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<text class="heading1">Bulging Buttress
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class="text" new="false"
number="null.">Bulging Buttress is the natural continuation of the LH side of Teardrop Gully. The buttress is divided into LH and RH sections by a distinct prow. The quality of the rock on the RH side is poor and the routes are less popular. The prow has a pronounced step 25m off the ground that traverses L to more stable rock on the LH side of the prow. Above this is a steep, clean wall on which several quality routes reside. Further L a sub-buttress, bordering the RH side of Avalanche Couloir, rises to join the main buttress.
Descent: Abseil descent from routes in the vicinity of the prow is from a rap station down the lines of Black Magic and Jelly Roll (47m & 35m) The first five routes are found on the RH side of the prow.
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extra="" grade="13" length="106m" name="Breakout"
stars="">Scene of the departure of a very large rock. On the wall 10m R of Breaker Spur find a bottomless chimney about 30m above the ground. (1) 24m. Up a series of walls to a small ledge beneath the chimney. (2) 30m. Climb the bottomless chimney and up the line to belay on a large ledge. (3) 27m. Up the walls above trending slightly L at the top to a jam crack. (4) 24m. Easier climbing to the top. G. Kowalik, P. Robinson, Mar. 1979.
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extra="" grade="13" length="102m" name="Breaker Spur"
stars="*">A classic alpine style route. The prominent narrow vertical rib 20m R of the prow. (1) 36m. Follow the rib to the second platform on the crest of the spur. (2) 24m. Up a short chimney just L of the crest, swing L and climb a short nose to a terrace. Continue up towards a prominent corner. (3) 18m (crux) Three alternatives: a) Climb straight up the crack and follow the corner to a ledge. b) Move L up the chimney and exit through the bulge. c) Move L and up the rib on sloping ledges. (4) 24m. Up the obvious gully to the summit crest of the buttress. M. Douglas, J. Fairhall, Jun. 1967.
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extra="" grade="14" length="108m" name="Breaker Chimney"
stars="">The prominent chimney high on the face L of Breaker Spur. Start 20m north of the nose of the buttress, as for Breaker Spur. (1) 36m. As for Breaker Spur. (2) 12m. Follow a short chimney just L of the crest, swing L and up a short nose to gain a terrace (as for Breaker Spur). (3) 30m. Traverse L to the foot of the obvious chimney, which is followed to a broad ledge. (4) 30m. Two alternatives: a) Original route: traverse L along the ledge and continue up keeping towards the L skyline. Move R and scramble to the top. b) Direct finish: follow the line directly above the chimney, past a chock stone. T. Terry, K. Hall, Mar. 1968. Direct finish: Basil Rathbone, P. Robinson, Apr. 1979.
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extra="" grade="14" length="100m" name="Breakneck"
stars="">One of the earliest routes on the Pipes. From the description, the upper part appears to take in parts of Lignum Vitae. At the base of the prow below the step is a steep wall. Start at the first crack 3m R of the prow. (1) 39m. Climb the crack to belay on the step. Mind the loose rock. Pitches (2), (3), and (4) Climb the wall and make a difficult traverse L (crux) to gain a cleft. Up the cleft until a southerly traverse can be made by means of a short sloping ledge. Short pitches up to an obvious, easy chimney on the upper LH side of the prow. The summit crest follows. M. Douglas, D. Cox, Nov. 1962.
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extra="Þ" grade="17" length="35m" name="Jelly Roll"
stars="">Great if you are a percussionist. For the rest of us however, the tone emitted by tapping the flakes on this route is a tad scary. This route ascends the cracked wall on the RH side of the prow. Start near the L edge of the wall. Climb the face to a crack, which is followed to gain the step of Bulging Buttress below the start of Black Magic. Rap off (30m) or continue up Black Magic. S. Parsons, P. Bigg, Apr. 1978.
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class="text" new="false"
number="null.">Routes from Malignant Mushroom to Warm Glow start from the step and ascend the steep and wall to the L of the prow. Access to the top of the step is via a 15m scramble up from the LH side.
Descent from routes in the vicinity is via abseil (47m) and (30m) down the lines of Malignant Mushroom and Jelly Roll.
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extra="Þ" grade="18" length="50m" name="Malignant Mushroom"
stars="*">A companion line to Black Magic that follows the RH end of the steep wall. Belay at the Jelly Roll U bolt anchors at top of the step 7m R of Black Magic. (1) 32m. Climb up past a dangerous looking spike and follow the corner until level with a small roof. Traverse R on thin hands and step around the prow. R slightly and up for 5m to belay on the prow. (2) 18m. Up the RH side of the prow to the rap bolts on Black Magic. S. Parsons, S. Brennan, Apr. 1981.
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extra="Þ" grade="18" length="52m" name="Black Magic"
stars="***">A Pipes classic that can be done in a single rope-stretching pitch. Takes the line R of centre of the steep wall. Scramble to the top of the step. (1) 53m. Up to a ledge below an over-hanging crack. Jam up this past a spike to a ledge. An interesting move L and back R is necessary to gain the base of a groove. Up the groove (crux) making use of the RH wall to reach the next ledge. Continue up a hand-crack to a pea-pod. Traverse R at this point to the prow to locate rap station. Abseil to the step (47m) and either reverse the scramble or use the Jelly Roll rap station (30m). K. Carrigan, I. Lewis, Jan. 1975.
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extra="Þ" grade="16" length="80m" name="Lignum Vitae"
stars="**">Practise your $,1rx(Btrad' techniques on this baby. Follows the conspicuous black chimney in the centre of the steep and impressive wall. Scramble up and start 10m L of Black Magic. (1) 50m. Up the chimney past three old and dodgy pins to a ledge at 35m. An intimidating move R and up to mount the overhanging block in the chimney before continuing to a bollard belay on a large ledge. (2) 30m. From the back of the ledge, climb the chimney in the corner and slab to a small tea-tree at the base of double-cracks in a corner. Climb the cracks and finish via a short chimney. Two abseils are required. A 25m abseil from slings accesses the Malignant Mushroom rap station (47m). P. Jackson, R. McMahon, Jan. 1971.
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extra="Þ" grade="21" length="25m" name="Warm Glow"
stars="*">A line of u-bolts heads up the wall approximately 2m L of Lignum Vitae (LV). This route starts from the ledge L of LV and runs parallel to the second pitch of Heat Pump. Ascend the steep face L of the LV chimney to a ledge. Rap from the U-bolts. R Parkyn, D. McConnell, 2003.
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extra="Þ" grade="22" length="50m" name="Heat Pump"
stars="***">Leave your $,1rx(Btrad' rack at home. (1) 25m 18. Start about 10m L of the scramble up to Black Magic. Following the line of u-bolts past the LH end of an overlap to a ledge. (2) 25m 22. Steep climbing between the arête and the prominent black streak on the LH side of the steep wall. R. Parkyn, N. Hancock, 2002.
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extra="Þ" grade="21" length="30m" name="Cold Power"
stars="***">A scary start and a pumpy finish. This route is on the wall of the buttress R of The Wizard. It might be advisable to have your belayer stay down in the gully below to avoid the 4m horizontal (fall factor) from the belay. P. Steane, Mar. 1996.
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extra="" grade="18" length="80m" name="The Wizard"
stars="**">A spell-binding route that is best after a dry spell. On the LH side of Bulging Buttress, L of Lignum Vitae and obscured in the corner is a prominent line capped by a large overhang. Scramble up over blocks to the base of the line. (1) 25m. Climb up to the overhang, pass it on the L and follow the steep crack to a ledge. (2) 25m. Continue up a short, awkward corner to a large ledge then straight up to base of the black corner. (3) 30m. Up the vee-chimney, jam through the bulge and continue pleasantly to the top. K. Bischoff, P. Robinson, Feb. 1981.
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class="text" new="false"
number="null.">A conspicuous clean black wall is situated above and L of the Wizard. Routes between Crazed and Confused and SSSSI are located on it. To gain access, climb 50m up Avalanche Couloir and scramble back R to the base of the wall.</text><climb
extra="" grade="22" length="40m" name="Crazed And Confused"
stars="**">The upper half of the black wall is split by a prominent crack. Crazed And Confused is the RH variant. About 15m R of SSSSI, locate a large pedestal at the base of a steep black streaked wall. Climb the LH side of the pedestal. Launch off this and up a short steep wall (crux) until it is possible to step L into the prominent crack. Climb the crack to its top and then mount the block on the L to a belay and abseil point (Tape). N. Deka, D. Stephenson, Feb. 1989.
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extra="Þ" grade="22" length="40m" name="Beaten and Abused"
stars="***">The sustained classic LH start to the upper crack of Crazed and Confused. Start just R of the arête to the R of SSSSI, at the base of the black streaks. Layback the thin flake to the horizontal break. Move R and climb the hand and finger crack past a couple of bulges to a second horizontal break. Step R and finish up the widening crack as for Crazed and Confused. The descent anchors for Mildly Amused are on the southern side of the summit blocks. D. Stephenson, N. Deka, Pete Steane, Feb. 1989.
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extra="Þ" grade="25" length="35m" name=" Mildly Amused"
stars="***">Start up the crack as for Beaten and Abused. At the horizontal break where Beaten and Abused goes R (at 6m) go slightly L and up (tricky) into the crack above until the first U can be clipped. Undercling around the flake (crux) then continue up the face and arête above. Good natural pro is available in the crack (wires and cams) then nine fixed anchors lead to a rap station. This route tends to remain dry even when the others on this wall are seeping. R. Parkyn, Feb. 1999.
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extra="Þ" grade="22" length="40m"
name="S.S.S.S.I. Seriously Searching For Sanity but Suiciding Instead)" stars="***S.S.S.S.I. *">A quality free route courtesy of an old aid line. The clean steep corner capped by a roof at 20m. Scramble across as for Crazed And Confused to the base of the corner. (1) Climb the thin corner crack to the roof. Step L and up to belay on a small ledge. (2) Climb easily up to the Mildly Amused. Rap station on the block above. K. Bischoff, G. Dixon, Feb. 1981. FFA: S. Parsons, P. Bigg, and D. Fife freed the lower half in 1982. N. Deka and D. Stephenson freed the original aid line in Feb. 1989.</climb>
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