Jeff and I had an ambitious day planned. We were gonna drive up to WA Pass, hump our bivy up to the base of Clean Break (the plan for Sunday), then climb Rebel Yell. Plan went mostly well, though the weather didn't really help us out much. Didn't rain, but it was c-c-c-c-cold! Anyway, we did our hump in, set up camp at the base of Clean Break, then headed up toward Chianti at around 1:45 pm. Heading up a couloir below the East side of Burgundy Col We started up the climb around 3pm. I lead the first pitch and got the screaming barfies for the first time in a long while. The first time in July probably forever! offwidth pitch and route above Jeff got the offwidth since I led it last year, and Jeff loves those freakin' things anyway . Actually, it was pretty fun, on second. I did a variation on the next pitch. Instead of using the "blind steparound" guidebook beta, I employed a nad-scum hand-traverse grovel about the tricky arete. It worked anyway, and I only had to endure a bit of heckling disguised as well-meaning post-hoc climbing advice. "blind steparound" The crux pitch is badass. Overhanging handcrack in a corner followed by steep strenuous fisting for a long ways. Last year Kurt linked this thing with the previous stepacross pitch. Burly lead. I think the way we did it this year was probably better for all involved though. start of intense crux pitch Final pitch is more of the same clean wide crack goodness, though nowhere near as sustained as p4. A nice finish. Jeff tagged the true summit (I did it last year) and we hurried to get down as the c-c-c-c-old wind was howling up top! On the first throw our 7mm fell behind a big flake and was way hung up (knot in end). I quickly decided we were gonna have to cut it (only lost a couple feet) and hacked at it as fast as I could with my amazingly dull (replacement) pocket knife, while I knew Jeff stood up top getting hammered by the icy wind. I noted another rope hung up inside the crevice. Watch out for this one! We rapped the route, which worked pretty well, but the last pull was really tough due to drag over the rock. You can rap straight down, but I didn't want to muck around in the snow at the base already being so damn cold. it was cold up there Once we were walking, we warmed up a bit, we made it back to camp about 10pm. Quick dinner and cold beers in the freakin' freezin' wind. ...to be continued [Clean Break]