Yosemite Gets a New Hardest Boulder

David Fitzgerald recently made the first ascent of Last Line of Defense V16 (8C+) in Yosemite Valley. Previously a longstanding open project, the problem is a low start to The Shield, a V11 put up by Randy Puro in 2006. The crux of Last Line of Defense features one of the most difficult moves of any established boulder problem.

“This Winter, after all these years, I finally dug in,” said Fitzgerald about Last Line of Defense on Instagram. “Instant obsession. I quickly found myself locking antlers with the crux feature, a pair of narrow, tendonitis-inducing pinches. The two hardest moves are centered around this feature: an intense toe hook release and a spectre-esque move out left. Pull too hard and I’d often end up in a heap on the ground, knuckles gushing. Over the season, I learned to work with the feature and not against it, to move around it and not through it. A timeless Valley lesson.

“Back in March, I managed to break through into the stand, only to tragically wet-fire off the topout crimps after a badly-timed downpour. Limped away with a bruised heel/ego, but thankfully nothing worse. It then held its ground for another 6 sessions until I eventually wore it down; the extra fight making it feel all the more memorable. Feels like the most complex section of rock I’ve ever linked and best thing I’ve ever climbed!”

Last Line of Defense is Fitzgerald’s second of the grade. In March last year, he climbed his first V16, Shawn Raboutou’s Big Z in Lake Tahoe, California. He’s sent several V15s including Jimmy Webb’s Fallen Angel and Carlo Traversi’s Equanimity – both in Lake Tahoe – as well as Paul Robinson’s Lucid Dreaming in Bishop.