Subduction Zone

Start in a grungy corner on slightly hollow stone, placing small gear until you can mantle on top of a blocky pillar. Stem or jam out of a small roof, clipping the first of 3 bolts, and negotiate a flaring section of crack using small edges, large ominous flakes on the left (don't pull out!) and the occasional lieback move. The crack reopens after the third clip, letting you dive in and out of the cheese wedge on good gear. Cruise up the excellent lieback flake until it gets thin and hollow and a large bush appears (la touffe!!). Dodge both choss and vegetation by exiting the crack and heading right through dark rock on huge horizontals rails (formed by solid stacked blocks). Take a breath and launch into the bulgy headwall, using sidepulls and crimps to get past 3 bolts on excellent black rock. Don't tunnel vision at the top or the last moves will be heart breakers...

I'd say 2.5 stars for a long and varied ride, 3 stars if it weren't for sections of questionable rock inside the crack which forced the addition of a couple of bolts.

The Subduction Zone is found on the right (north) side of the Shadow Keep, a few feet left of a huge lichen-covered corner. It climbs a wavy crack/lieback feature capped by a large bush then escapes right onto a dark face to the top of shark-tooth pillar. The crack is easily identified by the cheese-wedge roof feature about 70' up.

To get to the base follow the approach for the routes on the Tower of Darkness and scramble up a heinous pile of loose gravel and blocks a few feet before reaching the tower. There's a decent platform at the base.

6 bolts + nuts and a set of cams from tiny (purple C3) to wide hands (BD #3) with doubles in the fingers to thin hands range (BD .3 to #1). A couple runners can be useful.

The route takes all of a 60m rope.

The 1st bolt is right next to a seemingly bomber #2 placement, the 4th not far above a textbook nut placement. In both cases the inside of the crack rings really hollow and I couldn't get myself to trust the gear, especially after I managed to break through a sort of egg-shell layer inside other sections of the crack with a light tap of the hammer. I decided to play it safe as the climbing gets harder around these spots and there is a risk of pulling gear and falling on questionable pieces below...