Trip Report
The Direct Line (39 pitches 5.13+, El Cap)

by Rob Miller
Saturday October 28, 2017 3:15pm
I've heard there are climbers psyched to get after it. I've created a written description that compliments the topo here at my web site:
http://www.granitepage.com/topo-the-direct-line-39-pitches-5-13/

  Trip Report Views: 7,407
Rob Miller 		About the Author
Rob Miller is a big wall climber from Flagstaff, AZ.

Comments
drF

Trad climber
usa
  Oct 28, 2017 - 03:33pm PT
Badass effort lads.

Congrats!!
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Oct 28, 2017 - 04:09pm PT
great that you've finished this project Rob!
congratulations to all involved!!
Jon Clark

climber
philadelphia
  Oct 28, 2017 - 04:59pm PT
Very cool, thanks.
looks easy from here

climber
Santa Cruzish
  Oct 28, 2017 - 05:19pm PT
Damn! Amazing job! Mines of Moria (p.15-17) look and sound wild.
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
  Oct 28, 2017 - 06:04pm PT
You could have named a pitch "Bend over Gollum"
matty

Trad climber
Sad the forum is gone =(
  Oct 28, 2017 - 06:15pm PT
Congratulations! Thanks for sharing. Sounds awesome.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Oct 28, 2017 - 07:03pm PT
Sounds like a monumental effort. Way to stick with it. Would love to see some pictures.
NutAgain!

Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
  Oct 28, 2017 - 07:07pm PT
I wish I climbed 3 number grades harder than I do!
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
  Oct 28, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
Congratulations, this is great and your training blog is great too.
Mr. Rogers

climber
The Land of Make-Believe
  Oct 28, 2017 - 11:05pm PT
Awesome. Big congrats. Thanks for posting.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Oct 30, 2017 - 01:39am PT
Congrats Rob
Kalimon

Social climber
Ridgway, CO
  Oct 29, 2017 - 09:08am PT
Platinum Bump!

RESPECT.
clinker

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
  Oct 29, 2017 - 09:22am PT
Amazing effort!
Chief

climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
  Oct 29, 2017 - 09:31am PT
Strong work Rob!
Looks like an epic undertaking.

PB
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Oct 31, 2017 - 08:13pm PT
Looks like you climbed some of the lower pitches on the Turning Point in bolting the third pitch (edit not fourth) which needed to happen anyway for it to go free. An easier pitch would bypass this pitch at 5.11a/b to reach Companeros Ledge. The plan was to come back and finish the 5.12- hardman vaiation to the Freeblast which is still there to do if someone wants to bolt the option left of your thin corner.
I am sure you found my last bolt going straight up over a small roof. Did you use it or climb to the right of it?
So much for as#@&%e Sloan's taunts about bolting over my line when you guys did nothing that I would have issue with in your result.
Why the lack of any kind of communication AZ boys?
Oso Flaco

Gym climber
Atascadero, CA
  Oct 30, 2017 - 11:21pm PT
Wow, truly amazing! High-fives

What happened? Someone reveals a magnum opus of rock-climbing future history made on the most storied cliff of Supertopians' home field, it gets 17 responses, and then the crickets start chirping. Meanwhile there are entire threads, thousands of posts, dedicated to birds, baseball, music, tractors, farting, politics, hullabaloo this, brouhaha that, all in a (purported) rock-climbing forum. I really like birds, music...are you trying to tell me there's more to it than climbing?

By the way, I have to ask, what is a, "freight hook?"

From the author's blog:
"Judicious use of a freight hook was very helpful. (If you don’t know what this is, I’m sorry, I have no more information on this technique)."

There's a joke in there somewhere.

I can imagine you'd need a lot of Cobras for 39 pitches.

Is this a Guiness record for the most 5.12 pitches on a route?
Quantity per grade:
5.10: 1
5.10+: 1
5.11: 7
5.12: 22
5.13: 6
Unindicated: 2 (p10 & p28)
shylock

Social climber
mb
  Oct 31, 2017 - 08:00am PT
so cool. more pics please! also, what's up with the gigantic whipper you took? the one tom got a shot of.
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
  Oct 31, 2017 - 08:03am PT
looks sooo good. nice work!
WBraun

climber
  Oct 31, 2017 - 08:07am PT
Looks like you climbed some of the lower pitches on the Turning Point


Does it climb the first four pitches of Steve's route?

If it does it is a soft hybrid variation?

Another awesome job Rob and don't forget your chains :-)
Impaler

Social climber
San Francisco
  Oct 31, 2017 - 11:34am PT
WOW! This looks like a monumental effort! Great job and thanks for the write-up!
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  Oct 31, 2017 - 03:07pm PT
Back in April on the Freeblast we noticed what looked like some new bolts off to the right, wondered what that was. No idea if these bolts are from this line, though I don't remember seeing them in previous years on the FB.

Whatever it is, looked like it went through some pretty wild terrain but it was hard to follow its path by spotting the bolts.

These are from the belay on top of the .10d seam to .11 slab on the FB:

Something out right:


This two-bolt anchor under the overlap - new route in question? Punches up and right from there into blankish terrain? Or is this new line further out right?


Same anchor under rooflet, to the right of 6th pitch Freeblast



In trying to connect the bolts to get a sense of the line, did not come away with the impression that this would be considered a closely bolted affair, haha
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
  Oct 31, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
Way proud effort from Rob, a super nice guy who's as humble as he is talented. The route appears to be stacked with difficult climbing throughout and I suspect that many of those "slabby" pitches are real deal, ego crushing affairs.

Well done!
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Oct 31, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
Fantastic effort...congrats!
BrassNuts

Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
  Oct 31, 2017 - 08:14pm PT
WOW!! Amazing line and effort.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Oct 31, 2017 - 09:08pm PT
If I recall correctly, my last bolt in this section was placed right above the two belay bolts over the roof. I decided to climb down and exit left to the Freeblast rather than start drilling up and left across that beautiful slab to keep the Turning Point independent. I knew the future would arrive soon enough and those folks deserved a clean canvas.
As I have reported on the ST the Turning Point swings out of the Half Dollar to reach the incipient cracks out to the right leading to the Grey bands so the position shown on this topo makes little sense. The first drilled ladder shows up on pitch 13 so the rest follows weaknesses as I was alone.
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
  Oct 31, 2017 - 09:04pm PT
Nice job Rob and Roby! Good seein' yas. Tfpu.
Rob Miller

Big Wall climber
Flagstaff, AZ
Author's Reply  Nov 1, 2017 - 08:14am PT
Especially glad to hear "all is good" from the Turning Point!

... and, of course, all of the congrats too. I'm grateful to be on this side of such a long project.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Jan 17, 2018 - 02:40pm PT
Rob- Since your topo is rather vague at the bottom,where do the lower pitches go?
The Turning Point starts on Pine Line and moves left about forty feet up to a Leeper hangered 3/8" bolt and a SMC hanger bolt followed by a good runout to a two bolt station. The second pitch climbs straight up to a block with a 3/8" bolt above it and a very long runout up a right-leaning ramp to a Leeper hangered 3/8" bolt which protects the moves to reach the station at the end of pitch 2 on the Nose.
After climbing the corner that you bolted another Leeper hangered 3/8" bolt was used to swing left to a small ledge with bolts. An aluminum Poptop hanger protects a 5.12- section that gets you with a single #5 RP up to the area where your two bolt station is shown in the photos up thread.
Did you guys climb these pitches as they are?
Go
Recent Trip Reports