Pancake-flat for most of its expanse, and blessed with rich earth and waving grains, North Dakota is the antithesis of alpine. But this month a crew of Great Plains explorers have made public a goal to fund a guidebook that will reveal the rare rock-climbing routes found along buttes and river valleys in the state.

Climbing is real, if limited, in North Dakota. In all, the group — the North Dakota Climber’s Coalition — cites six established climbing areas, three of which “are becoming full-size crags with sport and trad routes and even some really great boulders,” said Dakota Walz, the Fargo-born founder of the coalition. (Yes, that is his real name.)
“Between boulder problems and routes I would estimate a total of about 70 climbs and counting [in the whole state]. So not a lot, but about 70 more than you might expect,” Walz said.
A printed guide to these areas is the thrust behind a Kickstarter called the North Dakota Rock Climbing Development & Guidebook. The project seeks $2,500 in support, and whatever money is raised will be matched by North Dakota state tourism funds.

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