Holding the Line

This line is completely unlike anything else at the crag and is really, really fun. (to toprope) The gear is barely good enough to allow it to go, the rock immaculate, and the movement mindblowing.  (and for the record, it's awaiting a true redpoint ascent, I preplaced and preclipped my first pieces in and just below the first finger slot) Runouts and marginal pro notwithstanding, it's amazing to climb on and has cerebral, bouldery movement with just enough holds.  Each crux will likely feel impossible while working out the beta and then like you're floating when you send.Get established on the arete from the ledge below Fun Soup and fight through a gradually building onslaught of arete pinches, thin feet, and comically bad holds for your left hand.  This culminates in a desperate move to the first real hold in the 'crack' and a brief opportunity to try and control your breathing.  The exit moves out of the crux, while easier, are no joke and probably have some of the most serious pro on the pitch. A #3 BD Microstopper (which is annoyingly out of production-let me know if you need one) and a green c3 in a flaring slot are all you get for another 15' of physical slapping up the arete to a jug.At the first rest, build a nest of small RPs and ballnuts before committing to more devious arete-trickery, a few desperate liebacks and stems, and a wild move to a thank-god jug with better holds and a no-hands rest above.  Theoretically there's gear to be had in the section to the jug, but I wasn't strong enough to stop and hang on long enough to place it.From the rest, place the first real cams of the route (fingers and tips) before scampering up some slightly easier moves to a wild final crux on the arete.  After battling through to here, all that's left is to hang on through three very airy lockoffs on pockets and a crimp and you're at the horizontal jugs below the finish to Pumphouse Park. (and, more importantly, gear) From that point, savor the comparatively simple 5.11 exit crux on Pumphouse before finally clipping the chains.

In between Fingerlings/Pumphouse Park and Fun Soup.  Look for the tiny seam with a laser-cut right arete.

Thin. Lots of 5-6kn RPs and ballnuts plus a small selection of tips-sized cams.