B-b-buttress 

Very enjoyable. Great climbing.

I think the FA of the bolted route of this was Jim Shimberg

yup he bolted it... i just fixed it... thanks

This route is so fun, it absolutely gets four stars! Anyone else say its the best 5.9 in Rumney?

definitely worth while, but I wouldn't go so far as that. It must have cleaned up a bunch since I did it if you guys are that into it. I remember it being a fun adventure, but having a fair amount of low angle dirty climbing and loose holds. ..nice if it has cleaned up.

Off topic here but has been a subject friends and I have brought up several times in the past - the best 5.9 at Rumney. Dolt(.9 or .10a?)? 2-pitch Rock Du Jours Direct? Yoda or Obiwan? Space? War and Peace? Trigger Happy? Loads of good 10a but 5.9 is a 'tough' grade for Rumney, IMHO.

What about The Green Mile? (joking. Somebody gave that 4 stars). I think I would have to go for Rock du Jours, mostly for the positioning. Others that I would put on the list of best 9s are Smokestack (aka Coldshoulder), Giant's Chimney (for complete wildness), Slick, Space Shuttle. Black Slabbath is also pretty good, along with Yoda. I can't think of any 9s at Rumney that deserve 4 stars, but there are a bunch of 2 and a number of arguably 3 stars.

I haven't been on all those that are listed so I guess I might not be able to make that statement yet. However, I will say it is the best .9 I have been on so far, in my opinion better than Yoda or Oby-won :) Mark the rock is lichen free and very clean. The upper corner had a touch of water in one of the cracks but as you know it has rained recently. Very very clean route now.

i agree Matt that it might be a contender for the best .9 in rumney (and i have done all the routes listed other than giant's chimney)... clean and long, interesting and beautiful...
another of my favorites is Bridge to Nowhere (5.9) which is the second pitch jakob and i added to Abby Normal (5.10c) last year... really fun with great positioning...

Alright, to all you slab masters, I will have to check this route and Bridge To Nowhere out this year. I have no excuse now that I have a 70m rope on order.
If working hard to send a route is any measure of quality, Smokestack gets my vote for best 5.9 at Rumney. Jay Knower agrees too from what I just read. I actually liked it quite a bit, just a little surprised by how pumpy it felt. Full value; 5.9+ with emphasis on the "+".

Yeah, I agree with you S. Neoh that Smokestack is the best 5.9 on the hill. It's a 5.9 sport route that climbs like a heinous alpine trad pitch, which is the best of both worlds: safe climbing, but sketchy moves. Do I chimney? Layback? Stem? All three at once? Such is the joy of Smokestack.

Mark/Lee, what's Giants Chimney?

Edit: Psyycchhh... I just stumbled upon Lee's map for the Summit Crag and saw it listed there. :)

"This climb was done by me and my friend Rob in 1980. It was terrifying on trad gear and I was a rookie. Worst part of it then was at the top because there and still are only small twigs for trees to belay off of far from the cliff's edge. I rated it 5-6 dismissing the start because it was just a boulder problem."

Comment by bradley white on May 6th, 2009 12:56 pm

There is a pine tree on the left a little higher than mid way. This tree has used by us for rappel. Using this tree for two rappels a 50m ropes works.

OK, we warmed up on this route today. Nice. Felt a bit harder than Air and Present Danger. And throw in a bit of Jolt. I did not right away think it is the best .9 at Rumney. Sorry!!
The first bolt in the inside corner leading to the finish is too low to protect much especially if you clip a 2-foot sling to it, as recommended in the guide book.

Thanks Jim!
Best 9 at Rumney, at least that I've done! well worth the hike. After reading comments I'll be looking for Smokestack next

After doing smokestack (the best 5.9+ in Rumney) I still say this is the best 5.9 : )

The start just got a lot harder - the large block that this guy's left foot is standing on is gone:
www.mountainproject.com/v/107102547

That's a shame...

fuckin' thieves

Whoa, the thing appeared solid when we did the route three weeks ago. Was the fallen down tree at the start of the route also got pushed downhill?

I haven't gotten the opportunity to climb this yet but have been really stoked on it. How much does this affect the climb? Any idea on the grade? This is really too bad, it looks from the picture that you would use that for hands too...

I don't know if I would do a Cannon route with you, Soon! From the ground as I was walking by it a few weeks ago it looked like it had the potential to fall off to me, lol (the lol was especially for Eric)

Ha - mark..i got a Cannon route for you

6pitches, independant x for belays 12-ish

I walked by this on the way down on Saturday. A chainsaw will be called for. And yeah... it changes the start just a little.

Mark, I was with Dim and OM. None of us thought the block was detached! Honestly, I was more concerned about breaking off parts of the flakes at the start of Finland.
Chances are we will be curious enough to give the new start a try the next time we are in the neighborhood.

With that block gone the start is significantly harder - and that is if you use the dead tree's root as a foot on the left of the bolt - and that thing is rotting and flexing so it won't be there for long. The 1st bolt does NOT protect the move - which is now the crux of the route. I would say it's a solid 5.10A now at the start w/using root as a foot, solid 10+ (my guess) without the root. I tried going right and the great crimp that would've kept the grade reasonable broke as I tried - thank goodness we stick clipped the 2nd clip! Without the crimp going right at 1st bolt is probably 11ish move now.

I would recommend drilling a new 1st bolt that is higher and possibly to the left which would protect 1st few moves off the ground, or someone will get hurt! Also I suspect a chainsaw and removing the remnants of the dead tree stump and some cleaning may reveal a softer start that can be protected with a new 1st bolt which will keep the grade at 5.9. I'll be happy to help with the effort.

Climbed this sunday and had similar experience as Ming. Messy start with a lack of a left foot unless you use the rotting tree/stump and even still it makes for a sketchy second clip with the first bolt not protecting much other than a tumble down hill. I tried to clean some holds of dirt but it will probably need a thorough cleaning either right or left before it feels good to climb.