Amazing New Tahoe South Shore Zone

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have a nice gift for all the South shore locals to keep you psyched for when the snow eventually melts:

Echoland. The biggest Jackpot of my life.

What follows are photos and descriptions of a new area that I discovered and am developing. I have told close friends about this area, but with the exception of Joel Zerr who has made it out once before the snow came, I've mostly been developing solo.


above you can see the main cliff which will need to be developed. It has amazing features and very good route potential. The boulder in the foreground has not been touched yet... There are probably a hundred boulders and hundreds of new lines to do.


Look at this overhang! If anything goes here, it will be very hard.


Tall. amazing 4 star proj on the right with many other lines all around.


4 star TALL slopey pockets and eyebrows/rails.


Great potential.


Very nice overhang higher in the talus.


The boulders extend down to the forest floor. This is a big boulder.


Quality Granite. Project.


"Hitotsu" 4 star V7. Tall and proud. The first line I did. Solo mission.



Massive Talus boulders up to 30' tall! Fixable landings for the most part.


Sick hanging Proj that Joel and I worked. Top out is the crux!


"Futatsu" V8. The second line I did, solo. Really intricate climbing up perfect slopers. Very Fontish.


The "Ninja Warrior" V9. Also a nice line with a really cool swing move.


Cool projects.


More projects. Kind of overwhelming to be honest.



This is a tricky spot to get to. I have hiked in 3-4 different ways looking for the best way. It's about 30' hiking. Too hard to describe where it's at, but this area is much more extensive than Eratica or Caples and with better stone.

I made it out there 4 times before the snow came this year and told some good friends about it, but there are so many projects going up and lines to repeat that we have mostly decided to save this area for next summer!

Perhaps we can hook all the crews up and develop this astounding new zone in time for the eventual Dave Hatchett south shore and satellite guides.

Finding and developing new zones and lines is a passion of mine, and Tahoe has been an amazing place to contribute to the climbing history.

For Tahoe, it truly is a golden age of rock climbing.

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual.

Klem Time V10

Joel and I scoped a new zone it at Doyle, CA the other day and discovered a zone with about 50 new problems.

Joel got the ultimate score with his quick send of "Klem Time" V10. I pretty much did all the moves in the biting cold, but did not have the gumption to go for the link. Joel, on the other hand, manned up and got down in a big way! Dude dug DEEP! Screaming and cutting loose several times on horrible holds, rebating his way up the technical power face. Check it:

This is the position of the stand start (about V7). The sit adds 3 burly moves on bad holds with negligible feet smears and a lot of footwork. Sick!


Klem Time is definitely hard for the grade, and we contemplated slapping 11 points on it, but its nice to have solid grades... We shall see what others think. Either way it's a three star classic that pays homage to a climbing legend who has impacted our sport in such a positive way. Plus, you've really got to try hard on this one!!!

After the crux is a heady V4 top section over a so so landing. We only had two pads, but ideally, you should have 3 or more.

Here are some more pics:



One move in from the (crouch) start.



By the time you get up high, you are on oppositional holds that are mostly secure. Heady!

After this sweet line, we went and put up a nice crimper V8 with exceptional moves and enigmatic sequences. "Semi High Profile" is a must do V8! These problems and many others will eventually make it into a future Dave Hatchett Tahoe satellite guide.

There are still many problems to be done at the new spot, and of course there is the as yet unfinished "Diamond Project" which is likely in the V12 range. I can't wait to see this one. Doyle is a massive zone with mostly so so rock. The climbs are really great though, and there is so much rock that there has to be a ton of good lines... and there is!

Lastly, kudos to Jesse Bonin for taking down a really cool line in South Lake called "Solasit" ungraded. Jesse suggests V9 for this climb but is awaiting consensus. this climb is low down in the Mountain Beavers and has been waiting for a true first ascent (I had done a high start in summer at about V7, but the classic line starts on good holds down low. Nice one, Jesse! Weather and conditions permitting, This new line is high on my list!

That being said, I hear we are getting up to 6 feet of snow this weekend.

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual.

Noah's Ark, new V10 @ Bliss

Before I even moved to Tahoe about 7-8 years ago, I didn't know much about the scene except for what my good friend Jesse Bonin showed me and all the amazing new lines he was putting up.

Noah's Ark V10 FA @ Middle Bliss



I bought the guidebook and started checking out the established zones always thinking of moving out here since I knew the potential was vast.

After doing the harder lines at Bliss, I decided to add a sweet problem which had been overlooked for good reason. From a distance, it looks like an impossible slopey top out, from close up, it looks just as unrealistic. Surprisingly, though, and after a good scrubbing, some Fontainebleau like slopers and a really good technical mantle revealed itself. The end result was the stand start to this amazing line which felt about V8. It's a really neat, hard to fathom problem that is insecure up bad slopers. In great conditions, the line (now) feels more like V7.

Shortly after the FA, I spied the obvious sit thinking "someone will surely add that!" Well, I finally added the sit start the other day, and let me say; It is a terrific addition! We called it "Noah's Ark" since the weather forecast was for a deluge in Tahoe.

Locals Dave Hatchett and Mitch Underhill repeated the stand quickly and Mitch is looking great on the sit as well.

The moves and grips are really cool and the line will probably see a lot of attention. It is a must do double-d for the local connoisseur or visiting hard(wo)man alike.

We had been blessed with another snowless winter so far in Tahoe-land, but alas, the snow has come and it is officially road trip/B-town/Doyle and other desert areas time...

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming post about a MEGA new area I found and have been developing in Tahoe on the South shore. This is a total jackpot find! Pics and post coming.

So much to do in Tahoe!




Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual.

Insanity V11

Congratulations to Joel Zerr on his recent second ascent of the very difficult Tom Herbert line "Insanity" V11. This is a great and very powerful 3 move power testpiece in Northern Nevada off 395 at a small boulder called the Cow Pie. Joel also repeated a three star V9 there called "Bomb Squad" That I did in the past. It is very good.

Nice work, Joel!





Insanity, V11




Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual.

Crossfire Hurricane V12

I recently sent the stand start to a longstanding steep cave line at Sugar Pine one. Anyone who has been there will instantly recognize it, and many of us have been trying it for years.



Crossfire Hurricane, V12 (stand)

Unfortunately, the climb has been moist with the recent storms and secondary to its aspect. There is an ultra classic V8 sit start that definitely adds a star and must be done. I did all the moves fairly easily, but the final move (the stand start) is a V11 move in its own right (for me.) This move is RADICAL. Climbing into this crux will likely add a grade.

IF you are 6'2", good at dynoing off small crimps into a full-span overhanging iron cross, from a bad heel hook and scrunchy position, well, this may be V11 from the stand. It is a surprisingly complex move; both technical and powerful. The crux can also be done with an alternative sequence that is likely V12-13. Jesse Bonin and I worked this line together years ago and he looked really strong on it (surprise surprise,) so I am sure there is beta for shorter climbers. Honestly, though, this thing is morpho and just sick if you are not a tall gangly bastard such as myself.

Huge hat tip to Isaac Caldiero who got us re-energized on this oft tried, seemingly impossible line. Also, Clay Josephy for helping prep/restore the line this year after freak natural events briefly obstructed the line.

This line is right near the Beast (and therefore Focal Point.)

It is about a 5 minute walk from Kyle O's amazing sloper testpiece: Polar Opposites, V11.

Here are some more pictures of the amazing holds and the climb itself. The sit will be legendary and is solid 12 bangs, although all of these grade speculations need consensus:



Massive hoss to an iron cross, or delicate slopey dead points for shorter beastly types.


The crux hold: Space peanut? Side pull crimp.


Sit start with two rad gastons.


Left hand side pull for the second move. Such a cool grip!


Amazing pinch jug halfway up the steep wall.


...There is a rock behind the problem; this is looking down on the line. The rock does not get in the way, and although I have fallen off of every move, I never hit the rock. HOWEVER* On the FA of the stand, I did dab the rock on my swing. It was inconsequential and did not help, but I topped the line out anyway for a tainted FA. The line really should go from the sit anyhow, and I will definitely be back ASAP, weather permitting to wrap this thing up.

Technically, and I believe this, the pure FA has yet to be done! Get after it!

Hopefully, we can snag a vid of this despo line.

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual.