Weslyean Mountaineering Club
Guide to Bouldering on Butterfield B
By Mike Bodel

Whatever the University policy is on climbing, they are not cracking down too hard now. Please use discretion: don’t climb too high, limit chalk use, and don’t peek in too many windows. When asked by a Public Safety Officer what I am doing I have told them I am just playing around (the truth), and they have not seemed to mind as long as I stay low.
 I have roughly rated the difficulty of the problems only to help suggest what fun problems exist already within a given range of difficulty. There are great climbs of all difficulties so everyone should try everything. However, it is true that climbing on Wesleyan’s brownstone buildings is hard in general on account of good masonry and high walls. I have also included a few notes on First Ascents. This is not as much to claim or give credit as it is for you to have someone to talk to if you have questions about a specific problem. More importantly, don’t think that this guide is anywhere near complete. It is just a few ideas from a few people’s experiences. Please seek out new problems and games. Enjoy yourself and if you find anything good tell me about it.

1. The Flow Arrete
 An absolute classic climb from a sit start to a rooftop twenty feet up and to the right. The problem is named for a move a third of the way up: a right hand bump up on the arete to a pinch. The last move is a balancy reach out right on trusted feet. Follow the chalk, bring a pad. Fairly Hard.
       First Ascent: A.Z.
 
2. A little game just left of where you can walk beneath Butt B; under a window sill.
Take a running start (or a step for a challenge), plant a foot on an ok hold, jump for the window ledge. Mind of the privacy of whomever lives behind the window your hanging off. Easy, but hieght dependant.

3. Another game with many variations. Crouch low on the left pillar with your back to the courtyard. Grab the two sides or face holds, pull on, and jump up to the overhanging lip. The metal lip may be wet and is a little sharp. Try both hands at the same time. Easy-Medium.

4. West Gaurdian
 A highball just on the far side of the underpass under Butt B. It goes up large side pulls on the arrete. The inside of the wall beside the window is off-limits. Pull onto the roof and best to escape through a window and take the stairs down. Easy-Medium but scary.
       FA: MB

5. This one is mainly to get into the dorm if you need to. Strand on the blue phone just the right of the doorway. Reach left to the wooden ridge three feet below the window. hang with both hands and pull up (campus) to the window ridge. Reach a hand inside, stand on the ledge you started by hanging on, and pull in. Medium but a reach if the window is open. Harder if it you have to slide it open.

 
6. Project face climb? Very Hard.

7. East Gaurdian
 Heady Highball. Incredible. Sit start on the Outhouse side of the arete: hard opening moves on little foot smears, balancy middle on the arete, but an easy home stretch. Try to downclimb as much as possible from the roof. The cars below look very small. Hard
       FA: MB
8. Located on the street side arete at the end of the 12 foot wall that lines the basketball court. A fun little dino if the upper holds are ignored. Try using a low arete hold and a high right foot. Try using only two face holds. Try a sit start. beware a moving block two feet up around the corner of the arete. Varying difficulty.

9. A ridonculous problem on the same arete as 8. Sit on your rumpus with a high right hand on a knob on the arete.  Secure your toes on a little edge a foot off the ground. Pull up with one arm and leap for the top (probably grab with a left hand.) Hard.

10. There are two sidepulls locate just left of the brown boards against the basketball side of the wall. The left one good, the right one not so good. Start with a low left foot, gte a high right foot and rock on to it. Lunge straight up for the top lip. Learn form/finesse the hard way. Hard.

11. Between the two sets of boards on the wall there is a crimpy little route. Start squatting with a tiny left hand, pull on a right foot and move to a larger edge up and right. To the top from there, via either  a bitty intermediate or a quick stand-up. Hard.

12. Get up the wall to the right of the right boards. Medium.