South Buttress  5.10a

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Type:  Trad, 4 pitches, 500 feet Consensus:  5.10a [details] FA:  Rick Piggot (solo!) Submitted By:  Adam Kimmerly on Nov 12, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (5) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: South Buttress of Corte Madera

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Seasonal Nesting Advisory MORE INFO >>> Go to www.Alliedclimbers.org for more information on the seasonal nesting advisory for the west side of Corte Madera This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment Current San Diego County Advisories MORE INFO >>> Thanks to ACSD for providing the following updates! ACSD Access and Nesting Advisories Poway Crag's Ramona Wall and Miller Time Wall have a closure in effect from Dec 15th through August 31st annually dur to nesting raptors Glen Cliff has a closure in effect from Dec 15th through August, or if/when it is determined that nesting is not occurring Mt Gower also has a closure in effect from Dec 15th through August, or if/when it is determined that nesting is not occurring In recent years, Gower has been home to seasonally nesting raptors. To avoid human disturbance of nesting activities, advisories may be in effect from around December through August. Check the ACSD and CNF websites for details. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

This is a gear-protected route with gear belays. Pitch breakdown is subjective. Here's how I would do it next time...

P1 5.10a 120': Scramble up the ramp, carefully stemming past the yucca to the steep OW and squeeze chimney. A cruxy section of OW & lieback moves gets you to a rest, then more squeeze chimneying and stemming gets you through a second crux and up to a nice belay (med. gear) just above an old bolt.

P2 5.9 190' (or 2 pitches): Lieback up the flake to a wide crack. Face climb and stem up to a rest midway up the crack, then either chimney in to place pro or lieback up the wide crack to the small roof where it pinches off to tight hands. Lieback up over the roof, then wander straight up thinning cracks and face climbing to a short splitter just right of a large bush. Belay at the large dirt-covered ledge.

P3 5.8 120': Climb up the sparsely protected face directly below the roof and choose to pass the roof on the right (original route) or left (our choice). Passing the roof on the left involves some tricky liebacking and stemming around the corner of the roof to easier stemming in a wide crack. Belay somwhere above.

P4 5.easy 100': Scramble up easier terrain to the top of the formation.

Location 

Approach the base of Corte Madera via a variety of options (rap in from the top or hike or drive your 4x4 down the gnarly Espinosa Trail to the lower trailhead). Look for the obvious wide, right-facing crack system splitting the crag right at the toe of the buttress.

Protection 

A set of nuts and single cams up to BD #4 with doubles of #2, #3, and #4 being useful. We also brought a #5 which got used but wasn't a necessity.