Ascensiones en Elephant Buttress como Onsight

Continuing the dirty 'ol trad research project. Harder than it looks. Didn't hate it.

Rather good. Headed right after first bolt, some sketch getting back on line. Nose bolts a bit tempting. Surprisingly clean for a mixed route.

The initial crack was reasonably clean. Wasn’t worried about the massive apparently detached flake you bridge up after that but did not like the dirty lose gully to the right above it. Chose to walk off the back rather than trust the shackles on the weathered handrail rope for an abseil.

Terrifying, stay the hell off. Filthy and difficult down low, objectively dangerous up top due to the huge detached death-flake. Much gardening and excavation for gear up the crack, veering left quite often just to climb on lichen rather than vegetation, then tried to stay off the horrifying huge flake as much as possible by bridging and climbing/protecting the right wall, with just one big hex in the flake gap. Topped out around the tree then anchored on the same tree as the hand line (not the shackles), which is quite old but needed for the sketchy walk-off. I will never climb this again, and recommend nobody else does either.

It looks a bit shit but there is some decent climbing here, and it's a decent length. The bottom crack is a bit seepy after rain which makes for an underwhelming start, but things improve from there. Not the cleanest thing around but workable. Loose flake out right around halfway.

Really enjoyed this, worth going up there for. The offwidth start is the crux, funky moves and can be tamed a bit by a high fist jam to pull up at the top. Plenty of gear is available up the top section offwidth layback and above. It's all pretty clean too. Big gear - take at least doubles of #4 cams, at least one #5.

It's more like 17, and there is a fair bit of lichen regrowth, but it's a cool slabby lead with some nervy moments.

Dirty but still enjoyable.

Nice and delicate in places.

Fun and not as straightfoward as thought. One small cam and lots of nuts, gear needed plenty of extension to manage rope drag, belayed at Elephant Hunting chains (shade) but could have continued. Angela led the short 13 to the top then we soloed (me in liner socks only).