The "S" Buttress

This interesting route is the left-most route on Upper Security. It starts off the flake directly below the start of Pup (left-facing corner), and was led with natural gear before Pup existed. The weird-name was in reference to the bizarre, S-shaped dike in the granite near the start of the route.

Start up the left-facing corner and tackle the crux overlap/bulge down low (5.10a). This section is pumpy and a bit awkward for the rating, but pros very well. Continue up the corner with stems and jams to an alcove below a roof, then traverse to the right about 10 feet to join the huge white dike. The traverse is a bit tricky to protect, and includes slightly crumbly rock in spots, making it feel about 5.9s if you don't find the right sequence and pro. When arriving at the dike, you'll encounter a line of bolts known as Pup, although at this point abundant opportunities for solid crack protection exist.

The line from here essentially heads straight up the groove and then blunt arete (shared with Pup), with some steep and exposed moves along the way. We originally followed the cracks to the top of the rock and walked off, but the climbing eases off (5.6/5.7) above the anchor for Pup, so rapping from that anchor is a good option if you want to avoid the walk off. A pretty fun route with good exposure up high, and one of the few 5.10 or easier climbs in the area.

Standard light rack, mostly smaller cams and nuts. You can go to the top and walk off, or most will prefer to rap from the two bolt anchor on top of Pup.