Butter Snickers

This four pitch route climbs quickly, is easy, has straight forward route finding, and protects well; making it for a great option on a fly in day. This route could also be a great introduction to the Mendenhall towers if the Solva buttress seems big.

Before starting the climb, you should consider scoping out the upper gully to give you a sense of direction for the first two pitches (up and right). The first two pitches follow blocky terrain to the base of a gully, you should follow the path of least resistance.

If you are comfortable climbing at 5.8 this route could easily be done in mountaineering boots. All of the cracks are featured. It would be challenging to descend back to the start of the climb to get your boots. Do not leave them at the start.

Pitch 1 - 5.8 start on blocky/stair steppy terrain and work your way up and to the right towards the gully. This could be easier or harder depending on where you cross the moat.

Pitch 2 - 5.6 continue going up and right on blocky terrain to the bottom of the gully. There should be plenty of belay options at the top of the pitch.

Once you reach the bottom of the gully scramble up through 4 class terrain. This gully is fairly stable in terms of alpine gullies, so walking up with a partner should be fine. The walls encompassing the gully seemed fairly solid, so rock fall from above was not a concern. Continue up for ~150 m until you hit a crack to the right. You could also stay in the gully to the ridge. The upper gully steepens and looks looser, but this would likely provide an easier way to the summit.

Pitch 3 - 5.8 this is the money pitch. Work your way up a featured crack system.

Pitch 4 - 5.8 this is a short and featured crack. Belay from the ridge.

4th class scramble up the ridge to the summit.

Descent: During our ascent we opted to carry our boots with us and traverse to the seventh tower to descend. Since the first two pitches traverse far left it may be hard to get back to your boots at the bottom. Consider bringing up boots and follow the 6th sense descent description, or down scramble the ridge and rap the route, establishing anchors.

The route begins on the left side of the 6th tower and follows a light/white patch of blocky granite that trends towards a large gully.

A single rack of .3-3, single set of nuts, slings for boulders/belays, 60 m rope