Mike Doyle First Ascent of Lucifer at The Red River Gorge, Ky
On December 14, 2006 Mike Doyle made a first ascent of what is now the hardest graded route at The Red River Gorge, Kentucky called Lucifer. This steep, 100 foot, barely featured line boasts faintly visible pockets and edges to a break; and then finishes in classic Red River Gorge style on horizontal ledges. Mike’s quick sends of notable lines such as Transworld Depravity (14a, 2nd go), Thanatopsis (14b, 4th go) and Ultra Perm (13d, 2nd go) brought attention from the local climbing community that ultimately helped encourage him to try this open project. The first line bolted at Purgatory in 2004 by Kenny Barker, who also bolted such classics as Dracula, The Castle Has Fallen and Paradise Lost. Jeremy Petrovich was the only other person able to pull all of its moves despite efforts from strong climbers like Bill Ramsey and Kenny, himself. With 6 weeks of work for the send, Mike rates the climb at 5.14c.
