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Sunshine Buttress Rock Climbing

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Routes in Sunshine Buttress

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Brown-Haired Lady T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R

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GPS:	40.4032, -105.5182 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	3,657 total · 13/month
Shared By:	Kurt Johnson on Dec 19, 2001
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: 2024 Partial Seasonal Raptor Closures lifted 7/21/24 Details

From the Denver Post 7/21/24: some of the raptor closures have been lifted, officials announced.

Upper & Lower Twin Owls, Rock One, The Book and access trail, Bookmark, and Left Book were opened based on a park new release.

Closures have been extended for Thunder Buttress, access trail, The Parish, Cathedral Wall.

Closures above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond trail have been extended.

Per Brent Frazier: the raptor closures have been lifted in the Lumpy Ridge and Loch Vale Areas ( nps.gov/romo/raptor-closure…)

Each year, Rocky Mountain National Park initiates temporary closures in certain areas of the park to ensure that birds of prey will be undisturbed during their breeding and nesting seasons. These closures begin on February 15 and continue through July 31, if appropriate. Monitoring by park staff and volunteers have determined that all remaining closures can be lifted on July 28, 2023.

Per Matt Coghill: the Golden eagle nesting activity has extended Lumpy closures through Aug. 15, 2022 on Sundance, Thunder Buttress, and Needle Summit!

Per A.Eaton: the raptor closures have been lifted as of 6/4/2022 at Lumpy for the following formations:

Twin Owls
Rock One
Batman Rock
Batman Pinnacle
Checkerboard
Lightning Rock

Per the Denver Post: as of Feb. 15, 2022, Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One, and the Needle are closed for raptor nesting. These closures will continue through July 31, 2022 if needed.

All areas [were] OPEN to climbing for the 2021 post July season.

Closures ending July 31:
Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Lightning Rock, Checkerboard Rock - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Sundance - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
The Book Area: Left Book, The Bookmark, Bookmark Pinnacle, and the entire Book formation (including Renaissance Wall, Isis Buttress, Pages Wall Area, and J-Crack Slab Area)- nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Thunder Buttress and The Parish - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Twin Owls and Rock One - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Cathedral Wall - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…

When closed, the closures include the named rock formations and the areas surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes, and climber's access trails to the formation.

Areas not listed are presumed to be open. These closures will be lifted or extended as conditions dictate.

Description

Sunshine Buttress (not to be confused with the bigger and better Sundance Buttress) is the often overlooked and seldom visited little formation immediately west (left) of the Pear. According to the guidebook, it contains 3 routes, all put up by Carl Harrison in 1980, one of which is rated 5.7 and two which check in at 5.8. I probably never would've known this rock existed if I hadn't been scanning the guidebooks looking for a non-chimney 5.7 - besides those on the Left Book and the Pear which I'd already climbed - to take a beginner up.

A word of caution: The route I referred to above, Brown-Haired Lady, the only one of the three with a star in Rossiter's guidebook, has a potentially dangerous runout 3rd pitch and isn't suitable for beginners - beginning followers or leaders - as both would be hurt in a fall due to the fact that the line goes up a narrow fin with a slab on both sides. Fortunately we were short on time and walked off after the second pitch before unknowingly getting ourselves in over our heads.

All routes are 3 pitches and lead to the summit with a walk-off to the right (east), in the gully between Sunshine Buttress and the Pear. As I mentioned above, you can exit right from the ledge at the top of the second pitch of Brown-Haired Lady, but from what I remember it may require a bit of caution.

Getting There

To get there, hike to the base of the Pear and essentially go left until you find yourself at the base of the next climbable formation. This can be a bit trickier than it sounds, since it looks low-angle and uninteresting enough to make you wonder if you've actually found the right rock, at least from the base. However, even though it's not one of Lumpy's finest, it certainly climbs better than it looks, and makes for a decent day of moderate climbing, especially if you've done all the other routes at that grade at Lumpy.