Sapphire  5.9

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Type:  Trad, Alpine, 2 pitches, 280 feet, Grade II Consensus:  5.9 [details] FA:  Mark Gillis, Greg Rix, 1985 Submitted By:  George Perkins on Oct 25, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Heading up the big left-facing corner just after t...

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Description 

Sapphire is a variation to pitch 2 of Emerald City, to its right. It's perhaps slightly easier, less classic, and more runout than Emerald City, but is on good rock and is certainly worth doing if 5.9 La Cueva slabs are your thing.

The first pitch is shared with Emerald City, and pulls through the right side of a square roof, then gains easier slabs as you aim to pass just right of a small tree. A piton-protected tricky thin crux (rated 5.8+) comprises the last moves on the slab before moving right to the 2-bolt anchor.

Begin the 2nd pitch by easy downclimbing from the belay to the right about 10', a tricky step right, where you'll join the biggest left-facing dihedral in this section of cliff. Follow a crack in this corner, which begins as hands and turns into a seam on the slabby face above. The crack peters out, clip a pin, and slab up to a bolt, and angle left for a 20' slab runout to the Revenge of the Elderly 2-bolt anchor.

Location 

Sapphire is the right variation of Emerald City for pitch 2. The first pitch is shared with Emerald City, which begins up and right of the Revenge of the Elderly sort of in a high alcove-like area between two black water streaks.

Rappel the route (or Revenge of the Elderly). Both require 2 rappels with 2 ropes to descend.

Protection 

Nuts and cams to 2", include micros.