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bergbryce
Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Jul 19, 2011 - 04:08pm PT
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Question about an area I drive past all the time...
The big, (usually wet) slabs and walls to the right of highway 50 as you are climbing towards Echo Summit....
Some (most?) of it looks too low angle to be much fun, but there are some walls and maybe some discontinuous sections of slab that look like they could be fun.
Does this area have a name? Is it considered "Lower Flagpole" or something like that? Any routes here?
Just wondering if anyone had knowledge of anything that's ever been done up that way.
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squishy
Mountain climber
sacramento
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Jul 19, 2011 - 04:14pm PT
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I have scrambled that near the top, pretty fun stuff out there, I think the bottom near the road use to be farmed for ice wasn't it?
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Jon Taylor
Trad climber
Gardnerville
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Jul 20, 2011 - 11:12am PT
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Hmmmm well I can give updates on Dexter and Sumner
Dexter is living in South Tahoe off of Upper Truckee and I bump into him at Kirkwood on a fairly regular basis.
Sumner moved to alaska and is a contractor but lives part time out near Pyramid lake and is still climbing
I am living in G-Ville and still scrambling around in the Sierras
I will post a few more pics in a bit....
No idea what Todd is doing, he moved to Colorado and that was the last heard from
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Jul 25, 2011 - 02:07am PT
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So Ron,
I finally pulled my skirt up and let my balls drop a little this weekend and sucked it up to successfully climb Dancing Feet on the Hogsback.
Oh my god that Smith is a stud, I did all I could to keep from leaving brown streaks of holy SH#T along the route. That is some serious climbing with serious consequences for sure. The way it went varies slightly from your topo given above. There were only 4 bolts protecting the first pitch which is much different from what's shown in the Carville guide. Anyway, the first pitch worked out to be about 210ft (thank god I had a 70m) and the belay stance was much welcomed.
Anyway, I could spray on but my question to you is: Do you remember there being any pitons protecting the route?
I couldn't help but notice faint pin scars in key spots that would have made the climbing much less heady. I'm thinking Smith and friends had some pins along the ride and removed them after the ascent. If I'd have had some with me you'd have heard that golden ring all the way to Reno. I only ask because if pins were used during the FA, I think they should be permanently replaced. Someone then might actually be suckered into leading this thing more than once every 30 years.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Jul 25, 2011 - 10:38pm PT
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No pins huh? Well, there sure were some definite signs of pins having been placed in key spots at some point. They wouldn't make the route casual by any means, just take the sting out of the last 10ft of runnout before a couple of the bolts.
Anyway, yeah I must have linked the first two. Now that I'm looking at a photo of hogsback I'm thinking there were only three bolts protecting the (my)first pitch. I never entered the Deception corner system at all though I did get really close. Was hard not to just pop over there and slam in some pro.
Here's a crappy topo using your 76 Tahoe guide photo of the line I took.
All bolts have been replaced with bomber stainless steel... thank you to who ever!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Jul 26, 2011 - 01:29am PT
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Ron/Sal-
The black line to the right of knapsack crack in the photo..What route is that? .9x??
Sal-
When I did the Spam route (Very sporty) we went straight up through that roof , then wandered through where that black line goes then back left through those left trending corners near the top.
What say you guys?
Oh and Sal- nice to see you at the leap when you fired Fantasia! Ha!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Jul 26, 2011 - 02:19am PT
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Ron-
The line I mentioned in your photo is between Knapsack crack and Red's Delight.
The photo you posted shows the Knapsack belay tree I believe.
Maybe you got the location a bit off?
I have never heard of the route, very cool share!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Jul 26, 2011 - 02:31am PT
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I have never seen the green guide, that may be the problem?
I only have the carville book and Falcon ( Both of which do not include Billy's Nightmare), and going on memory...
Must Be "Obscure" HAHAH!!
Just like dancin feet, Way bold from what I have seen from adjacent routes.
Thanks Ron for the history, very cool thread.
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426
climber
☬
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Jul 26, 2011 - 08:56am PT
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When led DF (eons ago) I remember the pin scars you speak of; I tried to put the smallest RPs, total chit. They had like 40-60% contact but pysch pro I guess.
I think they either fell out as I climbed by or when I pulled up the rope..pretty sure they fell out before they could be cleaned proper..still had old crappin' bolts at that point, gross...
Same think with the risght side remnant in yose, what I would have given for some pins---u could see the scar but get no modern pro and the runout was pretty massive in my mind.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Jul 26, 2011 - 01:30pm PT
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Hey Ron, do you have an accurate topo for what is what on the right side of the Dear John buttress? Kind of confusing over there, with stony god, stony end, stony highway, drug crazed.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Aug 20, 2011 - 02:14pm PT
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Some more Tahoe Sierra climbers from BITD:
George Conner climbed Eyeores Enigma every birthday until he "couldn't find willing partners". Here he is armed with tube chocks for the bomb bay doors with Robert Oravetz belaying below:
George a Hootowl and the Ghoulwe's did a number of FA's up at Phantom spires, here's some charactors after the FA of Steppin Stone, 1977 or '78:
George wrote a great piece on the history of Phantom Spires in the Tahoe ST guide describing the rivalry between the Hootowl's and Ghoulwe's reflecting on the fun times and "our day in the sun." Well here's to more days in the sun George, a couple weeks ago in Tuolumne:
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Ghoulwe
Trad climber
Spokane, WA
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Aug 20, 2011 - 04:57pm PT
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Wow, now there is a blast from the past! Thanks for posting that pic Charlie. George Conner, Dave Stam and I (along with Robert Orevitz, Dave Babich, Jon Bowlin, Kevin Rivett, and a cast of others...) used to hike up to Phantom Spires pretty much every week for several years - starting from the turnout down on Hiway 50. That was long before the road was built that now gets you to within a 5 minute walk. We had a full pin rack, rope and bolt kit stashed up there for several years so we wouldn't have to carry them up every time. There was a lot of unclimbed rock there at that time so we picked some pretty nice plums!
Good memories of that area!
Eric Barrett
Spokane, WA
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Aug 20, 2011 - 04:59pm PT
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Knott to be a "party" pooper, but there are some crags up 80 in the TRC that I have been "eyeing" from the road for years that I had hoped would have been in the new guide book.
There appears to be a several hundred foot crag just southeast and about a half mile behind the log house on the river, Has anyone been back there? Is the home owner complacent to climbers in his " backyard"?
Then also on the North side of 80 16miles from reno there is some good looking stuff.
Gimme another beer my ankle feels like Shite.....I dream of climbing but only Kayaking is on this summers agenda.
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adventurous one
Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
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Aug 21, 2011 - 02:02pm PT
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Mark,
I've been to those places, many years ago. CHOSS-as in barely solidified mud, unfortunately. There is a place right across the freeway from Farad that has some ok, short, rock, ("The Amber Wall") but it did not make it into the new guide because of the extreme likelihood of people knocking rock down onto the freeway from the very loose approach, as well as parking issues. Stomped around a bunch in that canyon in the late 80s/early 90s and everything else I found that looked ok from afar was horrible choss. The higher up you go the worse it becomes.
Edit-However, there is this one, mostly hidden, little cliff that looks like ? that I still have never made it up to on the North Side...hmmm... (but again, all the obvious stuff up high is total garbage)
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Aug 21, 2011 - 03:27pm PT
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yup this is the shot of JB soloing it right after just doing 1 run on the tr for the first time.
He tore it up during that week that we went up there together..
1986..
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Footloose
Trad climber
Lake Tahoe
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Aug 21, 2011 - 11:33pm PT
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Ron, anyone, what's this?
Picture's taken from mountain ridge east of spooner. Is it worth a looksie?
Here's one more for a little more perspective"
Anybody been there?
A couple more crags in the spooner area:
and a more familiar one:
This is pretty much all the crags in the Spooner area, I think. At least those visible from the Carson Range peaks.
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adventurous one
Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
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Aug 22, 2011 - 12:57am PT
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K...
Though Willoughby posted on a previous thread a link with a tr he did of climbing the first pitch in June 2009, "Donner Summit Recomendations" was the thread with the link. That thing gets so much water in the winter/spring it becomes dirty very quickly. I know others that have done it in the last dozen years as well, and probably others.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Aug 22, 2011 - 02:23am PT
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I climbed Inside Out a few weeks ago as an approach to Full Tilt. Thought it was a nice little scruffy chimney.
Full Tilt kicked my ass on the other hand. 5.11a my ass!!! I got it and all, but it took more tries than I care to mention.
Climbed the Imaginary Voyage the day before. Thought nobody probably ever climbs that whole thing. Next day, three parties on it. Guess it sees a steady stream. Looked like it hadn't been climbed in ages.
First time at Black Wall it was. What the place lacks in height it makes up for in quality and stiff grading. Loved it.
Way to many anchors around the place, I'd have to agree. They are on every single route, needed or not. No wonder all the posers from Truckee have been coming over to the South Side and feeling entitled to put anchors on everything.
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Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
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Aug 22, 2011 - 11:10am PT
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donner has the best urban cragging around.
it sure needs help.
the climbers trails there are an erosion sh#t show.
in fifty years of climbing,there has been basically no effort by local climbers to build proper trails, no crag stewardship at all.
lots of bolted anchors for convienence
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Dennyg
Trad climber
Westminster Maryland
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Sep 28, 2011 - 08:02pm PT
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David at Lover's Leap. what is it Bear..?
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!