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A classic Grossman Test Fest.

Enough said ?

I know of no second ascents yet. At least on lead.

Thin nutting, steep face climbing, outrageous position. Earn your hardman badge with this one.

We were spending a day at the Overlook and were running laps on the Orange Out wall climbs so (gasp) had strung a rap line off the huge old Juniper that used to live at the top of the wall.

In an usual departure from ground up ethics, Steve looked at this line on rappel and started saying it would go. This was the first time but not the last, when I said no way. Too thin, no pro. Steve was adamant it was all there and showed us that it was. A jaw dropping lead.

Just another example of why Steve was for my money, the most gifted climber to come out of the late '70s, early '80s wave of Az climbers. And considering that group (Mish, Waugh, Coats(2x), Stieger, Ringle, Haisley, LB, Noebles, North, and others..) that's quite a statement.

No one else had (has) the same fluid grace and nerves of steel that so characterized Steve. The often unknown thing about Steve is that he was a master, the best, at creating protection from nebulous placements. And he would spend the hang time it would take to get and trust the odd gear.

On the Orange Out wall. See the Beta Pic. The most nebulous of all the lines. Between Orange Julius and Agent Orange.

RPs and other thin items. Small TCUs might be of use but weren't used on the first.

Disclaimer: It's been so long since I followed this I can't say for sure if this is an R or an X.