I remembered that sadly a young man from my neck of the woods died on Easy Terrace just under a year ago as the rock proved to be loose and the boulder he was using as a hold broke free. He was an outdoor instructor and very experienced.
Hate to be all H&S, but I had a go at this today and, I'm not an experienced scrambler and I may have gone up the wrong route, but I found it so demanding and treacherous I had to back out of it, even though I thought that was dangerous in itself. A slip and I would've been a goner, so please don't attempt this ascent unless you know what you're doing!
Been there... done that route... found it anything but 'easy'... and one of my pals dislodged the biggest boulder that's ever come my way. Seriously... you could hear the air moving out of the way as it zipped past, and when it made contact with the rock face, sharp splinters flew in all directions and one of them gashed the hand of another guy on the same route.
I did this route on a beautiful Monday evening earlier this week. On the approach walk in; the route looks nigh impossible without gearing up, but once on the ramp of Easy Terrace it`s a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining scramble, the route being reasonably clear throughout, with good grippy hand and foot holds. There`s lots of exposure and one or two airy steps, especially up on the Buttress, but the feeling is being on a big exhilarating route without all your climbing clutter. Technically about Jacks Rake level (maybe with a steroid or two) with more exposure though. Probably best left alone when damp unless you fancy an epic.
I am a reasonably experienced scrambler and have done B buttress a few times; did it yesterday. It is not a scramble to be taken lightly and recommended in good conditions. from the horizontal ledge at the top of easy terrace there are two options:
A) Go left along a very exposed rake then over a 'Bad' step, then scramble directly up. Unless you are an experienced climber or very confident scrambler this should be protected with a rope (know how to put in anchors and protection).
B) On reaching the horizontal ledge carry on scrambling in the same line as the gully ignoring the terrace, then zig zag up rocky slabs. It is not easy to put protection in on this route but experienced scramblers should be OK.
Beware of loose rocks, the rocks are generally sound but yesterday after a freeze thaw there were some loose rocks: test before commiting.
I think these routes are harder than Pinnacle ridge
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