The Fine Line 5.11a
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| Type: | Trad, Alpine, 10 pitches, Grade IV |
| Consensus: | 5.11 [details] |
| FA: | Greg Lowe, Jeff Lowe, 1972 |
| Season: | summer |
| Submitted By: | Clint Cummins on Jul 20, 2007 |
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BETA PHOTO: topo of first 5 pitches by Reid Dowdle, with some ...
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Description A stunning line with superb position above a steep wall with blank rock to either side. After a short crux and one hard move on the first pitch, many fun 5.9 and easy 5.10 pitches up the single crack follow. Eventually it traverses onto the moderate upper pitches of the Beckey Route.
p1 was originally done by Fred Beckey, et al, then freed by the Lowes.
Location center of SW face
Protection standard rack
BETA PHOTO: topo of Direct Beckey by Reid Dowdle, with some ed...
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BETA PHOTO: Elephant's Perch - SW Face, Right
14. The Thorn B...
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BETA PHOTO: Topo for The Fine Line. I created this after an a...
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Looking across the traverse to the Beckey
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Wyatt does battle with the very demanding first pi...
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One of the many cool dihedral pitches!
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Lovely evening light
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Annie following the intense 1st crux pitch.
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Looking down on the wide slot at the end of the 3r...
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Court coming up the 7th pitch.
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Court leading the last pitch. The awkward slot is ...
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Wide slot near the top of Pitch 3.
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Looking down Pitch 3.
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Brad coming up Pitch 5.
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Lunch on Pitch 5. Halfway there.
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Heady, exposed 5.7 taverse on Pitch 6. Good job B...
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Very old bolt on Pitch 8. Beckey Bolt?
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SUMMIT!
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| Comments on The Fine Line |
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By Roger from Ouray
Jul 30, 2008
| The rating for this route is a mistake. It is 5.11+. The crux is by the last bolt, where the topo shows a "5.11a" move. In addition, if you climb straight up by the first bolt, it is solid 5.11. You can go left and climb up, and then go back right into the corner to reduce the difficulty. An exceptionally good route. |
By Brad Brooks
Aug 2, 2008
| I would second the notion that 11a is slightly off. If I would dare to enter a subjective rating, I would say 11b/c, but the crux is short and well protected, and the climb is outstanding. |
By Jim Donini
Mar 25, 2009
| I agree that the 5.11a rating is a sandbag. It's also on the first pitch which is usually quite cool in the morning shade. Make sure to warm up! |
By dave bingham
Jun 29, 2010
| Ditto. The original Becky / Fine Line feels closer to 12a than 11a to me. Original ratings tend to linger, but there's no shame in telling it like it is. I suspect most 11a leaders will be doing some serious tooth-gritting on this one! |
By Spencer Weiler
From: SLC, UT
Jul 26, 2010
| Amazing line! Super fun climbing. The 2nd pitch is by far the best pitch on the route. Finger locks for 110 feet with occasional hand jams and a fun wide section to the top. Jeff G.'s topo is spot on and was a great help. A couple thoughts: 1. Small gear is critical. Doubles in the TCU's sizes is adequate, with lots of nuts, but bring more if you have them. We rarely placed anything bigger than a #2 camalot. 2. On the last pitch, I highly recommend going up the 9+ crack on the left as shown on Jeff's topo. The right .9 crack around the bulge and up the 10a rp seam causes HEINOUS rope drag if you are trying to do it all in one pitch. 3. The descent gully is a breeze. Walk along the south ridge of the perch and down the south gully. One 80 foot rappel at the bottom is all that is required. 4. Pitch 4's wild flake is indeed wild! The mental crux of the route. |
By Monica Johnson
From: Flagstaff, AZ
Aug 19, 2010
| I took the right side up and fell right off the bat at the first bolt going to the jug. Damn! Came down and restarted for the redpoint. Super fun, I would call it 11b also, pumpy with multiple cruxes but lots of good rests to dissipate the difficulty. Favorite route we did! |
By Drew Bedford
From: Wasatch Back, UT
Aug 29, 2010
rating: 5.11
| Definitely worth doing the first three or so pitches before joining the direct Becky. |
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