| Frigid Air Buttress, 5.7-5.11d Mountain/Rock |
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| Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Nevada, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 36.14222°N / 115.49222°W Activities: Trad Climbing Season: Spring, Summer, Fall | Page By: Dow Williams Created/Edited: Dec 6, 2008 / Dec 6, 2008 Object ID: 469564 Hits: 535 Loading... Page Score: 88.79% - 15 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview/Approach
Frigid Air Buttress is well known by the popular Red Rocks route of the same name, however the buttress itself is actually a 900’ high broad northeast facing prow on the lower flank of Bridge Mountain that contains at least eight published routes.
Icebox Canyon and Frigid Air Buttress are aptly named. Where the hemmed in Icebox Canyon provides shelter from the wind, it also traps the desert nights cold air. In the winter when sunlight hours are less and the angle of the sun is cut off completely from north and some east facing routes, these can be chilly climbs. Therefore, I advise Frigid Air Buttress as a spring or summer climbing destination. Along with Necromancer Wall directly to the east, this part of Icebox Canyon offers quite a bit of good moderate climbing options on decent rock.
Park at the Icebox Canyon trailhead. Proceed west towards the canyon on the well-marked trail. Wait until you are directly across from the buttress and then descend into the wash and find a faint trail on the other side that meanders up the hill to the base of Frigid Air. The Frigid Air Buttress route is directly up and right and Burlesque is way back into the dark amphitheater on the left.
There are several shorter routes along with Bridge Mountain’s northeast arête route further in canyon around the right side of Frigid Air Buttress and even further in canyon yet is the impressive Refrigerator Wall on the left.Route Description(s)The Routes are Listed Left to Right as you Face the Buttress
Burlesque- 480’- 5.9/
Come Again- 520’- 5.10c/
Chill Out- 165’- 5.10c/
Hot Point- 250’- 5.11d/
Middle Earth- 600’- 5.9/
Frigid Air Buttress- 940’- 5.9+/ Although Frigid Air Buttress can be described in 10 pitches, it is conveniently done in seven total. Frigid Air Buttress is a popular Red Rocks route with two key pitches at the grade, an off width 5.9 (4th pitch-4/7)) and a 5.9+ finger crack to finish (7th pitch-7/7). Both of the crux pitches involve stellar wall positions. Most of the rest of the climb is somewhat nonchalant. This route is very well protected from the wind. There is a weird lone bolt below the off width move and it is the only bolt on an otherwise completely free route (no bolted stations). Someone must have bailed with a bolt kit I guess, does the leader no good and the crux is well protected with gear.
Blue Bunny- 140’- 5.7/
Linda’s Route- 1000’- 5.9+/DescentThe standard descent for most of the Frigid Air Buttress routes (any that reach the top) is to rappel the furthest route to the left, Burlesque, via four rappels. Double ropes are needed for the two middle raps. Radek gives a detailed description of this descent on his Frigid Air Buttress route page.External LinksRed Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, BLM
Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association
DowClimbing.Com Red Rocks
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Red Rocks
