The Beehive Basin, Gallatin and Beaverhead National Forest. In August, Stefan Mitrovich and John Gallagher hiked into Beehive Basin near Big Sky, Montana. Our original plan was to do the standard route on The Beehive, but there was already a party on the first pitch. We opted instead for a cliff in the middle of the cirque by Beehive Lake. A line struck us right away, three towers up the south face. The exposure was great as was the scenery. The climb Three Towers was four pitches with an overall grade of 5.8. To reach the climb hike in on Trail #40 and #49 for Beehive Basin. When you reach the first lake (Beehive Lake) head right for a few hundred yards. After scrambling up a short talus slope, the route will be to the left of a prominent (huge) corner system. The first pitch offers several variations to the top of the first tower. The second pitch follows a crack for 200 feet, surmounting a small roof near the top of the second tower. The last two pitches wander up the face among discontinuous cracks to a third class finish. An easy walk-off to the right takes 15 minutes. This cliff offers quite a lot of potential!

John Gallagher