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Fit for Life

5.12, Sport, 70 ft (21 m),  Avg: 2.3 from 19 votes
FA: Bob D'Antonio & Greg Hand
Colorado > Boulder > Boulder Canyon > Broken Rock
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Description

The route starts on the far right side of the cliff at a lone, large pine tree. Cool climbing on good laybacks and edges get you past three bolts. Reach a horizontal crack and place gear. Layback up a thin flake and begin a series of hard technical moves past three more bolts to reach the anchor. Very good route with excellent moves.

Protection

Six clips, a yellow Alien and purple Camalot will get you to a two bolt anchor.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Fit for Life.  Layback and face climb (10) to an overhang, then continue up a thin seam and face (12) to the anchor.
[Hide Photo] Fit for Life. Layback and face climb (10) to an overhang, then continue up a thin seam and face (12) to the anchor.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Tony B
Around Boulder, CO
  5.12
[Hide Comment] This route is pretty stiff and would be a really tough OS. I found that it was slick and dusty, so hard to hold onto, but mosly solid and not crumbly like some other area routes. The layback flake is quite thin, and the best holds are not obvious. At the end of the crux sequence, the "jug" is just out of reach for a guy my height (5'10"), and I suspect that there is a strong dividing line for difficulty vs. height on this one. Also, being light probably helps, as some of the holds are viciously small for the power you have to put on them. May 19, 2009
Phil Lauffen
Innsbruck, AT
 
[Hide Comment] This climb is a lot better than it looks from the ground. We used a #1 Camalot in the horizontal.... Though if you get here and you have no cams, I think it wouldn't be too ballsy to do without the piece. Hard and sequential. Feb 19, 2011
slim

  5.12b
[Hide Comment] I would have to disagree with the assumption that this route is easier if you are tall. The brutal undercling/laybacking would probably favor a shorter person. I thought this thing felt closer to 12c than 12a. I was really surprised at how hard it is, compared to other 12a's by the same FAs.

Overall, a good route. Would be a 3 star route if the shit was cleaned off of the best holds and some lichen was scrubbed. Jun 20, 2014
Greg Hand
Golden, CO
[Hide Comment] Ouch! I was able to TR this route without falling when we put it in. Since my climbing ability was already in decline by then, I doubt I could climb 5.12c. I believe we did not rate it 5.12a either. Whatever the rating, it is a really good climb. You should have seen how much lichen was there when we started. Jun 20, 2014
slim

  5.12b
[Hide Comment] I would like to watch a dozen good climbers do this one and see how they do it. I guess 12c is maybe an exageration, I was able to get it first go on TR (although absolutely barely). All total, I am 5/6 on it (fell on #5 last night, much swearing), but man is it hard as hell. I always feel like I am falling off of every move through that first 2 bolts off the ledge.

I am curious about Tony's comments about the small holds - I couldn't figure out how to use anything other than pretty decent holds. Mostly just the direction of them and the utter lack of feet is what makes it hard to be confident on this one. Jun 20, 2014
[Hide Comment] This is no BoCan 12a. Gear isn't necessary on the mid-route runout, it is pretty mellow terrain compared to the rest of the route. The last three bolts are sustained, tricky climbing with bad feet. Jul 16, 2017
Mark Rolofson
  5.12b
[Hide Comment] I have always placed a 1.5" cam in the horizontal crack in the middle of the route. Reaching the 4th bolt above the horizontal crack is a bit tricky, & the 3rd bolt is a long way below. The crux at the 5th bolt is very technical. Definitely it has always felt at least 5.12b. Greasy warm temps will make it seem much harder. Mar 27, 2019
Andy Hansen
Longmont, CO
  5.12b
[Hide Comment] This route was pretty clean today... not much lichen but a minor bit of bird detritus at the horizontal. Easy 12b seems about right for this pitch. I also thought having a 0.5 Camalot at the horizontal break was helpful. Thoughtful use of underclings in the crux was helpful. Aug 29, 2019