Flash of the Blade

Flash of the Blade climbs fantastic knobs and edges up the center of Razor Back. The climbing is runout in sections, but there is protection whenever you really want it. Both my partners and I agreed that this was a really excellent route; Bryan and Linda did a fine job of linking features on a really nice section of rock. The name of the route is a reference to the Iron Maiden song of the same name, from their 1984 album Powerslave.

To be consistent with the SuperTaco rating, I originally listed this route as 'R' rated, however, there is no 'R' climbing at the grade of the route. Expect 15-20 foot runouts on 5.8/5.9 climbing (with clean falls) and a couple of 20-25 foot runouts on 5.6/5.7 climbing (with ground or hard slab landing falls). By Meadows standards this probably falls in the PG-13 category.

Pitch one:

Climb 25 feet up to the first bolt; there is some 5.7 climbing in this section. Next climb straight up to an obvious gear placement and begin traversing to the right and past a bolt. After 10-15 feet, you will reach another bolt. Now climb up past 4 more bolts (10a) to a two bolt anchor. There is a 15-20 foot runout on 5.9 ish climbing in this section. The rock quality and climbing on this section is fantastic. (10a; 105 feet).

Pitch two:

Step right off of the belay and pull up onto a flake/hanging slab and climb amazing 5.6 knobs for 20-25 feet to the top of the flake and your first piece of pro (gear); alternatively, you can place a 1.25” cam under the flake immediately above the anchor to protect the belay, though you will likely want to put a long draw on this to alleviate rope drag. Next follow 4 bolts up through beautiful, semi-runout smedging on great rock to a two bolt anchor. (5.9; 95 feet)

Pitch three:

Climb up off of the belay and climb upwards past 4 bolts (10a). At the fourth bolt, head right towards a right trending flake/ramp and another bolt. Follow the flake upwards, placing some small cams or nuts in the flake if you like, however the climbing is solid and moderate (maybe 5.5) and most will forgo the gear. Following the ramp, head up past two more spaced bolts (5.9) to a two bolt anchor. (10a; 105 feet).

Two beta photos are included to help find the start of the route. The first is entitled 'Razor Back, right side', which shows on overview of the wall with belay locations noted. The second photo is taken from the base of the route, and shows the location of a couple of pieces of protection to help identify the line.

Do two rappels with two 60m ropes (you can reach the ground from the second anchor) or do 3 rappels with a 70m rope.

8-10 draws (including a couple long runners for the gear placements). Most people will want a 0.75 and 1 Camalot or equivalent for the first two pitches. If you want gear for the final pitch, bring a couple smaller cams (0.3-0.5 Camalot or equivalent).