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TEN SLEEP – The Bighorn Climbers’ Coalition (BCC) held a meeting in Ten Sleep on Wednesday, Aug. 18, regarding the upcoming Ten Sleep climbing plan and answered questions from climbers and local area residents alike.

The meeting was spearheaded by BCC President Brad Burns, who also asked U.S. Forest Service Powder River District Ranger Silas Davidson and other rangers to attend in order to help take in suggestions and answer questions.

Davidson said that his answers did not necessarily represent the National Forest Service (NFS) but he would take the questions into consideration and help the climbers understand where the plan currently is at.

The first question included the consideration of comfortizing, which is the act of making something more comfortable rather than natural, which has led to some controversy in the canyon in the past with different types of holds.

Davidson said they are yet to make a decision on comfortizing, and that he is still personally taking in comments from the climbing community to better understand what they would like going forward with comfortizing and route management.

Burns said that they are taking in information regarding any bad bolts or routes on their website, this is to ensure that every route is safe for each climber.

One of the main discussions from the meeting included the question of “why Ten Sleep?”

Many of the responses included ease of access to climbing, good quality of climbing, easy access to internet nearby for work along with a sense of community in the area.

They understand that at times the town of Ten Sleep has not fully understood the purpose of the climbers being in Ten Sleep, but the BCC is hoping to help continue to bridge the gap with the community through events and projects in the coming years.

There was discussion regarding certain routes being shut down this year due to nesting wildlife, which was able to result in two birds fledging. Members in attendance said that they had not seen any interference on those shut down routes due to communication between the BCC and the NFS to warn climbers.

One concern from local area residents included the shutting down of an electric fence by climbers at the top of the switchbacks; which led to livestock being on the highway and becoming a safety concern. One time the solar panel for the fence was also destroyed which led to a significant cost for the landowner.

The climbers were not all fully aware that the fence was electrified in the first place as they had touched it many times and not been shocked, but agreed they would either help put signage up to encourage climbers to electrify the fence once they leave or to not interfere with the fence entirely to help keep the area safe.

Trails, landing pads and parking were discussed, and the Forest Service is hoping to address those concerns in the plan once it is revealed. They are hoping to establish official trails to help them become sustainable over the makeshift trails that currently exist.

The Forest Service is hoping to create specific landing pads for climbing routes as well to help maintain the trails. They are also hoping to have the BCC help create and maintain the trails.

The Forest Service said that they are beginning to talk with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to establish a parking lot once WYDOT finishes a project in the canyon in 2023. The hope is for the lot to be established at the top of the switchbacks.

Burns said that the BCC plans to potentially hold a public meeting once a month in the spring, as the climbing season in Ten Sleep winds down to a close for this year.

The Forest Service felt that the BCC is one of the most effective ways to communicate with them, and help them understand the concerns from the public regarding climbing in the canyon and what they need to do in order to make it a safe environment.

The plan is currently going through review processes for the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) this winter, and will be up for more public discussion on the drafted plan in the spring with a hope of beginning implementation next year.

According to Davidson, this is the first plan of its kind and will be specific to Ten Sleep Canyon. There will likely be an expansion to other climbing areas in the Bighorn Mountains once the Ten Sleep plan is implemented.