In December 2023, Paul, Adrian, and I hiked into the Beartooth Mountains of Montana to get eyes on a new mixed climb that Adrian had scouted on the mythical Bears Face. On the hike in, we spied a long smear of ice leading into series of daggers hanging 1600ft above the valley floor. It may not have been what we came here for originally, but whether it had already been climbed or not, we knew we had to go check this ice climb out!
In between attempts on the Bears Face route, we went for it. A very early wakeup, 7 miles, and faint goat trails got us to the base. Between the beautiful weather, world class climbing, and a beloved crew of friends, I don't think we could have asked for a better day of climbing in the mountains.
After asking those "in the know", our research indicated that this route was a first ascent! At the very least, the climb hasn't been documented and the crux mixed pitch had never been climbed in its "mixed" state; in the end, it doesn't really matter at all. It was a day that we three will remember forever; a day climbing one of the greatest mixed climbs we've ever found in the United States.
Lacking a name or history of ascent, we called the route "Goat Wisdom" after the goats that photobombed our first sighting of the route and the ephemeral goat trails we followed to it's base on the plateau above the valley floor. We graded it Wi6 M6+. Put it on your list.