Alpine Arete

P1-2. Start just left of the toe of the buttress up a low angle trough of decent rock. See the picture. Basically make your way up about 500 to 600 feet of easy 5th Class in this weakness eventually walking on a slab of pegmatite 100 feet with the occasional cactus. Now there should be a wall on your right shoulder with two weaknesses. We took the first one upwards, and it seemed to end up in the 5.9 short chimney on the topo passing many scratchy bushes. We simul-climbed on 50 or 60 feet of rope just to avoid possible death here. We did this for about 100 to 150‘ until we reach the cactus terrace and veered far right into the furthest right spot on the terrace. See the pic for the start. We flattened out a couple stances there, and there should still be a cairn.

P3. Climb up the dirt steps passing a few large cactuses and then directly into a number four cam lay back for about 12 feet. Follow the corner weakness until it turns into a bushy wide chimney and take the left crack out the pegmatite bulge, 10+. Continue on to a belay, 70m.

P4. Off the belay, continue up vertical weakness of fractured cracks and then into a left-facing corner with suspect rock eventually exiting right to a small stance, 60m, 5.10.

P5. Now climb a 70m pitch through varying low angle sizes on pewter rock. This is a good pitch, 5.8ish.

P6. This is the money pitch! Climb a few feet of pewter rock with no protection to a small ledge, and continue another 25 feet or so through pegmatite finally getting gear at the start of the corner. Climb fingers and eventually a crack that varies in sizes for about 40m to a nice ledge on the right. The runout is 9+ no falls!, 11-, corner.

P7. Now move right around the corner to a pegmatite crack system and into more solid stone with varied climbing to a monster ledgy area, 45m, .9+.

P8. Head rightwards up the path of least resistance to the top of the pinnacle/ridgeline, 70+m.

P9. Step down a few feet, walk across the ridge line, and then downclimb 5.8 until you can make it over to a nice ledge on the wall of the buttress, 65m.

P10. Climb a few feet of face and eventually double cracks with tough 10+ moves to a perfect hand crack and then easier ground all the way to the notch with a monster boulder, 70m. From here, stay roped up, move left onto the dirt ledge in the draw side, and walk that another 150 to 200 feet to solid ground. A slip here would send you down into the side canyon!

This is an awesome adventure up one of the biggest aretes and great views of the south side Shadowlands towers.

Just past the Diagonal Will Buttress, it starts somewhere around left of the lowest toe of the buttress. See the pic.

A standard rack, a 70m rope, and a weed whacker.