The Shard

This is the newest addition to the strenuous, brilliantly fun, and run-out sport climbs on Gibraltar. Like its neighbors, Broken Mirror and The Jabberwocky, The Shard climbs the beautiful swooping features of Gibraltar's left-hand face, beginning from an incredibly exposed stance belay (my favorite anywhere), and then following a slabby dihedral that will make you want to vomit—unless, of course, you figure out the beta. After the dihedral crux, perform a powerful "slab-dyno" about six feet left, and join the fourth bolt of Broken Mirror, and finish on Self Reflection.

Get ready: this line is significantly harder and better than Broken Mirror and The Jabberwocky—no small order, considering the caliber of those routes. In case the "R" rating scares you, this route differs from its neighbors in that ALL the hard moves are at or below bolts. The runout section is only 5.6/5.7 or so.

Starts from a two-bolt stance belay about fifteen feet right of Broken Mirror's hanging belay.

7 bolts. Draws.