Smoking Gun

This is the "escape route" from the center of the Ruckman Cave, punching out the body-length roof to climb the nice tan headwall above the uber-greasy cave. It is done as one big pitch, and ends at anchors about 50 feet over the lip of the cave in a small depression.

Begin on the central route in the cave, Bolt Action, a former 11d turned possible 12a by eroding holds, polished foot knobs, and the disappearance of a huge block. Follow this for 7 or 8 bolts to the double cold-shuts below the roof. (Skip this route's first clip so as to avoid rope drag.)

Put a long draw on one of the shuts, a double draw out on the bolt in the roof, and bust a strenous boulder problem out, and over, the lip. It helped me to climb up, clip the long draw, then climb back down below the cold-shut anchor to a kneescum rest.

Once over the lip, 5.12-type climbing on great rock leads to another cold shut anchor. Lower twice to clean your draws. If the route getting up to the roof were better, this would probably merit another star.

15-16 quickdraws (some long, or doubled) and a 60-meter rope.