This is one of the best corners in Sedona. You can rap after the corner pitch, or if you feel guilty for having too much fun and want to pay your pennance, continue on to the top. It gets sun almost all day.
Pitch 1) 5.8 60' Ugly. Climb a junky pitch to the ledge at the base of the corner and build a belay. The belay takes #1 and #2 Camalots real well, but if you're trying to save this size a spot for a #3.5 can be found.
Pitch 2) 5.10 100' Beautiful. Jam or layback the corner with occasional rests. The corner takes a good variety of gear. The crux comes when the crack gets wide and juts out to the right. This move protects well with a new #5 Camalot or a #0.75 a bit earlier. After the crux set gear for your follower and traverse easily to the bolted anchor.
Pitch 3) 5.9R 150' Scary. Slab, slab and more slab. There are a lot of bolts on this pitch, but it seems like every time you look down you're 20' above one of them. Micro-route finding is tricky. The 5.9 crux is just before the second bolt, where a fall would send you flying way past your belayer. From the last bolt, traverse into a corner and pull onto an ugly ledge with a very difficult to set up belay.
Warning: all but 1 of the bolts on this pitch stick out from the wall a good inch and sport old homemade hangers.
Descent: Rap 1: 150' Locate the hard-to-see bolts next to the big tree. Rap to the Pitch 2 anchors. Rap 2: 120' into a group of hungry agaves.
Location
Drive up Schnebly Hill Road past the Moose's Butte, and park at the Cow Pie trail head. (you'll think you've gone too far.) Follow the Cow Pie trail as it contours left under a large cliff (home to Arch Enemy) twards the Flying Butress. Eventually you'll reach a saddle between the Teapot and the Flying Butress. Technicolor corner is the big obvious corner on the south face near the saddle.
Protection
3 each .75, 1, 2, 3 Camalot 1 each 4, 5 Camalot (new sizes!) Consider an extra #2 or #4 (new) for the belay.
This is a true classic and the face pitch is the best! It is one of the nicest pitches in Sedona. It was scary on the FA and probably just as scary now. I can't believe nobody has ever replaced those old bolt hangers. I think Mike made them from an old mailbox. What can I say we were dirt poor. I suggest pulling them out and replacing them with baby angles. Of course that would be scary. They were all drilled from stances with no hooks so the replacement can be done without much shenanigans.
Flying Butress
RSS Feed
