Crazy Horse Buttress

Jira Homestay was the closest accommodation to the crag and we really didn't have very far to go to get to Crazy Horse Buttress. After grabbing our climbing gear, we turned right and walked up the road until we saw a large wooden signpost, turned left here and followed the gravel path westward and up the hill. Once the rock formation that was supposed to be the head of the horse began to peak out above the treeline, we realised that the crag's carpark could not be too far away, as it was located just a kilometre from Jira's. There was a small outhouse with squat toilets (bring your own toilet paper!) tucked in the corner there just beside the path that continued onwards to the Heart Wall. The main wall however, was at the end of a smaller path on the right and up some crudely-made, yet very effective steps.

The main wall turned out to be completely congested, so we decided to walk around and to explore the other nearby walls. We followed the path down to the right at first and passed by Horseshoe Wall and The Furnace but then decided to head back up the ladder rungs and go through the The Archway instead. We continued walking along the trail, clambering over rocks and ducking underneath branches, continuing along the switch-backing trail whilst keeping our eyes peeled for a wall that was unoccupied. When we reached the fork, we turned right and began to head up to The Rooftop (continuing left will lead down to the Gatekeeper Buttress).

Can you spot the head of the Crazy Horse?

The two routes that we climbed at The Rooftop were very straightforward and were perfect candidates for warm-up routes. The first route we climbed was called 'Hue Fah' (Ascending the Sky), 5b, and was also the first line from the left of the crag. The route starts off fairly easy, with some small, balancey holds at the middle until you get to a huge jug, but is then very straightforward all the way to the anchor. The second route was (appropriately) called 'A Route with a View', 5c+, and I found it to be a lot more interesting with a good mix of different movements. There was a saddle of sorts in the middle that we had to scoot over and from there was (once again) straightforward all the way to the anchor. Both the routes had great views of the Mae On Valley at the anchors at the top! Unfortunately, the sky quickly began to darken as the sun began to set, leaving us with insufficient time for a third route. We packed up and made our way back to Jira's for dinner (rice x3, THB30; green curry shared, THB89/2).

Suunto Movescount Stats

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Next : Crazy Horse Buttress (Part 3)