Sinks Canyon - Main Wall

To think that one of the best winter crags in the country is in the middle of Wyoming takes a little belief, but strangely enough, the Main Wall of Sinks is that crag. With a great southerly aspect, a clear hillside, and an inversion that keeps the canyon warmer than the valley below, one can climb here many days each week of the winter. If it’s sunny and calm, even if it’s below zero in town, you’ll have good conditions at the wall. In the summer, the sun rises high in the sky and the wall stays cooler. Sinks Main Wall is not Lander’s best summer crag, but it can be OK even in mid-summer. The crag now features the highest concentration of routes in the area - as of this writing, there are close to 300 climbs on the wall from 5.5 to 5.14c. Later in the season (May thru September) keep your eyes open for rattlesnakes and poison ivy. During the winter months neither is an issue. In 2012 there was a wild re that burned much of the area above and below the crag. A few routes su ered damage from the re, and might feature some sections of loose, “spalled” rock. Additionally, the re has caused increased erosion above the crag, resulting in substantially increased rockfall. Be especially aware in the Harvest Moon and Whippery areas. Before about 1990, the climbing at the Main Wall was very sporadic, with a few cracks and corners being climbed. With the advent of sport climbing worldwide, the climbers of Lander began looking at the crag in a di erent light - instead of looking for weaknesses in the band, Greg Collins and friends started admiring the crag for its strengths. Soon the clean, steep walls and roofs were home to new, hard, and modern climbs.