Kloeberdeath/Candallegro 

It has died down, but there was a certain amount of controversy surrounding this route at the time it was put in. An eye-witness account of the first ascent follows.

Rob had bolted the upper face and TR'd only that upper face previously with Jim Royce. On his first lead attempt with Jim, he was not able to safely make the crux clip (the bolt at the lip), and came down. At the time, the Kloeberdanz crux was protected by old knotted webbing jammed into a crack, making the 5.12 moves out to the lip a very serious undertaking. On the first ascent a month later, with me belaying, Rob had to climb back and forth up to that clip before - 30 minutes to finally get the clip later- climbing back to the rest above the Kloeberdanz crux and lowering. Considering safety, Rob did not pull the rope. After a rest, he climbed up and through in one push, sending the climb.

A few weeks later, a certain climber of ambition named Jimmy asked me about the ascent and climbed Guenese to put a sling on the bolt on the lip to reduce the difficulties. Jimmy then led the climb, but tried to give it a new name and dis my man Rob. Weak effort in my eyes. Later, Rob would add a bolt along the underside of the arete to protect the death moves. He led this anew (all clean and fresh) and gave it the improved moniker 'Candallegro'.

This is an enviable testpiece with great position, and a good linkup to climbs on the upper wall via the rest of 'Guenese' to the Upper Meadow.

Reminds me of Mickey Mouse Die-rect, another of Rob's routes with death potential in its original ascent. Has anyone else been through this route?

-responding to the question about Mickey Mouse Die-rect.....It's a very good route with the crux being safer than getting to it. Not wanting to spoil it with too much beta I'll only say that there are different ways to do it.