Aerial Fighter Plane Photos of Tahoe - Lover's Leap

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Messages 1 - 6 of total 6 in this topic

Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member

Topic Author's Original Post - May 16, 2005 - 01:25pm PT

Got the cool opportunity to fly in my friend John French's Czech fighter jet on May 13. We started in Sacramento then flew to tahoe then Lover's Leap then Yosemite and back. It was crazy. i got to do a roll and we got up to 550mph and 4G's. Here are some photos:

here i am posing in front of the plane:

in the cockpit getting ready to fly

Conditions at Squaw Valley (bottom right hand corner):

Conditions at Emerald Bay and Eagle Creek Canyon

Conditions at Lover's Leap. the descent from the East Wall is almost dry. The descent from the Main Wall still has snow.

Another shot of Lover's Leap

Shano

Trad climber

May 16, 2005 - 03:48pm PT

I haven't been to the Leap since last 4th of July.
Those photos cause me to become aroused...

I gotta get out of this lab. . . .

DavisGunkie

Trad climber

Davis, CA

May 16, 2005 - 07:02pm PT

actually was at the leap this weekend for a clinic with Dale Bard. It was warm and dry on saturday. there was still some snow at the base of the east wall when you got past the line heading towards eagle buttress, but other than that, minimal stuff in the talus. there was some intermitant streaks on the wall but definitely climbable.
didn't seem like all that much snow on top, and if its anything like the snow at the base its way easy to get around since its pretty firm and easily kicked steps into.

lower buttress is pretty accessable, you have to cross some snow to get to the base but pretty much everything i saw you could get to easily, groove and the farce, you had to squeeze, but could get on dry ground.

dear john buttress, base area is clear of snow except for the 5.8 stuff on the main wall side of it, though the5.11 version of god of thunder is pretty wet up high.

the pny express trail is really wet, and is essentially a creek, so be prepared.

couldn't really see main wall stuff, but the wall looked pretty dry, though it rained alot on sunday.

umm. wait..no there is still tons of snow at the base, you can make it to bushy ledge without taking off your pack...