Victim of Circumstance

This climb ascends a left-facing corner via a fingertip lieback. Face holds lead up into the base of the corner below a tiny roof. This start is also the start of "

Crank It

" that then moves right into the next crack.

Place small nuts & execute a very difficult crux fingertip lieback. There is one horizontal face hold & a poor undercling tips lieback slot under the roof with slippery feet on polished black rock. Above the roof, the crux ends at a good fingerlock. The moves ease off to 5.11. At the top of the corner, the crack fades out. Step left onto a rounded knob on the blunt arete, & move into "

The Campaigner

; above the second bulge. Undercling back right to a good, jug flake.

I used to end the climb here, as it was possible to reach a bolt for the aid line

Ground Zero

(that is now

Crank It

). I don't know if it possible to reach the anchor on "

Crank It

" that is further right. It is possible to continue up a dihedral past 2 bolts (the top of "Nuclear Winter") to finish on the big ledge on "

Cussin Crack

".

I find it very amazing that no one has posted this route before now, considering the first ascent was in 1982 & I led it in 1986. After that, I top-roped it often after leading "

Rebellion

". This is a worthy piece of climbing. Protection can be placed every two or three feet, so perhaps it doesn't deserve the R rating. However, hanging on to place the gear is quite strenuous, & caution must be taken to get in good gear at the start. This includes an opposing piece to keep the gear from lifting out. I used double ropes when I led this climb. This adds a great amount of safety, allowing you to alternate ropes on each piece of protection.

D'Antonio's guidebook rates this climb 5.13b & says it was grossly underrated at .12b. Alec Sharp originally rated the climb 5.11+. I may have been the first to call the climb .12b. Years before I climbed it, John Sherman had told me he thought the climb was quite hard & a sandbag at 5.11+. One skinny fingered Brit, named John Aaron, told me it was .12a to toprope.

This is between

Rebellion

&

Crank It

.

#3-6 RPs (Black Diamond steel nuts), # 6 stopper, and a 0.5"-0.75" cam. I didn't have Aliens when I led this route. Tiny to small cams may also be useful.