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Broken Broom

5.10a, Trad, 70 ft (21 m),  Avg: 3.4 from 23 votes
FA: Summer 2011
New York > Adirondacks > G: Indian Lake… > Crane Mountain > Black Arches Wall

Description

Well-protected (i.e. plenty of bolts) face climbing and consistently challenging, this line is a more comfortable and more sustained twin of its neighbor, Pinch an Inch.
There are 2 cruxes, getting past the 1st and 2nd bolts. A few sloper moves round out the challenge before reaching the anchors.
Climb the leftmost of a series of short, vertical crack/corners right of Amphitheatre Crack, up right past the first bolt to a slanting, rounded ledge. Ride this up left to its tippy-top, clip another bolt, and make a hard move to a horizontal crack. Climb the face above this on rounded holds, passing two more bolts along the way, to join Amphitheatre Crack inches from the anchor ledge.

NOTE: A lot of ice forms over the lip of the Birthday Corner early in the season. It falls from >30m up, landing among the base of all the Amphitheatre area routes. Even after the main winter's accumulation has fallen, nightly formations continue to bombard the area. Be watchful, wear a helmet, and if big ice is looming above on that crystalline spring morning, maybe climb somewhere else.

Location

15' right of Amphitheatre Crack, 20' left of the right-facing corner of Dexter's Dugout, at the leftmost series of small corners in the steep face.

Protection

Bring a standard rack of cams and 4 QDs for the 4 bolts enroute.
Anchors at 70'.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Jay H. leads Broken Broom in Roctober.
[Hide Photo] Jay H. leads Broken Broom in Roctober.
Kai Beattie crazy heel hook clip on Broken Broom. Also pictured is Phillip W. climbing Amphitheater Crack. 9.30.23
[Hide Photo] Kai Beattie crazy heel hook clip on Broken Broom. Also pictured is Phillip W. climbing Amphitheater Crack. 9.30.23
Tom Lane bustin' into the FA.
[Hide Photo] Tom Lane bustin' into the FA.
Delicate moves along the entire length.
[Hide Photo] Delicate moves along the entire length.
Ben balances up the delicate face moves.
[Hide Photo] Ben balances up the delicate face moves.
Bruce Monroe starting up <em>Broken Broom</em>.
[Hide Photo] Bruce Monroe starting up Broken Broom.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Nick W
Orford, NH
  5.10a
[Hide Comment] The first 40 feet of this route have extremely satisfying technical moves. You will wish the intial flake goes on forever. You can get very aesthetic photos of this climb by easily scrambling out the ledge at the top of Torcher, just right of the climb. Nov 20, 2011
kenr
 
[Hide Comment] Intricate face moves. I've heard that a key handhold for the balancy low crux is now less positive than a year ago.

Note that there is another route "Pinch an Inch" close next to it on climber's Right (with a harder low crux sequence, but easier climbing higher up). And higher up it's possible to wander left onto the (easier) top section of "Amphitheater Crack". So to find the harder more interesting climbing above the low crux stay reasonably close to the line of bolts (and away from less-cleaned lichen). Aug 7, 2012