Lake Tahoe: 90 Foot Wall

Tahoe: 90 Foot Wall

90 Foot Wall

Standing 90' tall and approximately 150 feet wide, The 90 Foot Wall is host to nearly 20 routes ranging from 5.6 to 5.11b. All routes can be top roped off of bolted anchors, and there are a number of good and moderate trad leads on good but blocky cracks. There are no sport routes at this time.

Approach: Park at the Eagle Creek Canyon parking lot at the far end of Emerald Bay. if approaching from the South, the parking lot will be on your left. There is a day use fee for parking in the lot (which was $5 at the time of our last visit.) To avoid this fee, park along the road at the obvious pullouts as you approach the parking lot. If it is a busy weekend though, be prepared and have cash in case you need to use the lot. From the back of the parking lot, follow the obvious trail up a short hill for approximately 5 minutes. Here head right to the Vista trail which arrives at two benches that make for a great place to watch the sun set over Lake Tahoe and Emerlad Bay. From here the crag will be 100 yards or so dead ahead. Follow the obvious cairns and footprints to the base. To rig top rope anchors, walk the length of the base to its far end and head up and right here. A nice flat top and easy scramble mean that this is an area frequented by those new to climbing outdoors, and it can become quite busy.

Favorite Routes:

Holdless Horror (5.6): This is the thin hands to finger crack that ascends the nearly vertical wall center of left. The climbing is fantastic and it gives those new to thinner cracks a chance to work finger jam technique without having to fully weight their feet in thin toe jams as there are small footholds to the left and right of the crack. Note: Be careful when climbing this on TR as a small buttress to the climber's left could be dangerous if you fall off and swing within the first 15-20 feet. It's not dangerous enough to second guess climbing the route, but its a good thing to be aware of before starting up.



Holdless Horror (5.6)

Rentier (5.7): An adventurous 5.7, Rentier is a nice sustained trad lead with a boulder move off the ground and some interesting long reaches, varied crack sizes, corners, and some stemming. The route is not difficult, but its a full value lead (beware - it gets wide at the top! But the wide crack can be avoided with holds on the face on either side, just make sure you have some bigger pro!)

Strontium 90 (5.8): Strontium is the 5.8 hands to fist crack on the far left side of the wall. The crack starts thin and then works its way up to the 20 foot level or so before getting into a really nice, if not short, hands and fist crack. The climb then briefly tops out onto the top of the flake. You can cross over and finish climbing up to the anchor or lower off here to run laps on the route.



Strontium 90 (5.8)

Shuman the Human (5.6): This is the blocky-crack line on the far lest side of the wall. It is basically a jug hall up slightly reach blocks with a few crack moves mixed in. Our party agreed that it was a fun workout and neat little climb, and would be best climbed as either a warm up or for laps to finish the day with a bit of strength and endurance work.

Casual Observer (5.1). This is the chimney behind Strontium 90 and Shuman. It is top roped off the same bolts as for Strontium 90. One way to get the rope positioned appropriately into Casual Observer for a TR is to climb up Strontium 90 and then lower off into the chimney. The chimney climbs equally well facing in or out, but facing in seemed to offer the better feet. While easy, its a nice introduction to chimney climbing up Sierra granite. A skill that obviously comes in handy a great deal in Yosemite.

Casual Observer (5.1)

Other: Once finished climbing here, you might enjoy a sunset picnic at the benches off the Vista Trail, or take the trail down the waterfall to Emerald Bay. The trail can be picked up directly opposite the Eagle Creek Canyon parking lot. While the water in Tahoe always remains quite brisk, a late rinse in its alpine waters after a long day of climbing can be akin to the feeling of a Baptism.