Charlie Hickenbottom (a skinny man) climbing on Fatman Wall.
Maps. See our map.
Skill: 3 (advanced) technically these walls are moderate and harder
Fitness: 2 (intermediate) these walls are short. But they’re steep and crimpy
FatMan, SkinnyMan, Powerhouse, M and M walls pdf pictures and route info (this takes a moment to load but is worth the wait).
Fat Man Wall. A minute’s descent from the switchbacks beneath Ride ‘em Cowboy will drop you to Teaser, the first (leftmost) climb on the Fat Man Wall. Fat Man is one of the lower entablature walls and is 100% sport climbing, most of it excellent. Directly right (southeast) of Fat Man Wall lies Skinny Man Wall.
Skinny Man Wall. To the right (east) of Fat Man Returns, the wall abruptly juts out then turns a 90-degree corner. This overhanging corner is the route Little Stinker, the first climb on the Skinny Man Wall.
M and M Wall. The first difficult sport routes at Frenchman Coulee were developed here by two climbers from west of the Cascades, Mike Massey and Matt Kerns. The quasi-columns of the M&M Wall are some of the best in the area. The stone here tends to be hard, in both meanings of the word. Of the 15 current routes, 5 of them rate 4 stars, 3 rate 3 stars and the rest get 1 or 2 stars.
Powerhouse Wall. Even with the recent development of overhanging walls beneath the Middle East Wall and below the Old Vantage Highway, the Powerhouse Wall still commands respect. If you are a solid 5.10D sport leader at other Coulee walls, you may still get spanked by the extremely physical 5.10D’s of the Powerhouse Wall: Violator, Victim of Fate, and Take Hold of the Flame. There are two ways to reach the Powerhouse: 1) Continue east from the end of M and M Wall on the old scratch trail to Moonshine Wall and head up to the Powerhouse or, 2) Take the fork below Ride ‘em Cowboy at the Near End. The trail will cross the small valley, drop down through some rocks, and go past the base of the Moonshine Wall. Continue up to the Powerhouse Wall.
An introduction to climbing at Frenchman Coulee. Learn about the area’s environment, seasons, required permits, camping, geology, botany, bird life, other activities… (this takes a moment to load).
Trip Reporter: Selected Climbs of Frenchman Coulee has been compiled, photographed, and written by Marc A. Dilley, a Wenatchee-based climber well-versed in the area’s routes and natural history.
Leave It Better than You Found It. This should be every user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull noxious weeds along your route, throw branches over unwanted spur trails, etc.
Disclaimer. Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Conditions change and those contributing these reports are volunteers–they may make mistakes or not know all the issues affecting a route. You are responsible for yourself, your actions, and your safety. If you won’t accept that responsibility, you are prohibited from using our information.
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