The Curious Case of Fairfield Hill
The sun had set many hours ago and it was bitterly cold. The haunting moan of the wind crept through the walls adding to my sense of existential dread. It was past midnight and I was wide awake because there was something deeply disturbing on my mind. The more and more I thought about it, the more sickening it became. I stared out the window with my palm on the icy pane. Through the glass I saw a blizzard of blowing snow turning everything into an unforgiving tundra. In my reflection I see that insomnia has brought dark circles under my eyes. I heard footsteps behind me as my wife wrapped a blanket over my shoulders.
“What’s wrong honey? Can’t sleep?”
Without acknowledging her, I continued to stare out the window into the chilling void of the night.
“Why doesn’t anyone go climbing at Fairfield Hill?”
“Oh Jake, not this again… How many times have we been through this? It’s 2AM for heaven’s sake! I am packing a bag and leaving for my mother's house. Also I want a divorce...”
It looks like my obsession with Fairfield Hill has cost me yet another marriage.
Steven Vedder wearing horribly offensive pants on his classic route “Incombustible” (5.11c) at Fairfield West. I have to rinse my eyes with bleach every time he wears these pants. Photo credit Kyle Duba.
It turns out that there are dozens of us! (Dozens!) Who love climbing at Fairfield and think it is a worthy destination deserving of more traffic. Fairfield is the vast extension of Sinks Canyon Main Wall and is considered to be “the black sheep of Sinks Canyon Climbing”-Steve Bechtel. There are tons of fantastic routes, but they see barely a fraction of the traffic. In my insomnia fueled rage, I set out to find out why.
History
The earliest recorded routes at Fairfield are “The Plague” (5.12d) by Greg Collins, and “Blind” (5.11d) by Keith Lennard, both in 1989. As the sport climbing boom of the 90’s caught on, developers began to look to the abundant clean pocketed faces of Fairfield Hill and got to work. Now 33 years later after the first routes went in, there are now 166 quality climbs and counting. So far, around 30 dedicated climbers have put up routes at Fairfield and have helped make it the worthy crag it is today.
Jason Sloan manages to hike past the Killer Cave for once to take a rip on Paul Piana’s mega classic “My Dying Bride” (5.12d) Photo credit Kyle Duba.
Reasons Why Fairfield is Awesome
Let me tell you first hand that the climbing at Fairfield is amazing. I have been climbing at Fairfield for six years and have also bolted a handful of climbs. Hardly a drop in the pond compared to some people, but I feel like I have spent enough time at Fairfield to be qualified to rant about it on the internet.
Quality of Routes- Fairfield has some of the best rock climbs in Lander, period. The Bubble at the end of Fairfield West climbs pure steep pockets that rival Wild Iris, and the numerous red streaks form amazing technical rock climbs on bullet stone. Not to mention there are classics at every grade (see greatest hits below!) No matter what grade you like to climb, there is something for everyone at Fairfield
Quantity of Routes- There are over 166 routes at Fairfield Hill (and counting!). Fairfield is a great place to go and work on your onsight game, get mileage, or find a hard route to project. There are slabs, overhangs, and one of the largest roof climbs in Lander.
The Condies- Yes, I did use the word condies, and I know that was my last strike and now locked out of the Wild Iris website. On those sunny inversion winter days, the climbing conditions at Fairfield can’t be beat. The cliff is perfectly south facing and sits high above the cold inversion at the bottom of the canyon. Summers can be a little warm, but if you climb from 8PM-8AM it will be perfect.
Not Polished- When limestone routes get climbed a lot, they get polished. Every time when I see my reflection in the starting footholds of Killer, I ask “Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?” The answer is obvious: Fair-field. The climbing at Fairfield consists of grippy crimps and sinker pockets which is a really fun and welcome change from the polished ice rink of “Elmo’s Fish”.
No Crowds- This is the cherry on top. We are lucky to live in Wyoming which is just about the least crowded state, and is nothing like the sh*t show of the Front Range of Colorado. Nobody likes rolling up to a climb to see a horde of people sprawled out with dogs hammocks and speakers. But at Fairfield, YOU can be the one with dogs hammocks speakers (kidding, please don't do this). The most people I ever saw climbing at Fairfield was March 2020, there were over 20(!) different climbers spread out from East to West. It only took a deadly global pandemic for people to climb at Fairfield. As an added bonus, you are less likely to run into a disgruntled local such as Tom (T-Bone) Rangitsch.
Daniel Mock on the classic 5.10 of Fairfield “Chainsaw Willy” (5.10d). Climbing in T shirts in the middle of Winter is not uncommon. Photo credit Kyle Duba
Reasons Why Fairfield Sucks
I know what you are thinking, why in the hell would I have a section labeled “Why Fairfield Sucks” in a post about how awesome Fairfield is? Well, I am a realist. And I know there must be a reason as to why people aren’t climbing here. These are all of the arguments I could possibly think of, and why they are full of lies.
The Hike- Yep, this pretty much the only reason more people aren’t climbing at Fairfield. Believe me I know because I am the definition of a lazy sport climber and my legs have withered away to the size of twigs. Seriously, the hike really isn’t bad at all. It is about 20 minutes to East and 40 minutes to West. It is slightly longer than getting to the Killer Cave, but if I can do it, you can. I once had to carry two ropes up to Fairfield West because my friends didn’t want to carry a rope. After the day of climbing they said that they had so much fun and would never complain again. Isn’t that right Sophia…
It’s Choss- Ah the classic argument from someone who has clearly never been to Fairfield. Sections of the cliff have some of the best rock quality in Lander. The climbs surrounding the Bubble, Roof, and Spooky Tooth have exceptionally good rock quality and offer really fun climbing. If you are looking for choss might I suggest the Hurricave.
The Fire- In 2012, a fire swept across the right side of Sinks Canyon, torching the last of the shade trees and destroying some routes along the way. Unfortunately Fairfield East got hit the hardest, but thankfully this argument is no longer valid since nearly all the routes affected have been re-bolted and recleaned thanks to a large community restoration project.
The Slabs- Yes, Fairfield Hill has some sections that are less steep than Main Wall, but this is not a detractor at all. The climbs require technical footwork and creativity, but it is a nice change of pace from falling off of the same old jugs on your project in the Killer Cave.
No Hard Climbs- Alex Megos has never climbed at Fairfield, probably because he is too scared to get the smackdown on a Branscomb FA from the early 90’s. Just because there is nothing harder than 13b (yet), doesn’t mean that there are still some nails hard rock climbs (have you tried “Blind 5.11d?) There are also some open projects, and possibly a 5.14 waiting to be discovered.
Zach Nadiak on the first ascent of a sandbagged anti-classic bolted by the author. “36 Chambers” (5.12c).
The Players
Bob Branscomb and Kristi Stouffer: Bob and Kristi are without a doubt, the most prolific developers at Fairfield with over 70(!) routes to their name. Since the early 90’s, Bob has been toiling away in his swami belt and kernmantle rope developing some of the best climbs of the area and making Fairfeild an area worth exploring. If you see Branscomb/Stouffer listed as the first ascensionist, expect a sandbag and some hard crimping.
Vance White: AKA Victor Blanco, AKA The mayor of Sinks Canyon, AKA The friendliest guy at the crag. Vance has been climbing at Sinks since 1997 and has undoubtedly climbed more routes in Sinks than any other climber, and has bolted at least 14 routes in Fairfield alone, with many more in the Lander area. To this day, Vance can still be found up at Fairfield climbing new routes and looking for other lines to bolt.
Ryan and Jesse Morse Brady: Being a NOLS bus driver lends itself to having a lot of free time, which Ryan and his wife Jessie (not a bus driver) used to establish close to a dozen climbs in the area. Ryan and Jesse also helped spearhead the Fairfield Restoration Project. With the help of many friends (Steve Vedder, Rick Guerri, Taylor Speigelberg, Jacob Gallagher, and more) The friends of Fairfield have taken it upon themselves to re-bolt and reclean the entirety of Fairfield East, and are now moving left across the cliff. It is a truly herculean and thankless job and Lander is lucky to have them in the community. So far, around 36 routes have been revived.
Todd Skinner and Paul Piana: It’s no surprise that some of the best and hardest gems at Fairfield were mined by these two. Todd and Paul established approximately 14 routes here and you can bet that they are all pretty dang good. While Fairfield Hill is perhaps not as classic as the Trango Tower, it is a pretty close second.
There are of course many other developers at Fairfield that deserve to be mentioned, but in today's era of short attention spans, they unfortunately don’t get their own paragraph. In no particular order: Greg Collins, Keith Lennard, Ed Delong, Steven Vedder, Rick Guerriri, Griff Heydt, Ben Sears, Jesse Brown, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson, and many more.
Vance White on his route “Blessed Black Wings” (5.13a). The crown of most routes climbed at Fairfield belongs to him. Perhaps one day when I am old and bald that crown will belong to me. For now I wait in the shadows until the time is right. Photo credit Kyle Duba
Greatest Hits Tour
As I mentioned before, there are tons of great routes of every grade, but these ones really stand out to me as being the best of the best, and worth seeking out. If you climb all these routes, come and find me at Wild Iris Mountain Sports and I will hang a photo of you over my desk commemorating your achievement.
5.6 Hot Pastrami - FA: Libby Vedder, 2017
5.7 High Ho Silver Away - FA: Bob Branscomb+Mark Watkins, 2012
5.8 Teenagers From Mars - FA: Vance White, 2008
5.9 Blue Condition - FA: Bob Branscomb+Kristi Stouffer, 2020
5.10a Manifest Destiny - FA Ed DeLong, 1999
5.10b Sorta Maybe Kinda Wild - FA: Bob Branscomb, 1999
5.10c Cheaper than Religion - FA: Bob Branscomb, 2008
5.10d Chainsaw Willy - FA: Bob Branscomb, 1993
5.11a Estimated Prophet - FA: Bob Branscomb, 2013
5.11b The Great Deceiver - FA: Scott Cole, 1990
5.11c Incombustible - FA: Steven Vedder+Rick Guerrieri, 2018
5.11d Blind - FA: Keith Lennard, 1989
5.12a Don Ho - FA: Todd Skinner, 2002
5.12b Time Traveler - FA: Taylor Spiegelberg, 2020
5.12c Fizzle Doubt - FA: Paul Piana, 2002
5.12d My Dying Bride - FA: Paul Piana, 1996
5.13a Flight Club - FA: Vance White, 2011
5.13b Doll Face - FA: Paul Piana, 2004
The author getting yet another smackdown on a Bob Branscomb FA from the early 1990’s. Photo credit Taylor Spiegelberg
Conclusion
Fairfield is awesome and you should check it out. There are a ton of incredible routes, the hang is fantastic, and the season is great all year long. The climbing at Fairfield will teach you proper footwork, get your fingers strong, and just might make you a better climber. Case closed.
Don’t agree with this list? Are you now looking for a partner to carry your rope up to Fairfield Hill? Are you a counselor that can save my failing marriage? Leave a comment below or send me an email at jake@wildirisclimbing.com