Right now I am sitting in Yosemite. We were climbing there for the last three days. Yosemite climbing is pretty hard. The granit is more or less polished. Last week we were warming up for the Valley in Lake Tahoe. I think it is a very good place to get used to crackclimbing. The granit is much more rougher, the rock is more featured and you got dikes and knobs. I have never seen dikes and knobs in this form. It is perfect climbing. You can tie off the knobs and stand on the dikes. There are enough cracks for your placements.
The best place to stay is the campground at Lover’s Leap. You walk just 5 minutes to the first routes. If you are climbing at Lover’s Leap don’t miss „The Line“, a 130m Crack. No Bolts at all. If you prefer shorter Routes do „Tombstone Terror“, the name says it all. The Tombstones wait the first 6m with bad protections … But it is one of the best lines there.
Another great area is the Phantom Spires. This is were the knobs are. Don’t miss „Candyland“ one of the best routes I have ever done. The last day we walked up to Eagle’s lake. The perfect cliff with perfect ambiente. „Seams to me“ is the route to do. A 40m crack with the perfect ending for small people. You can’t get to the top without a really far far move … or just jump. The bad thing is, you last placement is some way below you.
So, no more writing, here are some pictures from Tahoe.
