Wow. This is a great picture of a great route. Hardest 5.8 in the park.

No way is this the hardest 5.8 in the park. Impossible Crack is harder, either of the Lost Face Roofs are harder, etc. Just cause you have tiny hands and tiny feet Jay...

For a brief moment of time, I thought 'Cesarean Tower' was the hardest 5.8 in the park (and the world)... until the massive convulsing fits of laughter from the crowd tipped me off and someone finally told me that I'd been sandbagged by my 'local' partner onto Cesarean Direct.

That's really funny Tony.

Have not climbed every 5.8 in the park but I would echo Jay on this one.
Very hard indeed for the grade. The Bible errrrrrr Swartling's guide cites RR as a benchmark for the 5.8 grade at DL.

RR feels more comfortable to me than either of the 3 routes below, which I have only seconded and I'm still gunning to lead:

1) Chicago (leadable and pretty well protected if you find the right placements), also very sustained to the top.

2) Britton's Direct

3) Jolly Roger

I think any of these are DL 5.8 benchmark material - as well. But to date I'm only a 2nd on these climbs so I'll defer to those who've led 'em.

Thoughts?

It felt comfortable when I onsighted it on lead, but then when I came back with a TR I barely thrutched over the roof without falling. Some of these climbs can change drastically if you happen to miss a single foot/hand hold or mess up the sequence.

I was talking with Roger on Friday and he was saying that Jim Ericson was saying that it was probably the harderst 5.8 there in the day, and one of the harderst 5.8 cracks in the country at it's time. Just another opinion (YMMV), but one with some bredth of experience.

i have led all of these routes and here goes my list in order of hardest 5.8

1. Chicago
2. Lost Face Overhangs
3. Brinton's Direct

Have not done impossible crack yet, but i imagine its up there!