Bagatelle

Bagatelle is arguably the best hard route in Wisconsin, and definitely THE hard-man (or woman) route at Devil's Lake. At the time of its first ascent, it was one of the hardest routes in the country. Since then, Bagatelle has been the standard of difficulty at the Lake, and has been led (Tom Deuchler, first lead) and even soloed (Mike McCarron). Most are overjoyed at even a toprope ascent.

Start up the thin face to the left of Cracking Up and Epiphany. With the exception of the far left side (Phlogiston), everything on the face is in-bounds--a testiment to the thin, barely climbable nature of the face, and a rarity at the Lake. Climb up thin sidepulls and sequential footwork to the "Sword Fighter Move". From there, use a sloper (yes, a sloper!) and finish on the hardest 5.10 moves you will ever do. Now, begin to be overjoyed.

Toprope--Has had a few leads.