Gift Card 90M 10C
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Gift Card 10C 90 - Topo & Description | 1.4 MB |
Gift Card 90M 10C
Armadillo Buttress, Grotto Canyon, Alberta.
Ian Greant, Brian Spear - 2013
This three pitch route is fully bolt protected with rap rings at each station.
I believe it crosses Asylum (10D, 1984, pg 423 Bow Valley Rock banffrock.ca for PDF copy) on the 3rd pitch.
Gear required: 70m rope (a 60M may work for descent but have not tested it)
14 draws (if you use a directional off the belay and want to clip the station when you arrive)
Approach: Up Grotto Canyon, left at waterfall through narrows. 15 minutes up canyon. Armadillo Buttress is large dark cliff just past the hoodoo cave and shortly before the ice route, Crystal Tear.
Pitch 1. 5.9 ~28 Metres. 10 bolts
Start left of the obvious corner system in centre of cliff. Trend right and break through a small roof and move through easier ground to the station.
Pitch 2. 10c ~32 Metres. 11 bolts
Move right from belay, unlock the tricky sequence for bolts 4 and 5 and finish up slightly easier climbing to station.
Pitch 3. 10c ~32 Metres 12 bolts
Make a tricky mantle /side pull to move through fairly blank wall. Gain easier ledge, trending right into harder climbing as you cross into the corner with roof. Pull roof on good holds. Watch for some loose rock as you approach final station. Use caution as you are almost directly above your belayer. Ignore bolt to the left in the bay.
Descent:
Single rappels with 70M rope. It should work with a 60 but it may be close when rapping into the 2nd anchor. Use knots if you plan to test this.
It is possible to scramble off top of route to trees above, and traverse right descending into scree gully on right side of buttress.
Comments
Ian.Greant
Fri, 07/11/2014 - 12:10
Permalink
It was almost called...
The route was almost called "My Little Pony Part II" due to a certain friend really pulling my chain with his comments from below as I was cleaning the route. IG