South East Buttress

Added a picture looking up the buttress on the South East ridge, taken at about 2425m +-25m.... We followed the snow rather than the rock to get to the point where this photo was taken. We did not climb it (we did once of the other various routes up the South face) but it looked like awful rock, same as noted by Jrosinger, with one addition: we remarked how steep it seemed compared to our expectations, and in my eyes, no clearly discernable entry/start to the route. In fact, we thought this may not be it, and that we'd have to traverse further East onto what was basically the East face to find a easily delineated 'start'; and going off the patch of snow in the background of the above photo that faces down the mountain, I wonder if that is what their party did. Start the climb wherever you want to, it all leads to the same place I guess!

Look, if you come into this climb expecting "sound rock" you will be severely disappointed.

Delightful glacially carved slabs? Nope. Basalt columns? Nope. Try glued moraine, barely stuck together conglomerate and ridiculously precariously stacked boulders of varying sizes. The "window" is cool though, if a giant pile of choss surrounded by slightly worse choss.

Expect chossy, exposed and largely unprotectable crux sections around grade 12-14.

It is a fun climb and a good adventure, relatively remote for Ruapehu, but know what you're getting yourself into.

Best descent is probably down the mangaeheuhu face or Girdlestone down scree guts which is approximately on the winter ski line. Expect better rock than you encountered on the way up.