Portable Darkness 

"Paddle up the slab" ??? Yes!! ...Adventure!! ...Can't wait to do this!! ... Fixed pins...what more could you ask for?? ...OK, a fixed bashie.

Did this today; fun stuff, a worthwhile addition to Devils Castle. Thanks to the FA team for putting this up; that must have taken some time, effort and expense. Pitch 2 with that little chimney at the top and the final pitch up the arete were great. We took some gear but didn't end up placing any of it, the bolts and pins seemed adequate. The belays are fairly sheltered and we didn't see any natural rockfall, but there is plenty of loose rock so as always at the Castle wear helmets and climb carefully.
Black Streak seems to be seeing more traffic these days, and I would never climb under another party on Devils Castle, so if you are up there to do Black Streak and it is occupied this route would be a good alternative at about the same length and difficulty.

This route is a great addition to the Castle as it is the best protected and most moderate of all of the multi pitch routes. The unique 2nd pitch offers cool chimney that ends at an exposed belay. The upper pitches had some good air too.

Great Job!

Loved the chimney pitch, then again the arete pitch up high was spectacular as well. Chopped our rope, but spared our heads on rappel as Black Streak was occupied and we didn't have our shoes along. Just another day on The Castle, I guess. I will be doing this climb again.

Bummed about your rope, James. Which pitch? Would extending the rap anchor a bit help?
Glad you liked the route!

It's all good Brian. Black Streak is really the only "better" rap route, both Shadow Of The Blade and Portable Darkness are excellent and strong recommends! Thanks again!

Climbed this again this season. The lower pitches are the lamb chops, whereas the upper ones are the landscapes. It baffles me that anyone could remotely think this route is either PG13 or R protected. Even Gregorio doesn't drill this close....Don't misunderstand...I am not complaining. We all loved it....a Swiss friend said it reminded him of Plaisir climbs... beautiful climbing and weather...only ones on the whole wall....walked along summit ridge and did last crack pitch of Des Teufels Bollwerk for a finale.

DC is definitely not for everybody, but I'll be back....

Really fun climb that I enjoyed a lot! Here's my take on the pitches.

Pitch 1: Mostly 5.6ish, with some 5.8 moves at the last few bolts before the belay on a small ledge. A fun pitch, but nothing spectacular.
Pitch 2: Steep 5.9+ on good, flat edges up nice rock to a sweet, easy, and exposed chimney. Belay is on a good stance above the chimney. My favorite pitch on the route.
Pitch 3: Apparently there are 4 bolts on this pitch, but I only found two. I climbed up to the small tree with rope/slings on it and then left on over to the belay, but I think the bolts are to the left more. Belay on a good ledge. 5.3ish.
Pitch 4: Start out on some fun 5.8+ moves up a dark corner (passing a couple bolts and some pins) to a small ledge on top of the corner. Go right on the ledge to find the next bolt. Climb up the left side of the gully, clipping the bolts on the rocky arete to the left. Belay is on a good ledge with three bolts.
Pitch 5: Climb up to the small tree (I climbed around it to the right, but going around the left of it would result in less rope drag. There’s a small piton with a ring on it right above the tree. Climb up and slightly left from the tree. 5.7. The belay is on a good ledge right on the ridge.
Pitch 6: The other awesome pitch on the route. Fun 5.8 climbing takes you up the sharp, exposed ridge. Belay at a good ledge with two bolts. As of 9/3/10, there was gray webbing and a quicklink on the bolts. My partner thought that the last pitch was the coolest he had ever done!

I didn’t think any pitches were R or PG-13 rated. The route is very well bolted.

In addition to the dozen draws and half dozen slings, I took half a dozen cams and didn’t use any of them anywhere on the route.

More pics on my blog here.

Just did this today - what an outstanding line. Beautiful and fun climbing. However, I agree there's no way is it R or even PG-13. There are big, fat bolts everywhere you need them (and even where you might not, like on the 5.3 pitch) so bring 12 draws, a few long slings and nothing else. The anchors are all ringed as well just in case you need to bail. I also wouldn't rate it 9+. If you climb that grade you will cruise this thing.

I would add that you should not climb this under any circumstances if there is a party above you. There is loose rock on every pitch (some are covered in it) and it was virtually impossible not to kick things off.