East Buttress

This climb features sustained crack climbing up a steep and proud line on the needle. The free variation attempts to follow the original line as faithfully as possible, with the exception of the first 3 pitches listed here, which are an alternative to the first two pitches of the 1978 route (5.6/5.8), and are more direct than the original line.

P1. Starts in a corner beneath an east facing orange panel at the toe of the East Buttress. Climb a blocky weakness, then make a strenuous move left to gain a dihedral that is formed by the lowest pillar on the buttress. Continue up a handcrack to make a belay at a nice ledge atop the pillar. 5.9+ 40M

P2. Traverses directly left from ledge around corner and via some exciting face moves to gain the wide crack system that splits the 100m of the lower buttress.
Begin pitch with step around left from the belay to gain a dihedral with blocks in it. Make a crux bouldery move to gain a rail that juts out from the cliff about a foot and has a flake above it. Climb leftwards around a corner and across the face to make a belay in the wide crack. 5.10+ PG13 15m

P3. Climb the steep splitter for 35m and then step right to an obvious ledge out right, then continue up less strenuous corner to pedestal at top of pillar with a large diving board block. Belay takes medium nuts.  5.10 60M

P4. Climb up from belay through a wide section past a ledge to the obvious steep right soaring crack, passing an old home made hanger in the center of the wall, (located to climbers right of crack). Continue to the end of the crack up and trend right over blocky terrain to a belay in blocks in the center of the buttress. 5.10 60M

P5. Climb up and left, towards a crack in a corner with a block above that forms a keyhole. Belay under block (!). 5.10 25M

P6. Climb 5 meters left from belay into chimney system and up wide moves to a blocky exit to a bivy ledge used by first ascensionists. 30M 5.8+

P7. From the bivy ledge there are a few good looking options: a splitter crack to the left, a dihedral center-right, and a broken crack system trending right. We took the right option, through a small roof and up to blocky terrain towards the upper headwall. Make your belay at the base of the headwall if using a 70 meter rope. If using a 60m rope, belay where you can and then scramble easy 3rd class for 10 meters to the base of the headwall. 5.9+ 60M

P8. The money pitch of the route. Start in the perfect hand crack climbers-right of the offwidth splitter. The crack widens a bit and then pinches down to tight-hands/ringlocks before joining the wide crack system from the left. Hero moves lead to a ledge with a dodgy angle piton in it’s base. If you brought a 6, you can conveniently use it here for a belay, otherwise small gear and chockstones are your friends. 5.10 50M

P9. Climb a flaky layback to small footholds and then traverse right for 10 meters to a good vertical hand-crack. Climb the crack up to blocky terrain and end the pitch at a good belay in the corner at large blocks. 5.9 55M

P10. Climb the short steep corner and adjacent left-hand broken face, to blocky easier climbing that tops out the Aiguille. 5.10+ 35M Walk off.

Original 1979 AAJ entry: http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197919001

Some information about the FA team: 

Werner Landry

Kenny Cook

Located to the right of the East Face