Three Sends of America's First 5.14a

To Bolt or Not to Be is among the most famous routes in the world. The wall of small edges played a seminal role in the evolution of sport climbing as it's the first 5.14a in North America.

For more than 20 years, top climbers from around the world have tangled with To Bolt's tiny crimps since French patron "JB" Tribout first freed the line in late 1986. Alan Watts, the Father of American sport climbing, once posited that virtually every elite climber of the last 20 years had attempted the line, or had at least contemplated it, and thought better of it.

Watch sends by Anna Hazelnutt, Nina Caprez and Paige Claassen.

Beta

The route starts with 3 bolts of 5.12- liebacking on left-facing sidepulls, featuring a tough left-hand mono below the first bolt and an easy right-hand mono at the third. The first crux, a 5.12 rightward traverse on sharp crimps and poor footholds, leads to a tricky fourth clip. Opposing sidepulls and high-steps reach a 1/4" polished crimp for the fifth clip. Crux #2 involves 5.13- deadpoints to thin crimps and a core-intensive sixth clip.

The hardest section, from bolt 6 to 7, demands balance to hit a sickle-shaped sidepull and a shaky clip. Crux #4 uses 5.12-ish footwork and hip shifts to clip the eighth bolt, followed by high-steps and lockoffs to a rest at the ninth bolt on a 1" crimp.After a shake, crux #5 (5.13-) moves left on rounded crimps to a slopey rest at the tenth bolt.

The final stretch to the chains, rated 5.12d, includes heart-breaking moves. A bear-hug flake at the 11th bolt offers a brief shake before a 5.12/13- crux with delicate footwork and tiny crimps to a crescent-shaped hold and a hard crank to horizontal crack pods.

Long lockoffs between better holds lead to the 14th clip, followed by a balancey leftward traverse to large slopey pockets and a solid jug on the arete.