The Squamish Buttress 5.10c
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| Type: | Trad, 6 pitches, Grade III |
| Consensus: | 5.10b/c [details] |
| FA: | Fred Beckey et al 1959 |
| Submitted By: | John Bradford on Nov 30, 2007 |
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Picture By Harvey Miller
John Bradford leading the...
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Description Pitch 1: starts below the small roofs, where there is a pin to protect the move. Angle around the left edge and up with minimal gear. Belay at a small tree about half way across the slab (5.8)
Pitch 2: Continue left across the slab on more sparse gear placements, but easy climbing to another tree at the start of a ledge (5.5
Pitch 3: After moving the belay around the corner to the left, climb easy 5th class corners for a full rope length to a good ledge surrounded by trees. The best moves are the top of this pitch. This can also be done in two pitches if desired. (5.7)
Pitch 4: A short pitch, that can be tricky to locate as it is all rather blocky. Climb almost straight out of the belay to the obvious steep crack that ends quickly on a ledge, then follow easier ground to the large open ledge at the base of the headwall (5.9)
Pitch 5: The reason to have groveled through the trees over lesser terrain to this point. A steep, beautiful north facing corner at the outside edge of the wall. It is gained by climbing the cracks to its right, off the ledge. Step left into the corner and jam and stem to the crux just below the exit. This is protected by an old pin, with great gear placements everywhere that will allow for a little old fashioned AO if needed. Step up onto the ledge to a bolt belay, bring the second up, then rap down and do it again! (5.10C)
Pitch 6: Follow easy ledges that wander up to the base of the Raven's Castle. (5.6)
Climb one of the Raven's Castle routes to the top, or move right around the bottom of the rock to pick up easier trails. descend via the tourist trail down the back.
Location From the top of Memorial Crack or Rock On, find the obvious trail heading up through the trees and trending right to the base of the wall. There are several fainter trails, but they all lead to the start of the first pitch, which is below several small roofs.
Protection Standard rack with gear up to 3 inches. Singles on most everything will be fine with finger to small hand size pieces for the crux pitch, with stoppers at the bottom of the same. A .75 Camalot works nicely above the pin at the crux on Pitch 5
Ken placing a nut on the last rest before the crux...
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Clayton is following the money pitch...
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BETA PHOTO: climbing up to the ledge below the crux pitch
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Rylan starts up the stellar pitch
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Crux pitch of Squamish Buttress is in the white st...
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Squamish Buttress. 8/2012.
Photo: Corey Gargano
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| Comments on The Squamish Buttress |
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By Andy Laakmann
Site Landlord
From: Bend, OR
Aug 3, 2009
rating: 5.10c
| The crux pitch is outstanding, and worth the all the scrambling to do it once. The crux pitch seemed heavy on the small cam/nut size to me. I placed a full set of C3s on the pitch in various locations. The crux doesn't climb like your typical Squamish fingercrack.... lots of body english and other fun stuff keep it interesting |
By John Wilder
From: Las Vegas, NV
Jul 16, 2010
rating: 5.10b/c
| Probably my least favorite route at squamish so far, although the crux pitch is spectacular and worth going up to once, you could down climb from the top and access it just as easily.
Gear....not much. If i did it again, id take a set of stoppers and two finger sized cams for the whole route, maybe a #2 camalot and a .75 camalot too...take the edge off a couple of the spicier moves down lower.
Definitely link pitches up to the crux. This route should be done in three and a half pitches. |
By claramie
From: Boulder, CO
Aug 29, 2011
| Most of the climbing on this route isn't that good but the money pitch is worth every penny!
We wanted to link everything up to the start of the money pitch into two pitches. You might be able to do that with a 70m. Don't know if you could link P1 & 2 while belaying from the ledge the whole time. There was about 30' of rope left when the leader yelled down to me that he was on a good ledge, I put my shoes on and started simuling when the rope came tight. It was pretty chill but maybe not recommended if you're near your limit because the slab moves are solid for the grade. That said, the leader will be on fourth class grooves at that point if not already at a tree belay on the shoulder of the buttress. From the shoulder, you can link everything up to the belay ledge for the crux pitch without simuling. If you do this, save the #3 for the last 5.8/5.9 vert section and if you're at your limit, break it into separate a mini pitch because you'd end up on the ledge if you blew it with that much rope out. Enjoy! It's a classic, especially if you link into it from Rock On or another 5 star apron route! |
By Johnny Y
From: California
Nov 15, 2012
| As of August 2012 the fixed pin on the crux pitch is gone, but most of the pitch is easily protectable, finger/ring locks are solid, definitely the money pitch.
Pitch 1+2 can be linked but use lots of long slings to avoid terrible rope drag. |
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