Climbing Flyboys, Goat Wall, Mazama, Washington
After a day spent climbing the South Arete of South Early Winters Spire, we decided to give Flyboys on the Goat Wall in Manzama, WA a try. This was an 18 pitch sport climbing route that topped out at a 5.9 difficulty level, although I’d say the 5.9 pitches on this wall felt harder than most 5.9s I’ve climbed in Colorado.
We left one car at the top of the Goat Wall and shuttled down together in another car through town to the bottom of the Goat Wall. This would mean we wouldn’t have to either rappel 18 pitches back down or, alternatively, walk about 20 miles back to the start. When we got to the base of the route, it seemed like we were about to have it all to ourselves. Just as we were about to start climbing, two guys showed up that were also looking to climb the same route. They stayed behind us for a few pitches, but ultimately they ended up passing us.
For me, the route was challenging, but fun. It was my first time multi-pitch climbing, and while 18 pitches was an intimidating number to start with, it was a great way to just be forced to jump into the deep end. I felt like I was moving pretty slowly for the first few pitches, but after a little while, I found a bit of a rhythm and found myself enjoying the day.
There was quite a variety of climbing moves required that day - from heel hooks to stemming up a chimney. It’s a day I’ll likely never forget. Now Mike and I can’t wait to try some multi-pitch routes on our own!
Total Stats: 2500 ft of elevation gain. 700 ft of elevation gain from hiking to the base of the climb and 1800 ft of elevation gain from climbing the 18 pitches.
