Cloud Peak, East Face, Big Horn Mountains, 1986. During the first ...

C loud P eak, E ast Face, B ig H orn M ountains, 1986. D uring the first w eek o f A ugust o f 1986, Steve Petro and I m ade the first ascent o f the east face o f C loud Peak. The face is about 1000 feet high and consists o f generally sm ooth solid granite with several ledge and dihedral system s. The route begins 80 feet left o f a prom inent left-angling black dike. The clim bing w ent all free and had occasional run-outs on easier ground. The first three pitches w ent at 5 .1 0 on steep slabs leading up to the first 5.11 pitch. This fourth pitch, the crux, was the steepest; it w as the last on the slabs and connected the route to the dihedrals. It involved delicate face clim bing and traversing on small edges. T w o m oderate pitches above led to grassy ledges and a bivouac after the second day. The last tw o pitches (5.9 and 5.11) were done on the third day during a building storm . An average free-clim bing rack o f R Ps, Friends and stoppers is adequate for the route. Six bolts w ere drilled on the clim b. W e approached from above and needed ice axes to descend the northernm ost couloir. A rn o Ilg n er