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Elysian Buttress Original Route

5.8, Trad, 450 ft (136 m), 5 pitches, Grade II,  Avg: 2.9 from 46 votes
FA: Scott Baxter, et al
Arizona > Northern Arizona > Flagstaff Area > Mt Elden Crags > Elysian Buttress > Left Buttress

Description

The start of this route has several markers. There is a cairn made of rocks and a stick that more or less marks the base. Additionally to the route's right there are three fins of rock in a row.

Scramble up about 10 feet to the route's start. It helps rope management if the belayer scrambles up and sits on a fin of rock that is just left of the route's start.

Pitch 1 - 5.7+ Head straight up crack system until a 3.5 or 4 camalot placement is possible and where the crack "gooves out" above. At this point step down and traverse left on good but flexible holds. Look for a second crack system and take this until it is possible to traverse back right to the main system. Belay on a sloping ledge off small cams and slung horns and blocks. (~120')

Pitch 2 (5.6) - Head up off the belay using creative gear in horizontal cracks climbing to a leftward slanting ramp system. Climb this ramp until an exit right is available. Run out the rope to a nice ledge which is below and left of the Skyline Pitch. This belay takes small cams and stoppers. It is also possible to stay on the ramp/gully system and exit at the top next to a dead tree. From here one can climb up and right to the same belay ledge. (~200')

Pitch 3 (5.7+) - The Skyline Pitch. Climb up and right past a small hueco and around a corner. Find a thin crack with face holds and edges. Climb up this crack until it ends, then step up and left to a good crack which slopes up and right. Climb this crack to a flat spot below a chimney and belay of medium sized gear. (~100')

Pitch 4 (5.7+) - Climb chimney above belay surmounting small roof/chockstone at top. Above this climb easy 5.4 corner to a nice ledge with two bolts and belay. (These bolts mark the top of the third pitch of Mechanical Persistence and the second rappel anchor.) (~85')

Pitch 5 (5.6+) - Head up and left off the belay. It is tempting to clip the first bolt on Mechanical Persistence, but this will give you terrible rope drag later on. After climbing up about 15-20' traverse left across some ledges. At this point look for the second ramp cutting up and right. A nice finger to hands crack in this ramp will lead to the top and a two bolt rappel anchor. (~100')

Descent - From the final anchor rappel down the 4th pitch of Mechanical Persistence to the above mentioned rap anchor. From the second rap anchor (at the top of Elysian's 4th pitch) rap 70' down and right to a large ledge. Walk to the far side of this ledge and scramble down the gully and back to your packs.

Location

Finding this route is the real crux. During the approach head for the largest lefthand buttress. If you find a black, dry waterfall, you are too far to the left and need to back track. Mechanical Persistence, an excellent four pitch sport climb, is about 100' to the right of the Elysian's first pitch.

Protection

1 set of stoppers
1 set TCU's or Alien's
1 set .5 to 3.5 Camalot (Old Sizes)
1 x 4 Camalot Optional
Sings and Draws

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Elysian Buttress beta photo
[Hide Photo] Elysian Buttress beta photo
This wash formed (or at least intensified) over the heavy monsoon in 2013. You can follow it all the way up to the base of the route.
[Hide Photo] This wash formed (or at least intensified) over the heavy monsoon in 2013. You can follow it all the way up to the base of the route.
Skyline pitch
[Hide Photo] Skyline pitch
Cooper post tackling the 4th pitch chimney
[Hide Photo] Cooper post tackling the 4th pitch chimney
Tanner leading up the pitch while Emmett belays
[Hide Photo] Tanner leading up the pitch while Emmett belays
Walking through the drainage going up to Elysian Buttress
[Hide Photo] Walking through the drainage going up to Elysian Buttress
Marcy leading pitch 1
[Hide Photo] Marcy leading pitch 1
4th pitch
[Hide Photo] 4th pitch
Working across the skyline pitch, who knew 5.7 could be so exciting
[Hide Photo] Working across the skyline pitch, who knew 5.7 could be so exciting

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields were the final resting place of the blessed chosen by the gods. This route is well worth the bushwack, almost makes you forget your still in Flagstaff. Jul 24, 2008
[Hide Comment] PS with a 70m pitch 1 and 2 link and pitch 4 and last pitch of M.P. link, pretty sweet. Jul 24, 2008
Sam S
Boulder, CO
  5.7+ PG13
[Hide Comment] Really fun route. Quite the approach and route finding adventure.

Just a word of caution, many (if not most) of the gear on this route is very difficult to place and in many places non-existent. Just be ready to run it out!

Great old school trad! Jun 19, 2011
Dustin Wildermuth
Flagstaff, AZ
5.8 PG13
[Hide Comment] Bring small nuts...you know what I mean. The skyline pitch takes off from or in the big bowl depending on where ended the last pitch. It heads way right to face climbing, placing thin nuts in a seam followed by some good gear. It then coninues with more thin nuting while climbing over a ledge. This route is heads up for the grade and I wouldn't recomend it to a 5.7 leader. Be ready for tricky thin gear, Rish ratings and challenging route finding. A geat adventure and a must do if you are ready. Feb 26, 2012
Jeff Peabody
Albuquerque
Alex Wood
Flagstaff, Arizona
  5.8
[Hide Comment] Watch the weather! This route/area gets hit hard by summer monsoons and it is hard to see it building! I had to retreat twice from this route. Once from the top of the first pitch and once from on top the second. The third pitch is weird. From the belay above the dead tree on the big ledge system, traverse out right quite a ways on easier terrain with really no pro. You should be able to see bolts from Mechanical Persistence. You traverse till there is a small flake and you can see a shallow crack above. Move up this exposed face with little options for pro (PG-13 I'd say) until you get a to a small ledge and until the crack gets wider. The 4th pitch is awesome! Dec 9, 2012
Ryan Z
  5.7+ R
[Hide Comment] This was my first trad climb and I didn't remember gear being too much of an issue (probably because I had no idea what I was doing). Since then, I have climbed this route 2 more times, and I would have a hard time saying this is any less than R-rated. Bring a ton of long runners because the route wanders a bit. With a 60m I linked P1/P2, as well as P4/P5, making for 3 long pitches. Have fun! Jun 13, 2013
[Hide Comment] A buddy and I went direct for the second pitch, instead of traversing right. It was protectable with small cams in occasional pods at first, and with nuts up higher. Thin foot work and a bit of extra style in the beginning probably made this pitch more like easy 5.9. Super fun variation, and not any different choss-wise, actually maybe even a little cleaner. I recommend it! Jun 16, 2013
Geir www.ToofastTopos.com
Tucson/DMR
  5.8+ PG13
[Hide Comment] A little stiff for the grade and (at times) the pro is scarce. Once you leave the main trail, the approach trail is faint.

After you find the climb, routefinding is not too bad with the directions provided here. I thought pitches three and four were the best of the climb; pitch 4 required an interesting combination of chimney, groove, and crack moves and even had some overhanging terrain on it. Jul 16, 2013
MJ Nelson
Tucson, AZ & Big Pine, CA
[Hide Comment] Climbed this route on October 2 with groves of golden aspens exploding in the distance. Absolutely beautiful rock and views in all directions are spectacular. An area classic for sure!

We linked pitches 1 and 2 with a 70m rope easily, as well as 3 and 4 (some rope drag but not too bad) to make it a 3-pitch climb. Oct 4, 2013
Robbie Brown
the road
  5.8
[Hide Comment] Did not seem so R rated to me. This was one of my first multipitches and it seemed a touch exciting but not unsafe. Oct 17, 2013
[Hide Comment] fun climb , first pitch wasn't the best rock quality but the rest were fine. I did loose my chalk bag on the climb it was a green hippie tree bag with a prana waist belt strap . It went bouncing down the cliff at the third belay. If anyone finds it would be rad if you could drop it by flagstaff climbing for me.
mike robinson Oct 7, 2014
[Hide Comment] Awesome climb, bomber rock, good placements all the way (nuts nuts nuts). No cairn at the start. Remember it is an old school route with an old school chimney. Oct 4, 2015
Eric Meudt
Flagstaff, AZ
[Hide Comment] I think I have climbed the Elysian Buttress 7 or 8 times. I think it to be a great route. You get a real back country feel all while hearing the train whistles and bustle of town. Oddly enough I only rapped off the route once. The last time I climbed the route. The walk off is long and loose and it is easy to get lured into the wrong gully. Jul 19, 2016
[Hide Comment] The crack system for p3 is just down and left from the chimney pitch. You can even see the chimney from p2 belay ledge. Sep 27, 2020
Gia Landis
Black Diamond, WA
[Hide Comment] Here is a GPX track for getting up to the base on the climb. Because the forest service road was closed, we approached it via the Sandy Seep trailhead which honestly wasn't bad. Took us about an hour and 20 minutes. It would be pretty easy to go up one of the first couple drainages you hit but if you continue on the trail and wait until the third (ish) one a little over 2 miles in, it leads you right to the base of the climb.

t.coros.com/activity-detail… Apr 3, 2022
[Hide Comment] Stellar climbing the whole way, pitch 3 and 4 were definitely the highlights. Keep in mind that this route requires some route finding ability. When rapping from the top of the 4th pitch stay to the right to land on a small ledge which you then traverse to the climbers right until you reach 3rd class terrain. Side note: If approaching from Sandy seep trailhead do not cut across the clearing instead continue up the trail another 2 minutes to the obvious white wash, this will lead you directly to the base of the climb and avoids any bushwhacking. Sep 16, 2022