubois is in a rain shadow and supposedly gets 300days of sun a year. Lake Louise Gully is set back in the Northern Wind River Range located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area. There is also another classic route beside LLG that is called Golden Tears but hasn't formed to the ground this year.... it goes at WI4+ 150m.

So as planned Nick picked me up and we headed for some ice. The weather wasn't suppose to be great and on the drive the roads weren't great. Once we pulled into the parking lot the sun can out, 300days of sun a year! and we where on our way. After a bit of route finding do to recent snow we found our way to Louise Lake and our route.

We swapped leads and made good time climbing this beautiful route!

Nick hiking in Photo by Max Fisher

Nick walking to the base of the route Photo by Max Fisher

Max heading up Photo by Nick Storm

Nick rapping off the top Photo by Max Fisher

View from the top Photo by Max Fisher

If anyone gets to this area to climb it is well worth it! Also you are a few hrs from Jackson Hole WY which has great backcountry skiing, Cody WY a North American ice climbing destination and if you want to venture a little out of the way you could get to Hyalite Canyon in Montana in about 8 hrs.