First, the good stuff. Great location with amazing views of the Baker River Valley and the Summit Crag. Nice fun moderate climbing. Good protection for the most part. 

  But then there is the bad part, dirty, loose and vegitated pretty much wraps it up. just getting to the climb is a jungle adventure. With a good cleaning it would be more like 2 stars from me. I really only bombed it for the average climber, personally i enjoyed the climb as did my partner Kevin. 

  To find the route should you choose to accept this mission, hike up and left from the front of yellow knife and find a flat spot to belay below the arete that forms the left edge of the cliff. You will be looking up the gully at Summit Crag.   Wade through plants that are as tall as you and find the moves that help you gain the arete. Climb cracks and face holds up and over some bulges and run up 4th class sections. There is one cracked bulge the i felt was the crux maybe 80 feet up. The upper section is pretty open to interpretation but belay where you like (i did it in one 200ft pitch). at about 150 feet i went through a chimney with 2 evergreen trees in it and finished the climb on the other side of the buttress. This finish puts you about 20ft right of the route Bridge to Nowhere (5.9). climb up a face and follow the ridge to a good belay ledge.

Chimney Sweeps

Bridge to Nowhere

Lone Wolf

Aurora Borealis

Gifts From Attu

Old Yeller

Yellowknife

Arctic Circle

Cow Patty

Yukon Cornelius

Bering Strait

Lone Ranger

Nanook of the North

Cannery Row

Mosquito

Alaskan Arches

Abbey Normal

Juno

This is now the route that takes you highest up on the cliff. It has some really fun and exciting moves, great exposure, views and rock quality. It is basically an extension or second pitch to Abbey Normal 5.10c. 

  From the Abbey Normal anchors climb the very easy slab to the first bolt of Bridge (its about 20-25 feet to the bolt but maybe 5.1). From there climb up the corner under the roof, at the 3rd bolt make a really fun couple of moves out left and over the roof. Follow 3 more bolts up the low angle face to a tricky finish on small holds. Mantel the sloping ledge and take in the view, its amazing up there. 

  Be careful of a loose block above and left of the anchor.    I'd toss it down but i dont want to ruin the bolts on routes below.

Story: I climbed this line Rope-solo to access the ledge so i could bolt Gifts from Attu (to the left). The climbing was surprisingly good (though QUITE dirty). I was thinking i had found a cool new virgin moderate when i came across a newly placed piton. This could only mean one thing, local obscurist Bradley White had been here. I looked in to it and decided I must have climbed his new route Old Yeller (5.6). He has since informed me otherwise and asked me to describe my line. So, here it is. 

  From the ledge where Gifts From Attu starts, look up and 15ft right of the obvious corner for a flake/crack system above the birch tree growing out of the ledge. Climb up just right of the tree to gain the crack and layback your way up. after 35-40 feet place good gear and exit to the left and up to some small trees. Climb up left of the trees (in to a corner). Make an airy step left out on to a balancy low angle face and make a few moves to a small ledge and one more tricky spot to gain a large ledge. Here you will find a piton driven in to quartz. I moved way left here on to a very roomy ledge where you will find a thread anchor I left (this is above Aurora Borealis and Gifts From Attu). Or since you are obviously out for an adventure, finish up Bradley's route! 

  I really would love to clean it someday cause its pretty fun, but for now plan on adventure. Also maybe another pitch perhaps.

The crux is fingery and technical on the feet. The line is asthetic and climbs well. I will admit the rock quality isn't tops (this is the case with most routes up here) but i pulled off most of the chossy stuff and its good to go (belayers just be aware) . 

  So climb the slab past the first 2 bolts to the 3rd bolt on the first steep section. Stay left to find the good rock and make a few moves to good stance under the final head wall. Using left facing flakes and fun moves clip a few more bolts before the good holds run out at a crimpy crux. Foot work is key as you work the crimps and make a hard clip. After the last clip punch it on better holds to the top. The run to the chains might be spooky but it's safe, just don't pull up a ton of rope to clip.

youtube.com/watch?v=XwwuSo0…

 

Now the farthest bolt line right at Yellow Knife. Not your average Yellow Knife route, a bit steeper and most of the holds are pretty big. 

  I recommend the belayer anchors to the tree off to the right. I removed all the loose stuff I could find but if something came off you'd want to be out of the way. 

  From the ledge you can climb to the left of the 1st bolt (stick clip it for safety) on small crimps with great sequence. Or to the right on an easier crack layback. Either way you get to a nice stance on a ledge. Move left to the arete and up (a hollow flake seems to be holding but be gentle). Continue to an undercling move that gains the final pumpy face. Mostly good holds with a crimp or two thrown in for spice. 

  The name is a reference to a small island that is the western most point in Alaska. Hardcore bird watchers go there in hopes of seeing some Russian birds on US soil. Birding is almost as crazy as climbing, haha.

Climb up rock to lay back flake or hike higher and skip this rock start is better. The lay back to go onto a mantle (crux) is the crux and protection was a sling on horn. Cold fingers traverse left on wide ledge to the corner. Climb up corner to a tree. First belay. Skip the  details. Step away far left to lichen face from tree  and go up towrds some plants. At plants good pro and move up direct left side to 60ft and has a challenging run out with 5.5 moves. reach quartz section and pin move up to small depression and good gear above it at base of dirt crack. Move far right awkward then face climb directly up to to exit to grass ledge and large block on right. Gear block? move up left on lichen wall of okay holds to face climb foot ramp diagonally sloping right corner (great pro) and go out after tree up the outside edge. Do an airy step right to new surface and face climb lower angled rock to the near summit of the buttress. No pro and up the ridge is a large pine on the left 15 feet more for belay. This is a mountaineers route. Damn serious one. Long run outs. A little safer after large toaster oven size rocks were found in the most dangerous way and had to be tossed off on the lead twice. This is the area where the longest naturally climbable rock is and didn't know until after doing it. Like the climbs of the nineteen thirties it has trees. Its a mountaineers classic and a bomb. Lots of variety in climbing and textures. The first section lay back area is the coolest. Good only for 30 feet and then the rock and things arise. It can be rappelled at the birch tree and flake slung.      

A long fairly sustained crimpy route lacking a real crux move, more endurance based. Mostly technical foot work intensive climbing with a few nice rests hear and there.... Being less than vertical and 100 feet long its not your usual Rumney 5.10 

  The first few moves are typically wet and mossy.Follow slippery cracks and face holds and eventually gain a tricky corner which I found to be the crux. Stemming and crimping your way through this will get you to a small ledge. More crimping and some  interesting moves past a loose flake (be careful) gain another nice ledge and the final slab. The upper slab was my favorite part of this one. It climbed more like a Cathedral Ledge 5.10 than a Rumney one and I thought it provided nice variety.

The short, clean vertical face left of Alaskan Arches. Stick-clip, then climb a hard boulder problem. Move right almost to the arch, then back left to another crux. Top out onto the ledge.

A fun wandering line on crimps and friction.   A little lichen covered in parts, but it doesn't take away from the climb. A few cruxes but no one stopper move.   Wicked fun and highly recommended to those who enjoy long, techy, footy, less-than-vertical climbing.   The book says you need 2 ropes to lower, but a 60m rope will just make it (tie a knot in the other end of the rope).

Another long somewhat adventurous face climb. Much harder than the other routes on this face. I felt it was 5.12a but since the book calls it 5.11c I decided to meet it in the middle at 5.11d please vote on it's difficulty and i will make a change if need be. It looked like a few holds had broken off in key spots. It could also do with a good scrubbing or better yet some traffic. 

  Start on moderate moves, maybe 5.9ish to a good stance beneath the crux wall. About 25 feet of hard tricky sequency climbing is between you and your next rest. This is where it looked like things may have broken off. I did find a Sequence of crimps that got me through the first 20 feet of the crux but I did some crazy moves to make the last 5 feet and that is where i felt it was more "12a"ish to gain the ledge above. The next part is maybe 5.10a to another ledge and you think you are in the clear until you pull over what you think is the top and see you have about 15 feet of 5.10 slab to the anchors (cue the rope drag). Stay cool and try not to blow all your hard work as you slowly make your way to the anchor.

Years ago I came very close to bolting a line on the face where Ward eventually added Arctic Circle. I wanted to climb up the vertical face and right through the roof above. Unfortunately the face below the roof was too soft and the crimps crumbled beneath my feet and I aborted the project. Flash forward, Ward adds Arctic Circle a bit left of my intended start but circumvented the roof with a travers back left at the top. So Bering Strait is a 2 bolt variation that let me bust through the tough boulder problem roof and it felt great to finish my saga.  

  Climb sequential crimps past the first 3 bolts on Arctic. Head up toward the roof below the 2 wave bolts. A few funky moves and some trickery gain a good rest then be ready for things to get real. Slopey underclings help you clip (pre-placed draw will be helpful for shorties). Small crimps, a few powerful moves, a seriously high foot and a reach to the ledge gets it done. Only 10 feet of independent climbing but you will get your monies worth.

At a (usually seeping wet a little below it), ramp heading in the east direction is a very awkward boulder like problem (5-9) to gain the ramp. After this, directly above the ramp is the original line of a couple of bolts without hangers. Variation begins where ramps ends, I put in 2 bolts to get to a crack going through the head wall right of the ramp. hung off bolt to place gear in crack and moved up the crack (5-10). At crack's end moved left easily (5-4)and back right through break to a belay (beware of rope drag). I then led through a large crack above belay (5-0) to dirt climbing up to a clean low angle (5-3) arête (no protection) to the top of this crag. This variation is called Lone Ranger after that mysterious man or woman that bolted the head wall long ago (likely by sky hooking or rappel bolting. The old direct line will definitely go free. Our variation right of the old bolts and left of the finish to 'Alaskan Arches'.   

A fun route for sure, but compared to its neighbor to the right, it's not quite as classic. But who wants to compare? Not me, but if you only have time for one hard 5.11 do Alaskan Arches (5.11d). Ok, let's sit back and look in to the route at hand. 

  Start up the right-leaning crack clipping 2 bolts above the crack.This part looks quite easy, and it's not too hard but harder than it looks. Move right on to a ledge clip another bolt and head up in to a really cool dihedral with good holds.Exiting the corner is the first crux involving the use of small stemming feet and an undercling. Above this is a sloping hueco-ish hold. From that hold, move up and right to another hueco (this one is a super jug). Take a rest here 'cause you will need it. The anchor is close now, but it's guarded by a vicious crimpy section. When I was onsighting, I went up right then back down to the jug.Up left and back to the jug.then chose up right though it felt hard for the grade. That way it went well. There is a good jug off to the left of the anchor to clip from. 

  Please post if you have any beta on the top crux section, 'cause it seemed like it could be done a few ways.

A LONG pitch of fantastic face climbing that just keeps you thinking the whole time. Great rock, safe bolts, interesting moves and an out of the way location are a few good points. Some might say the grade is a little soft but i can't make up my mind. Put in your 2 cents and we shall all decide. But first you've got to climb it. 

  Climb up the right leaning crack to some tricky moves gaining a nice ledge. Up the face on good holds to another tricky spot over a bulge to yet another good ledge. Slabby climbing above, think underclings and small crimps, to an awesome horizontal crack. More crimpy footy stuff to what you might think is the top.But its not. One more "boulder problem", 3 bolts, to the top. Check out the hollow rock hueco then move up the tricky slab to the anchors.

Steeper and more pumpy than it looks. Starting on awkward holds that are interesting more than appealing, but they get you up through the first few moves (crux) which leads you to what I found to be the best part (the upper 3/4 of the route) following cool holds and balancy moves to a ledge where you step left to the anchor. The last few moves to the ledge is a solid second crux so fight the pump.

Climb the corner laying it back till you can gain good stemming this is a tricky section that is tough to onsight. You will gain a nice rest as the arch leans left.reach right to clip a bolt and make a reachy (or thin) move right out of the overlap. Technical Climbing will get you out right to a corner and another rest. Climb the corner using a fingerlock and a few awkward holds. Mantel the ledge and clip the quick clips to the left. 

  I give the climb 4 stars due to its beautiful flow and interesting moves in a place that is more wild and peaceful than many crags at Rumney. I will be back to climb it many times.

Another nice technical route steeper than it looked from the ground and a bit pumpy.   A weird but fun crux half way up on underclings and weird feet. Very interesting moves and fun once you figure it out.   Another slabby part at the top made me think for a second before gaining the anchor. 

  Recommended if you like techy stuff.

No, I didn't spell it wrong ;) 

  A highly featured route that always stood out to me as a natural line. Just took me the better part of a decade to get around to cleaning and equipping it. 

  Two very different cruxes, one soon after you leave the ground and one midway up the climb guard an easier and quite pleasant finish to the anchors. Zig a little and zag a little to find the path of least resistance and use creativity to find your solution to the puzzles along the way as there are multiple ways to do them.  

  Notes:   -Having a hard time grading this one so please chime in. I'm not a fan of slash grades but I really can't decide yet.   -there are a couple hollow flakes to the left of the undercling at the start but you don't need them and I fear that taking them off could destabilize othe features. Just leave em be.   -a few crumbly foots are left down low but that should go away with some traffic, rest  assured the rest of the route is on nice and interesting rock.

Yellowknife is an out of the way crag that sees so little traffic that the holds normally don't even have chalk on them. Wow, very un-Rumney-like.

 Most of the routes here are between 5.10a and 5.11d. Some are very long by Rumney standards, requiring a two rope rappel or 70m rope, but most times a 60 meter rope will get you back to the ground. Another non-Rumney aspect of this cliff is that the majority of the climbing is less than vertical and more like what you might expect to find on the south buttress of Whitehorse, with crimpy technical face climbing. The front of the cliff is about dead vertical for the most part and is home to a couple killer 5.11s including Alaskan Arches(5.11d). Along the gully to the right is the more slabby climbing with a few 10s and 11s. Most areas at Rumney that have high concentration of 5.10s and 5.11s tend to be crowded, but if you want to escape the Rumney rat-race, spend a day at this beautiful area, enjoying shade, quiet and long quality technical routes.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Yellowknife Buttress