In July and early August, Dawid Sysak and I were in the Nalumasortoq-Ulamertorsuaq region, where we climbed a new route and made a first free ascent. After this, our last spell of good weather allowed us to make a free ascent of the area's classic: the Geneva Diedre/War and Poetry (5.12c/d) on Ulamertorsuaq. We made a two-day push, bivouacking on the good ledge at the top of pitch 22 and reaching the summit around noon the next day.

Our new all-free route climbed the central pillar on the southeast face of Honey Buttress, a formation first climbed in 1998 by Ian Parsons and Tony Penning at British E3/E4 5c (5.10d R, with less than ideal rock and hard-won gear). Parsons and Penning were accompanied to base camp by a friend Bob Honey.  

We decided to climb this fine-looking pillar because it receives a lot of sun in the morning and seemed to be drying faster than anything in the area. We took 27 hours camp to camp, summiting on July 14. The cracks were clean of vegetation, and this allowed us to free almost every pitch onsight; two pitches were redpointed. We cleaned most of the big blocks on ledges or jammed in chimneys. Our rappel route, using pitons and nuts for anchors, partially follows the line of ascent. We named the route Hanging Bus, after a huge granite block on pitch five. The climb was around 400m long (12 pitches) following a logical line of cracks and chimney on very good granite, with good natural protection throughout and difficulties up to 5.11+.

Our second objective was Ekstra Lagret on Nalumasortoq. This line lies just to the right of the original British Route (1995) on the Left Pillar, and was first climbed in 2002 by Chris Chitty, Ari Menitove, and Steve Su at 5.11 A2 (AAJ 2003). This team used natural protection throughout, but sadly the following year three Danish climbers, thinking they were making a new route, added many bolts to the line. As the first ascensionists thought it might go free, we decided to have a try. Shallow corners and cracks led to pitch four, where we were shut down by mud and grass. Using some aid, we continued to pitch six, where we found bolts at a bivouac. We then fixed 100m and rappelled to the ground, realizing the route would need much gardening.

Our next push was a two-day cleaning session, with a night on the uncomfortable ledge at the top of pitch six. We used ice axes to remove earth and grass from the cracks, and also worked some of the harder moves.

After a rest at base camp, we headed up one more time, and on July 26 free climbed the line in a single 14-hour push, with much steep, superb jamming and laybacking. The crux is pitch five: a boulder problem followed by sustained 5.11+ climbing to the anchors. The two 5.12/12+ pitches high on the wall, immediately after merging with the British Route—Ekstra Lagret joins the British Route four pitches below the summit—are a little easier. We did not add any fixed gear. The bolts in place are of hardware-store quality; fortunately there is good natural pro next to most of the bolted belays. We rappelled the British Route.

Patryk Różecki, Poland

Historical Notes on Honey Buttress: The Honey Buttress formation now has three routes. In 1998, Ian Parsons and Tony Penning (U.K.) hoped to climb the steep north face of Half Dome, but after sitting below this formation for a day in the wet, they saw the attractive buttress opposite drying out and elected to climb it instead. The line on the photo is the best approximation of their route, given more than 20 years of elapsed time and memory. Toward the top, their line took them well onto the left flank of the buttress, and they finished on the quasi-horizontal arête that connects the top of the pillar to the main mass of mountain behind. Parsons and Penning followed this ridge back to the slabs, turned left, and then rappelled these slabs (on the climbers' left of the pillar) to reach the glacier near the start of the approach across the terrace.

Just after the two British climbers left the area, Denis Burdet, Roger Dubois, and Olivier Schaller (Switzerland) climbed another route on Honey Buttress called Pet Gaz (500m, 13 pitches, 6c A1); the topo suggests this is also be on the left side of the pillar.