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Bad To The Bone

5.12a, Sport, 70 ft (21 m),  Avg: 2.5 from 23 votes
FA: Joe Shiefman, Tony Lusk, & Steve Johnson (1994)
Arizona > Southern Arizona > Mt Lemmon (Sant… > Mt Lemmon (Cata… > 6 - Mid-Mountain > Boneyard

Description

While this route looks like a pile, it provides a great training ground for technicians looking to hone their craft. Comprised of a series of complex, delicate sequences this route stays on you, climaxing just prior to the anchors. The rock is surprisingly solid for the Boneyard.

Bad To The Bone can be located by dropping down and around a multi-colored corner with a notable lip sixty feet up. This is When The Whip Comes Down. Fifteen feet to the left is Bad to the Bone. The welded shut anchor is visible from the ground. There is a pronounced undercling between the first and second bolt.

Protection

7 bolts to a welded shut anchor.

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Base beta photo.
[Hide Photo] Base beta photo.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

1Eric Rhicard
Tucson
 
[Hide Comment] Got on this climb yesterday. Wow. This was way better than I had been told it was. John's description is right on. This thing stays on you. It felt pretty bouldery to me and as hard as any twelve I have been on this year. I might have been having a high gravity day or perhaps it is a bit reachy as this felt nothing like 5.11 as others have suggested. Either way it was fun and I look forward to getting back on it. Jun 1, 2014
1Eric Rhicard
Tucson
 
[Hide Comment] Went back today to redpoint this and replaced the old Hardware with ASCA Gear. This is a climb that keeps you focused but allows you to recover after the hard moves. Ryan and Duderina must have been breathing helium the day they got on it, or they might have gotten on another route, as 11c seems like such a bag to the four folks I know that have been on it lately. Or, as well as they are climbing it may have felt like 11c as climbs sometimes do. Jun 8, 2014
K-Tanz
Phoenix, AZ
5.12-
[Hide Comment] EFR speaks the truth! .11c is a hellacious sand-bag. To me this felt at least .12a Good rock quality on small holds with very delicate movement. Good route that I would go back for! Jul 27, 2014
La Duderina
 
[Hide Comment] the mystery has been solved- pretty sure we were on When the Whip Comes Down to the right. next time Ill be sure to get on the correct route before I sandbag! :) Jan 19, 2015
Austin Sobotka
Tucson, AZ
 
[Hide Comment] Fun route with lots of interesting, delicate movement. Definitely not spectacular, but also not at all bad.

I'm really not sure what I think about the grade. On my onsight attempt it felt real hard for .12a, but once I hung and looked around a bit I found some hidden holds that made everything quite a bit easier. The crux, for me, was up high, and was essentially a move or two of hard slab, but not .12a hard slab. Also, there's pretty good resting stances throughout most of the climb. That being said, I'm not sure that the crux moves on Monster Buck are too much harder than on this.

So I don't know...

Also, I was definitely on Bad to the Bone, not WtWCD, because I climbed that afterwards ;) Jun 8, 2016
Justin Headley
Tucson
[Hide Comment] I agree with Austin. After I found the holds and worked out a sequence, I felt like it was by far the least physically intensive 12- I've climbed. Much of it is low angle face with decent holds and opportunities to rest with a few powerful moves spread out through the climb. Fun route, and great for learning how to memorize a sequence. Jun 8, 2016