Rico Suave Buttress
Rico Suave Buttress in West Virginia has 19 climbing routes across 12 grades, offering sport and trad options.
- 19 routes
- 5.7 – 5.13a
- Sport · Trad
Is Rico Suave Buttress open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
As of · Source: NPS · New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Rico Suave Buttress
Best months: June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
41° / 23°
15 wet
Feb
44° / 25°
13 wet
Mar
52° / 31°
14 wet
Apr
64° / 41°
14 wet
May
72° / 50°
14 wet
Jun
79° / 58°
12 wet
Jul
81° / 61°
12 wet
Aug
81° / 60°
11 wet
Sep
75° / 54°
9 wet
Oct
65° / 42°
10 wet
Nov
54° / 33°
11 wet
Dec
45° / 27°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Oak Hill, WV, 6.9 mi away at 2,040 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Rico Suave Buttress is a climbing area in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking spots, with Fire and Ice Buttress and First Buttress both about 0.1 mile away and Butchers Branch Trail and Kaymoor Miners Trail also within a tenth of a mile. The area has 19 routes, with sport climbing and trad climbing both well represented. The YDS grades run from 5.7 up to 5.13a, and the hardest route is Trouble in Paradise, a sport climb at 5.13a. Among the trad routes, Sand in My Crack (Cuddle Monkey) is 5.7, and Mississippi Mike is 5.11b. September is the most comfortable month to visit, with typical highs around 75°F and lows near 54°F, and it also has the fewest wet days of the year. Those are typical averages from a nearby weather station in Oak Hill, which sits about 280 feet lower than the buttress.
Routes (19)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)F) Flash Point Area
~1 min drive
F) Flash Point Area in West Virginia has 8 routes with 7 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)G) Diamond Point
~1 min drive
G) Diamond Point in West Virginia has 19 climbing routes with 13 difficulty grades.
Photo: Wv funnyman, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)E) Kaymoor Slabs
~1 min drive
14-route climbing crag in West Virginia with sport and trad options.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)I) Honeymooner's Area
~1 min drive
I) Honeymooner's Area in West Virginia has 30 climbing routes across 17 grades.
Photo: tr.robinson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)P) Jacob's Ladder Area
~2 min drive
Jacob's Ladder Area in West Virginia has 9 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
Photo: tr.robinson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)R) The Cirque
~2 min drive
R) The Cirque in West Virginia has 27 climbing routes across 16 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)South Nuttall
~3 min drive
South Nuttall in West Virginia has 18 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Fire and Ice Buttress
~0 min drive
Fire and Ice Buttress in West Virginia has 6 routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
First Buttress
~0 min drive
First Buttress in West Virginia has 8 sport climbing routes across 7 grades.
The Hole
~0 min drive
11 sport climbing routes in West Virginia ranging from 5.8 to 5.12a.
