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West Buttress - South Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in West Buttress - South

L › R R › L A › Z

	Accidental Spice T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Ad-vance to Idaho T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Bug City T 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b
	Claim Jumper S 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
	Dot World S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Drew's Corner T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Enemy Combatant TR 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Friction Pants S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Genevive T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Just Right S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Layback and Relax TR 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Mantle Like A Madman TR 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
	Poking Holes in the Firmament S 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
	Ryobi S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Scorpio Rising S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Sexcellent S 5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c
	Shock and Awe S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Squench S 5.12b/c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
	Tiers of Joy T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b

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Elevation:	6,144 ft	1,873 m
GPS:	42.12441, -113.67193 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By:	David Tvedt on Apr 19, 2006 · Updates
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Access Issue: (1) BLM Managed Lands at Castle Rocks PERMANENTLY CLOSED TO CLIMBING!! Castle Rocks State Park and US Forest Sevice lands are OPEN TO CLIMBING. US Forest Service Lands closed to new route developement. (2) Highlining temporary ban in place at CIRO/CRSP Details

(1) The BLM has amended the Cassia Resource Management Plan (RMP) to permanently close the 400 acres of land it manages in the Castle Rocks Interagency Recreation Area to staging, traditional rock climbing, sport climbing and bouldering, as well as overnight camping and development of new trails. Here is a link to a map that shows the BLM land in yellow. parksandrecreation.idaho.go…

The adjacent Castle Rocks State Park and the National Forest Service land to the north remains OPEN TO CLIMBING,
as does the nearby City of Rocks National Reserve.

(2) HIGHLINING IS PROHIBITED
By the authority of the park manager, Highlining at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park is temporarily prohibited as of August 28, 2019.

The park(s) is reviewing highlining activities. Here are Google Drive links to the closure and the updated Code of Regulations for CIRO. drive.google.com/open?id=1y… and drive.google.com/open?id=1Y…

Arrest and/or hefty fines are likely if caught rock climbing with ropes and gear in the BLM land.

Please respect this closure to ensure access to the open climbing at Castle Rocks is not threatened.

The "Final Supplementary Rules for the Castle Rocks Land Use Plan Amendment Area, Idaho" is located in the Federal Registry. This document gives the details on the closure but doesn't provide a map. You can check it out here: federalregister.gov/documen…

Description

This spur off the west side of Castle Rock has several routes on it's south face that include: Claim Jumper (sport), Shock and Awe (sport), Enemy Combatant (Top Rope), Advance to Idaho (Trad), Squench (Sport). This wall faces directly south but gets some shade earlier in the morning from the main Castle Rock to east. You may have a waiting line for Shock and Awe on busy days. Around the left corner on the northwest side of the buttress, there are several more routes: Sword in the Stone (bolts and gear), Excalibur (trad) and Shifting Gears (bolts and gear). This wall has good shade until mid afternoon.

Approach the left most routes of this buttress by scrambling to a ledge 100 feet left of the gully.

Getting There

Approach this crag by following the trail along the old ranch road that skirts south side of Castle Rock. Continue along the trail until you reach a signed trail that leads to the Hostess Gully. Follow the trail and flagging up through a boulder field to the routes.

Continue on the trail past Red Rib and Patina Atoll, take a left when you reach the base of the gully, and look for a flagged sign for Shock and Awe and head up the trail to the buttress on the right. The area can also be approached by following the trail/road along the south side of Castle Rock, then following it north along the west side of Castle Rock. This approach goes right along-side the west tip of the West Buttress.

19 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at West Buttress - South

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b 116 ● Poking Holes in the Firmament Sport
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 64 ● Scorpio Rising Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 56 ● Ryobi Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 13 ● Accidental Spice Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 19 ● Drew's Corner Trad
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 141 ● Shock and Awe Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 14 ● Layback and Relax TR
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 11 ● Friction Pants Sport
5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c 10 ● Sexcellent Sport 3 pitches
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a 13 ● Claim Jumper Sport
5.12b/c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b 5 ● Squench Sport