Burlap Buttress (Red Rock, NV) by BW & JD Route

pics by Harlan W.S
Nov 19, 2011

This is the 3^rd class route—it was great. You can tell the planners for the route put in a lot of effort. The exposure may make one call it 3+. Tread carefully on the steep, narrow ledges near the final ridge; there are some hefty rocks that are just barely holding on.

CP, DB and double A (from Utah) joined me.

The route starts at the Black Velvet parking area; that gravel road starts at the bicycle parking off rte 160. A GPS will track oddly in the deep canyon.	Heading WNW. Black Velvet at L, Burlap Buttress (BB) in middle, edge of Monument at R.	We must cross over to the bouldery ramp at R.
View back down (SW) the bouldery ramp.	walk across the big rocks in the gully, then head around the corner.
At one point, you leave the gully, back-track, head up the ramp, and wind around this rock to avoid a big chockstone.	Now I’m on the other side of the chockstone, looking back the other direction to the same ramp!	Climb out the N side of the gully to miss the water hazard.
	shortly after this boulder problem, climb up the S side onto a set of ramps.	View SE down the ramps.
Finally one crosses the gully from N to S, climbs some 3+ ramps…	…and heads up this steep, slick ramp to the NE side of the peak itself.	Then one heads SE on a ramp on the NE side of the peak, occasionally edging around iffy corners.
	I’m looking NW down the ramp.	Just before the last ramp comes to a class 5 wall, cut R and around a corner to a class 3 chute.
The last chute travels ~NW up the ridge; the exposure is bad, but the rock is grippy. Be wary of loose rock on the ledges.	About to break onto easy (but still convoluted) travel on ridge.	View from top: Hidden Peak at L, W Monument at center.
Black Velvet to R.	The green down below is a sling left by Joseph D; it’s on a shallow horn, and was NOT intended as a rap anchor.
	OK, let’s get outta Dodge.
		These ledges looked so improbable, that I HAD to go to the side for photos!
Looks pretty creepy from here, huh?		Heading back NW down the long ramp.
View UP. Negotiating the slick rock where one crosses the gully.		S side ramps again. By noon, the canyon was already getting dark.
An awkward corner.
View SSE, about to leave gully, to head down loose bouldery ramp.	View back at the first chockstone one avoids on the way in.	View back NW at BB. The 4^th class route heads up the middle of this buttress.
	No hang gliding!