‘Smeagol goes splat’ (20 m, 23), or if you like, ‘Gates of Mordor Direct’. Start as for ‘Gates of Mordor’. Up the crack, clip the first bolt on the ledge, and get some good gear (small nuts) in the thin cracks before doing the committing GoM crux. Once you’ve gained the chalked-up knob, instead of doing the GoM hand traverse to the left, reach up to the overhang above on the right. Then heel-hook your right foot over the roof and clip the bolt (fixed hanger, hard to see until you’re close to it). If you like, you can also whack in a #5 BD cam or similar close to the bolt. Use longish quickdraws to minimise rope drag. Grope above for a thin handhold and over you go and straight up, putting in a cam or two on the way. Finish as for ‘Red Giant’ past the two fixed hangers. July 2009, Phillip Calais, Mario de Decker.