In reply to alps_p: Just wanted to post an update and thanks everyone once again for your input. We tried the route on Sunday, got rained on after pitch 8 and had to retreat. I found the Rockfax description very accurate – it is, probably, HVS 5a, but felt like E2 to “wall rats” which we basically are. I remember doing another 13-pitch, sustained 6a route in France (Visite Obligatoire on Auguille Dibona), and found that one quite significantly easier. I think it just has to do with the style of climbing, it’s easy to practice vertical and slightly overhanging face climbing at an indoor wall, but bridging and jamming are a very different story.
Knowing that we only had 1 day to try the route, and that the forecast was for rain starting around 2pm, we did the approach in the dark and started at the base of the route just before sunrise, around 7:30.
Nuts and cams were useful, if I were (and we’re going to!) do it again, I would take fewer nuts, leave the small (<1) cams at home and perhaps take 2 of each #1, #2 camalots.
Knowing that we still had 4 or 5 pitches ahead of us, I guess the actual crux was still higher up?