Balancing Act

About 200 yards to the west of Mudterm, across a small drainage, is a complex buttress. On its right-hand side there is a clean prominent facet split by an attractive jam crack. This is the route.

Pitch 1: Start below and right of the upper facet in a dihedral with a delicately balanced pillar (5.7).

Pitch 2: Class 3 and 4 climbing leads past a few bushes to a belay spot beneath the obvious roof.

Pitch 3: Climb past the overhang to easier rock in the jam crack above. (5.9)

Pitch 4: Continue up the crack and through a steep but easy v-slot splitting the top of the pillar.

Pitch 5: Move slightly left and follow the crest of the buttress as it levels off.

Descent: Downlead a short pitch to the right (western side of buttress). Then scramble down the brushy gully all the way to the base. There are a few moments of interesting class 3 along the way. The easiest line appears to trend toward the left (western) side of the gully.

Standard rack, small wires.