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| West Buttress   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.70670°N / 107.6882°W Route Type: Scramble Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: 3rd to 4th Class
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| Page By: dsnell Created/Edited: Dec 18, 2002 / Aug 11, 2003 Object ID: 157510 Hits: 1193 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
The approach is straightforward, as you can easily see the route from 550. From near the top of Molas Pass on 550, take the dirt road to Andrews Lake, and park. Follow the Crater Lake Trail heading toward Snowdon Peak. The trail switches back for a for about 1/2 mile and and reaches a plateau, where you will find a large meadow, where good camping is found. From this meadow, leave the main trail and head Northeast toward the Buttress. There is no maintained trail to the base of the Buttress, so you will have to do a bit of bushwacking.
Route Description
The route is the line directly beneath the summit. Once you reach the base of the buttress, head straight up over fairly easy 3rd class slabs and boulders. As you get higher, the route steepens, and you encounter a great deal of loose rock. The route is a bit easier if you veer right of the buttress proper and enter a shallow gully right next to the buttress. Most of the climbing is 3rd and 4th class, but the loose rock and exposure make a rope and running belay a good choice. When the steep climbing ends, you are literally a few feet from the summit, from which Silverton and the beautiful San Juans can be seen. Descend by downclimbing the route or the NE Ridge route. Be careful on the descent, as it is easy to dislodge rocks on to partners below you. The Buttress itself involves about 800 feet of climbing.
Essential Gear
A 9mm rope and a light rack of a few stoppers and cams would be a good idea, but watch for loose flakes when placing pro. In early season snow might be encountered on the route, but I do not recommend climbing it under such conditions. Summer afternoon showers are common in the San Juans, so rain gear is recommended.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
Images
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San Juan Range
