The Broken Blade

Joe S and K clued me in to this stunning line with the caveat that it may not go at all. Sure enough it was one of the blankest walls I had seen on Lemmon, with many of the holds not apparent even now with chalk on them. However, unlikely holds appeared, sequences emerged, and The Broken Blade was born.

The route begins in the middle of the face to the right of Infrared Heart. At the first bolt launch into a progressively difficult boulder problem requiring extreme tension and fingers of rebar. This sequence culminates in difficult moves to and from an absolutely heinous 2 finger crimp that will challenge preconceived notions of the word "hold".

A monster deadpoint spits you out onto the best hold in the first 50 ft of the route, a good 3-4 finger mini horn. Launch again into a slightly less difficult boulder problem and execute a technical traverse. Switch gears and keep it together for the final (slightly easier still) boulder problem involving powerful moves on a pinch/undercling and slaps to big, open handed holds. Surf it out through jug city and mantel the ledge to glory.

This is a power endurance route. The 50 feet of business is super sustained with nothing to match and only a few places that its even conceivable to chalk or get a quick shake.

Very different from anything in its grade range, this route requires some serious savagery and is a Lemmon hard-man classic.

Between Infrared Heart and The Sampler

7 bolts