Oak Creek Canyon, Lucifer’s Tooth, New Route. In late December, Ned Overs and I established a new line on the severely overhanging east face of Lucifer’s Tooth in Oak Creek Canyon, located just north of Sedona, Arizona. The 110-meter Black Sunshine (IV 5.10 A3) follows a 5.10 and A1 finger crack for the first pitch to a semi-hanging belay. An A1 splitter crack and some free climbing, followed by a few rivets and a short pendulum, lead to an overhanging A2 seam, and then to a hanging belay. From here the line continues up an overhanging A3 crack to a small roof, and higher to the last hanging belay. Another overhanging A3 nailing pitch finishes (via a few rivets and 5.5 face) to the summit of the spire. The rock is excellent throughout, and all belays have solid bolts or fixed pins. Lucifer’s Tooth is in a spectacular location high in Counterfeiter Canyon, which contains beautiful sandstone spires and unclimbed Zion-like walls.

Ron Raimonde