Guidebook for Lovers Leap

[ericb]

Headed there in June....any recommendations for a good guidebook?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Supertopo is great. Rock CLimbing Lake Tahoe covers a broader area, but with nowhere near the detail.

[hemp22]

ditto on Supertopo.

and you might check the supertopo website to see if there's any update to the camping beta - i think i heard you have to pay for the campsite now.

[ericb]

Thanks for the tip on the guidebook, got it last week and have been thumbing through it....getting Psyched!

 

Other questions to throw out there.....

 

The book calls for double sets of stoppers for many of the routes, and says hexes work well. Thoughts? - should I bring the hexes?

 

Also, what are your thoughts about the ratings at the Leap compared to say, Leavenworth or Index or J-Tree. We are trying to pull together a tick list of climbs, but want to make sure we're not overshooting our leading abilities.

 

 

[lunger]

climbs are generally "more vertical for the grade" there, as most have tons of features (horizontal dikes) vs. more pure crack climbs a la Index. that said, ratings seem on par with Leavenworth, for whatever that's worth (i.e., you'll encounter variation depending on when the route was put up). V. fun place to climb.

[Sol]

hospital corner

[mattp]

Hospital Corner is EXCELLENT!!!

 

I only climbed there one day, and didn't have the chance to do any of those moderates over on the east wall, but I understand there's almost not a bad climb in the place. My guess is that ericb should bring the rack that he is comfortable with, and I don't remember thinking that hex's would be any special tool there the way they can be at Tieton.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

the line is a must do. Fairly sustained 5.9, but no harder. Haystack is a pretty straightforward 5.8.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

i had no hexes with me when i was there. The routes eat up nuts, but still take cams fine.

[billcoe]

The book calls for double sets of stoppers for many of the routes, and says hexes work well. Thoughts? - should I bring the hexes?

 

Good advice up there. I think one of the more interesting things, is that you will trip over placements that, due to the dikes, will pro with any passive piece from a #5 wired BD stopper to a #10 or so hex. It blew me away so much the first few times I encountered this I would stop on the route, and play with or try a variety of pieces to confirm that my eyes were not playing tricks on me and that it was true. I wish I'd taken some pics of this effect.

 

Here's a route called Surrealistic Pillar, I don't remember it specifically having this effect, but it's a good route and I'll use the pic to demonstrate. (it's not my pic, I don't have any pics of Tahoe myself) If you look at the cracks closely, where the dikes continue through, You'll see what I mean. The dikes can pinch off a wide crack, so theres like a pocket there, and the pocket will literally take a #5 wired stopper or a #11 hex (even strung with perlon if you're careful!) AND EVERYTHING INBETWEEN. It's grea tto be able to just grab a piece and toss it in!

 

If a route pro list says large hexes, and you own them and and are familiar with them, there certainly seems to be many places where they are bomber.

[Winter]

More Lover's Leap Stokey!

 

 

 

Hospital Corner! Easy .10a.

 

 

 

The Line! Easy 5.9 except for the fist couple of moves.

 

Haystack, Bears Reach, Surrealistic Pillar - all most excellent and fairly straighforward climbs. Link 'em up - you can knock out several in a day! Wish I was headed there soon.

 

If you have some extra time, go check out Phantom Spires. The Supertaco book has good information. Its well worth the trip.

 

Have fun!