Land Acknowledgment: Payahuunadu has been, and continues to be, the homeland of the Paiute (Nuumu), Shoshone (Newe), and Timbisha peoples. This land acknowledgment honors the original inhabitants of the Eastern Sierra and the tribes who remain here today.
The Buttermilks are Bishop’s granite proving grounds, where boulderer’s come to test their limits, shred their skin, and leave a little blood behind. This is where gravity feels personal, the landings are questionable, and the highballs stand like ancient stone gatekeepers.
It’s beautiful, brutal, and completely addicting. Welcome to one of the most legendary bouldering meccas on Earth.
Why we love the Buttermilks
First off, the setting is absurd. Picture this: massive, freestanding boulders scattered across a high desert landscape, all framed by the towering Sierra Nevada. It looks prehistoric, like some forgotten land where giants left their toys behind.
Then, there’s the rock itself—a coarse, bullet-hard granite that’ll either make your footwork perfect or chew your fingers to hell. The climbing? Highballs, test pieces, and more problems than your last relationship.
The Highball Mentality: Climbing Tall, Falling Hard
The Buttermilks are legendary for highballs—problems that climb so high they start looking like soloing with extra steps. Pads help, but…
Some of the Greatest Hits: Thank you Mountain Project
🧗♂️ Evilution (V10/V12) – The Buttermilks highball. A towering, full-value climb where commitment kicks in right when you start.
🧗♂️ The Mandala (V12) – Chris Sharma put it on the map. Steep, powerful, and a perfect mix of style and suffering.
🧗♂️ High Plains Drifter (V7) – A classic. A perfect highball arête that looks impossible but climbs beautifully.
🧗♂️ Iron Man Traverse (V4) – The obligatory warm-up, cool-down, or never-send-for-lifers. More mileage has been logged on this thing than any other Bishop problem.
These climbs aren’t just about pulling hard—they’re about trusting yourself when you’re 20 feet up, and your pads look very, very small.
Skin Management and the Art of Not Dying
The gritstone-like texture of Buttermilk granite is a gift and a curse. It gives you precision footwork and god-tier friction, but can also sand down your fingers if you don’t pace yourself.
Pro Tips:
✔️ Climb smart – Two or three days on, then take a rest.
✔️ Tape is your friend – Because once you split a tip, you’re done.
✔️ Fall well – Pads are mandatory, and good spotters are life-saving.
✔️ Desert conditions are real – Hydrate, wear sunscreen, and don’t die.
The Buttermilks Scene: Dirtbags, Sprinter Vans, and Campfire Beta
If Yosemite is considered the big-leagues, the Buttermilks are the underground fight club. The scene is a mix of:
🚐 Sprinter van nomads – Chasing the season, climbing full-time, and running on instant coffee and psych.
🥷 Weekend warriors – Driving up from LA or the Bay, desperate to tick their Bishop bucket list.
🕰️ Lifers – Climbers who came for the season and never left.
Campfire talk is equal parts beta, injury stories, and existential questions.
Respect the Land or Get Roasted
The climbing here is world-class, as so is the fragile desert ecosystem that deserves your upmost respect. The Buttermilks are public lands, and if climbers don’t take care of them, boooooooo.
Stay on trails – Yes, it matters. What you think is dead vegitation is actually a thriving eco-system. Don’t crush the brush.
Pack out your trash – That includes tape, food wrappers, toilet paper and whatever else you dragged in.
Brush your tick marks – Clean your desperate white streaks off the rock.
Fire sucks – We know you are excited for fire. Don’t be. It’s a high desert. We burn.
You know the drill—leave it better than you found it.
Final Thoughts: A Rite of Passage
The Buttermilks will humble you, inspire you, and probably injure you.
You don’t come here for soft grades or easy sends. You come for the history, the exposure, and the chance to test yourself against some of the best boulders in the world.
See you soon. Bring extra tape.
👉 Planning a trip? Follow Bishop Climbers, visit Eastside Sports and Sage to Summit while you are in town, and and check out Mountain Project for beta.
