Golden Triangle

On Friday June 24, Ryan Evans and I climbed what we believe to be a new route on the east face of Flatiron Butte. The route begins in a left facing corner beneath the obvious pine tree on the left side of the face, roughly 200' left of Brutus the Wyde. Aside from a sling found on the pine tree at the top of the first pitch, there was no other evidence of human activity on the route. We cleaned vegetation from the cracks in several places but otherwise left no bolts or permanent changes to the route.

The climbing is fun despite a bit of vegetation and consists mostly of cracks in corners separated by comfy belay ledges. WARNING: Loose rocks are found in several areas, mainly in large horizontal dike bands where extreme caution is advised.

P1. From where the snow meets the rock, climb the obvious corner up to a large pine tree 50' 5.6

P2 traverse left on ledge 50' and climb easy terrain up to and left of a roof finishing on a ledge beneath a crack 120' 5.7

P3 climb up from anchor and at loose blocks traverse right into dirty white dihedral with a flake on the right side. Follow this (10a) to the large dirty ledge splitting the face. 200' 5.10a

P4 trend up and left through the low angle dirty dike ledge to a blocky crack/ obvious corner system with a hand crack through a small overhang leading to a good stance 120' 5.9+

P5 continue up corner from belay following nice clean dihedral past an offwidth and then easy ledges trending left. Belay on ledge beneath a right facing dihedral 190' 5.8

P6 changing dihedrals pitch. Climb hollow flake to reach dihedral until you can swing around the arête to the left using a jug on the arete. Continue up trending left into large vegetated dihedral. Follow this to the top and trend right through blocky terrain belaying at the base of a left trending corner ramp. 190' 5.10

P7 follow vegetated ramp to corner containing an offwidth (5.8) up to an alcove belay with loose blocks. 110'

P8. Climb up and left following loose obvious weakness past a wide corner with a hand crack in the back. 100' 5.8 loose

P9&10 scramble left around gendarme past a pine tree through blocky terrain to the base of a 5.4 hand crack. 300' easy 5th

P11 follow 5.4 hand crack to the summit ridge. 60'

Descent same as Brutus. Scramble west off the summit. We followed the ridge line south past the next small peak then glissaded back to the base.

Locate the prominent pine tree on the left side of the east face. The route begins below and to the left of this tree.

Doubles to #3, a number 4. #5 optional