South Buttress
Apparently this is the "classic" route
Other resources
Time
Rough timeline on an average/faster-than-average pace from our 7/20/2019 trip
- 5:00 started hiking
- 6:00 at basin
- 7:00 at top of gully
- 12:00 at summit (5 hrs climbing)
- 12:15 started descending
- 4:30 at basin (we got a bit lost descending, should have been 30 mins faster)
- 5:40 at car
Approach
From the northeast end of the pullout, locate a trail heading down into the forest. There's a pretty decent trail. As long as you take this trail, the "water crossing" is pretty much non-existent.
After that little crossing, the trail continues through some muddy sections and then enters the open meadow and continues up the meadow. It's about 1 hour from the car to the basin if moving at a decent pace.
Gully
Once in the basin, you have to go up the gully. Choose the left-most gully. The ones on the right might look a bit easier, but they're actually just about the same.
There's some class 4 scrambling, but it's not too terrible.
Finally, near the top, stay LEFT of the giant chockstone and start the first pitch to the left of the chockstone up on the ridge.
Pitch 1
Relatively easy climbing up to the ridge (but not the greatest protection), then belay from a tree.
Pitch 2
Once on the ridge, prepare to simulclimb and walk along the ridge for 100 feet till you reach steeper terrain. At this point, you have some options, we went around right and then up. Once it starts to go up, you'll definitely at least want to be roped up. You also could seemingly go around the left too.
Pitch 3
The next pitch isn't too bad, you can simulclimb it too.
Pitch 4
Things start to get tougher, this pitch seemed 5.8 possibly. There's a tricky corner. We stopped simulclimbing at this point.
Pitch 5
Pitch 6
Climb up along the ridge, there's some trickier moves but otherwise mostly easy. Stop partway up the ridge before the Tarzan Jump since you'll probably want to reset the belay for that.
Pitch 7 - Tarzan Jump
This is the "Tarzan Jump" pitch... it's actually just a step. Stay on the ridge to the RIGHT of the gully until you're near the top and forced to step over to the top of the gully.
Alternatively, you can follow the gully, which meets at the start of the Tarzan jump too. Kyle Tarry had more info on this: "Supertopo talks about some 5.8 stemming and then exit on right, with some poor gear at the start. That matches my memory of this pitch, there's some low-5th at the start with poor gear, then some cool wide stemming in that gully feature, and then a couple moves to pull onto the right wall which protect fairly well. You then kinda climb on top and the way I've done it joins up with your line and you do the 'Tarzan Step.'"
You can get in two good cams. The first is I think a 0.4 or 0.5, and the second perfectly protects the move and is a 0.3 or 0.4 (they weren't the same size, I remember that much).
Walk on some solid ground!
Walk up and to the left, still have more climbing left after this!
Pitch 8
Downclimb (more like side-climb) into the notch, and then use the pile of rocks to make a really high step up. It's pretty much unprotectable, but it's a good step if you can reach your leg high. After you're up on that foot, it's easier.
Or apparently you can bypass both P8 and P9 down/up climbs! Kyle Tarry had more info on that: "I just walk down the gully a short distance, and then there is a really easy hand traverse up into the 2nd notch. Skips the unprotectable boulder problem and the second downclimb, there's some (limited) gear, and you can build a belay there and go from there to the summit in one pitch. I have no idea why the "normal" way is to do a series of short, weird, unprotectable up/down boulder problems when you can take a couple steps to the left and skip that."
Pitch 9
This downclimb is worse, but still reasonably downclimbable. Getting back up the other side isn't as bad this time, but then there's a slabby ridge that has a pretty tricky crux that's probably 5.8. I chose to end this pitch just beneath the final offwidth crack.
Pitch 10
The infamous offwidth. A #3 only fits near the base and isn't going to protect you from a ground fall, so bringing a #4 might be worth it, even though you won't need the #4 anywhere else on the entire climb. It's definitely awkward. The approach seems to be to stay left of the crack and use your feet in the crack. The lower part of the crack takes foot jams really well, but the upper section widens up and can be difficult to get a secure foot lock in there. After that, you're done!
Summit
The views are incredible!
Descent
The West Ridge is the best descent, only 5 rappels on a 60m rope and they're all bolted. Hunt for the first set of chains after identifying the West Ridge.
First, you'll do two rappels heading mostly down, northwest from the summit, both about full-length rappels.
Then, scramble along the ridge, optionally simulclimbing and using the ridge as protection.
The third rappel starts at a sandy ledge, there should even be a cairn marking it. Rappel so that you stay mostly along the ridge (don't go straight down). Another lengthy rappel should bring you to the next set of chains on some dirty ledges.
The fourth rappel goes halfway down and aims towards the corner. Make sure to aim skiier's right. It's a full length rappel, if you haven't been knotting the end of the ropes, you might win the race down at this point.
The fifth rappel places you at the top of the gully/scree, and then it's walking from here! It's a bunch of loose dirt, but mostly manageable. Some scary parts. You can follow the well-trodden path down for the most part.
Halfway down, stay left if you want to rappel instead of downclimbing what looks to be sketchy 4th/5th class.
After that rappel, you're nearly home free! A bit more steep dirt and then you're done!