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Arches Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Arches

L › R R › L A › Z

	Banff Buttress S 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Summer Slab S 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
	Super Banfforama S 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c

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Elevation:	5,137 ft	1,566 m
GPS:	51.2103, -115.5493 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	198 total · 36/month
Shared By:	Brandon Pullan on Aug 24, 2025
Admins:	Dave Rone, Tom Jones, Richard Rose, Rhys Beaudry Page Updates (admin only)

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Arches

At the base of the southeast ridge of Cascade is a large buttress of rock. On the east-facing side is Arches, on the south is Buffalo Crag (where Wheat Kings is located). Between the two walls is a treed ridge with a few rock steps. In summer 2025, two new routes were added to Arches (Banff Buttress and Super Banfforama). A new trail up to the crag was established and flagged. And a new descent with flagging and three chained rappels was added. Several trad routes were climbed in the 1970s and 80s, some of which will be included here. Super Banfforama is the completion of Super Slaborama, a project that was left unfinished after 5 pitches.

Note: Mobile devices are not showing all of the information (photos, descriptions) - but everything appears on PC. Links to the routes:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/201561138/super-banfforama

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/201560032/banff-buttress

Getting There

Allow one hour. Park at Cascade Falls parking area. Follow the track across the meadow for about 500 metres and pick up a trail on the right, 15m east of a sign reading “Notice to All Pilots and Aircraft Owners,” on the left. A trail leads up the steep hill, through the forest, up a less forested ridge, then right into the woods, across and up a talus field, then right into the woods to the cliff. It takes about 30 minutes and climbs 200 metres in 600 metres of trail to the cliff. Banff Buttress starts at a blunt vertical buttress, 30 metres to the right of where the trail meets the cliff (cairn). Super Banfforama (start for Super Slaborama) starts 40 metres to the right and uphill at an old platform with rebar and a bolt.

Descent from Banff Buttress and Super Banfforama

Allow 90 minutes for the descent. From the top, follow flagging tape up and across the top of the cliff, then down to a large tree with a rappel chain above a steep face. Should take about eight minutes. Continue climber’s right along the base of a cliff, then walk down for another eight or ten minutes until you reach a 5 metre step that can be rappelled or downclimbed. There is another rappel chain here. Descend for another eight or ten minutes, past a sign indicating direction of descent. There is a fork here with the trail on the left going to the large ledge that splits the routes, to a bolt anchor for a 30 metre rappel. Lower down, you will find two fixed cables. The trail then heads down through a burned forest to the meadow. It takes about 20 minutes from the base of the last rappel to get to the airfield To descend from the big ledge above pitch 9 of Banff Buttress and pitch 7 of Super Banff-o-Rama, follow flagging tape until one trail goes up right to the upper wall and one goes left to join the main descent.

Rappelling with a 70 metre rope from the top of pitch-eight of Banff Buttress is possible, but not recommended due to loose rock. Descend from the tree chain to the top of pitch-six of Super Banfforama, then down six rappels to its base.