South Buttress Right, Mt. Moran 5.11
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| Type: | Trad, Alpine, 7 pitches, 750 feet, Grade IV |
| Consensus: | 5.11b [details] |
| FA: | David Dornan & Herb Swedlund 1961 |
| Season: | Summer |
| Submitted By: | Ian Eastman on Oct 14, 2007 |
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Begining of crux pitch.
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Description The south buttress of Moran is an amazing climb with pitch after picth of beautiful granite. SBR trends up a crack system working right up the wall. (5.8) First pitch leads off from a triangle shaped rock up a corner system, and up over a bulge onto a well sized ledge. (.9)Second pitch wanders through a right facing corner with good hand jams and jugs, and a liebacking leading into a ramp up and right to a belay below crux pitch. (.11a -smallest cams to 0"-.25") Work into corner past pitons, making insecure lieback moves around corner and up slab past another piton and up to/past optional belay, where you can either stop or continue on up through small roof to belay under even larger roof (last pitch is often broken into two). From belay work up towards roof breaking right to the beginning of great traverse. Taking advantage of gear you find on the way and watching for rope drag, traverse right along small wavy ledge systems for 70ft+/- and belay below hand crack on small block. (.10a) Work up crack past piton, up and through V-shaped roof to large comfortable ledge. (.9+) Go right along ledge 30 Ft and head up broken rock to old bolts leading to top of climb and first rap anchor.
Location Approach: Stay low along the creek in Leigh Canyon until you can begin to identify the two large ledge systems on your right angling west on the bottom of the south buttress of Moran. Once directly below these ledge systems take a right and climb scree field until parallel with the bottom of Laughing Lion falls (good place to stash gear). Books talk of additional first pitch if you choose, for gaining second ledge. I personally think its best to just scramble up first ledge and through 4th class terrain to second ledge and locate the beginning of the route. Descent: After reaching the top rap begins by heading right towards the top of Laughing Lion falls, next goes right again at the break col to large ledge where anchors are hidden from view on hard left, down again and find large steep gully system on right which finally funnels you and anything else you kick off down two or three more raps to large ledge where you began route. Last rap is on the far east end of ledge and brings you right back to where you stashed your chocolate chips and beer.
Protection For crux 3rd pitch bring all the small stuff 0"-.25", and a solid mountain rack up to 3" will work for the rest, a few long runners and two ropes to get off. Most rap stations are bolts or something adequately slung. Time: 8-12hrs PS. Great bivy sites on creek in Leigh Canyon just below scree field, watch out for bears.
Second at the beginning of the Great Traverse.
| Jason on the low-angle crack that leads to the bas...
| The crux corner.
| The slabby bolt-protected pitch high on the SBR.
| Pitch 1 of Blackfin
| Pitch 1 of SBR. If you stay in the corner and don...
| Alan on the "tricky" lieback
| Monsieur Rousseau leading out on crux. Where's th...
| Starting the Great Traverse.
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| Comments on South Buttress Right, Mt. Moran |
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By Sam Lightner, Jr. Jul 11, 2009
| A few thoughts: The crux felt like 11c to me, but it was wet. COnsidering this is normal, I'd go 11c. I didn't have any, but blue aliens or gray metolius would have worked great. THe scars are not deep. The traverse pitch is amazing. The bolts on the last pitch are there for mental support and its solid 5.10 slab. Be careful. The top rap or two descends to the right. Don't get sucked into continually going towards the falls as the stations get worse and worse until the are balanced blocks on a dirt ledge and pins that can be removed by hand. I think at the bigger ledge, like tow from the top, go down and left... seems like thats where we went wrong. |
By Mark SLC Aug 27, 2009 rating: 5.11
| Rock quality and exposure is outstanding, as is the more remote feel and canoe in. Crux pitch has lots of fixed pins that seemed solid. Straightforward french free for our party w/ smaller c3s or equivalent. Agree w/ earlier post. Tough slab moves with old bolts. As for descent, no bolted rap stations (that we found). In fact one was backed up with a yellow c3. Save some daylight for descent and watch your ends (obviously a good idea anyway to get early start for decent temps for last 5.10 slab w/ sunny exposure). As for the rack you can leave the 4 at home. Doubles of everything up to #3 for us worked fine. |
By Alan Nilsson Feb 13, 2010
| I climbed this back in 2003, and taken as a whole experience, it still sticks in my mind as one the of the best routes I have ever climbed. I don't remember all of the climb, but here are the standout's: The crux is size dependent, my fat sausage fingers would need a hammer to get them in the crack, my wife thought it was perfect. Even with fat fingers, I didn't think it was too hard, solid 11a (going off of Yosemite standards) The great traverse is one of the best pitches in the universe. Very exposed. In my opinion, the highlight of the climb. Watch the ropes when pulling the raps. Especially the last 3 raps. You are rapping through blocky sections and the end can get caught very easily. Climb quick, watch for afternoon thunderstorms. The rock is great, the bolts are marginal, the climbing is fantastic. There are objective dangers (rock fall, catching ropes, thunderstorms, bears), and you are a ways out there. All the things that make a very memorable climb! |
By Tim Wolfe From: Salt Lake City, UT Aug 7, 2010 rating: 5.11a
| If you have a canoe it is by far the best way to approach. Even possible to do this in the dark. The climbing is best technical climbing I have done in the Tetons - perfect rock and nice sustained pitches. We went to the Summit but I would not recommend this as it adds about 30 pitches of easy but tedious free soloing 4th and easy 5th class rock, plus it turns a one day trip into an overnight trip even if you are fairly fast (due to the delays climbing the hard section of the route). |
By Roy Leggett Aug 12, 2012 rating: 5.11+ R
| Amazing route! I felt the crux was pretty solid 11/11+, but I have fat fingers and was barely getting half my fingernail in. The traversing pitches are mega 5 stars! Also, the slab at the end is full value. Hard slab climbing (felt 10+/11 to me) on old, rusted, half driven 1/4" star drives. I tried for a while to free it and ultimately decided the potential for a serious fall wasn't worth it (no shame here). I pulled on the bolts and that was even terrifying. They need to be replaced. Seriously great route though. |
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