Friday, February 02, 2007

Hyalite Canyon Access

There's currently a local debate over the new Gallatin National Forest travel plan to restrict access to Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman. Essentially, the plan calls to close the gate on the road from January 1st through May 15th, beginning in 2008.

I've actually gotten my truck stuck in the snow up there overnight between those dates, but that's my own fault. Hyalite Canyon contains some of the finest ice climbing in the world, and some great backcountry skiing routes that would only be accessible by snowmobile or skins if the road is closed. At Powderfin, we think the road should be left open all year in order to access these amazing areas of our local wilderness.

For more information on the issue, check out the following links for articles and forums:

Climbing Magazine

MontanaIce.com

Alpinist.com

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