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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 20, 2011 - 02:01am PT
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Has any climbing been done up at the awesome looking crag next to bassi falls, east of union valley resevoir, eldorado forest?
Its very close to slick rock, which apprently has a few routes on it
Anyway this place is a mere 1/2 mile hike with a real path to boot for most of the way. Looks like a bunch of sweet trad routes, and some nice face climbs with a few phatom spire esque knob slinging adventures
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jun 20, 2011 - 04:17am PT
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clearly choss ;)
how does it climb? which lines did you try?
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 20, 2011 - 02:13pm PT
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Was on a hike.. no climbing pour moi. But am keen to get back there, looks like a perfect crag with enough to keep you busy for a few visits. The main bullet shaped cliff in the center is actually a small pillar, in front of the wall, which should make for some interesting climbing
at 5500 ft should offer relatively early season climbing too. and the nearby waterfall isnt exactly disappointing, either
so whats the catch...? havent found out anything about previous exploits up here
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 20, 2011 - 05:31pm PT
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GPS 38.89664,-120.33035
Really... no one knows anything about climbing here? Im astonished... it seems a lush crag
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 8, 2012 - 11:19pm PT
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Ok so I got back there today. This place is surely the new sugarloaf! Just to recap: 80 min drive from sac, 5500ft alt. south facing crag with yosemite quality granite, 15 min approach hike from car (2wd access) and NO ONE has climbed here before??
The crag is a lot bigger than I thought. Has two tiers in the middle, each 1 rope length, also lots of stand alone dome-like formations.
The white dyke that can be seen center-left is actually a great feature - the start seems like a boulder problem move, then up to classic dyke hiking
Gnarly off width nearby, classic sierra quality splitter:
Face cracks:
Fracture lines:
Cool looking finish to chimney:
West towers:
I didnt see a single bolt, piton or piece of webbing or any evidence really of any climbing. If anyone knows any different let me know.
I estimate around 20-30 routes in the crag, potential. on average a little harder than your typical sugarloaf route.
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Looks pretty sweet man.
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PAUL SOUZA
Trad climber
Central Valley, CA
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If you need a partner to put up some FAs....I'll be in Tahoe all this week. Hit me up.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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I didnt see a single bolt, piton or piece of webbing ... That's the last time anybody will be able to say that - thanks to you posting this. The place will be grid-bolted, raped and thrown aside by tomorrow morning.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Looks good.
Do it proud style!
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Jan 10, 2012 - 10:38am PT
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Geex, how did we miss that place when we were stomping around up there back when?
Looks like the nicest rock in the Crystal Basin. Wow. Go for it, young man, looks like you got yourself a great place!
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Jan 10, 2012 - 11:28am PT
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There is so much left untouched in the crystal basin and desolation wilderness, if you don't care about walking far there's a few walls I have found with beautiful lines, I am sure people have seen them and thought the same thing, but it's the exercise of carrying a rack out there that stops me. You really have to go out there and camp to make it worthwhile. My favorite established crags in the basin are loonie tunes and slick rock (but I am not a great climber, I hear basalt bluff has good hard routes)...thanks to Bob for putting that old guidebook together..every time I go climb out there I never see a soul...and it's pretty close to some of the most crowded crags in CA...I still need to get to the fortress and the lyons lake wall, I heard locally that batso use to teach classes out there and there's still some pins in his old lines, none of it was ever documented though so bob branscom and gang are the only ones who had documented and put it on paper. I think batso was near wrights lake and the lyons lake wall, there's also 4 or 5 quality multipitch routes on Pyramid peak's northwest face, with a 5 mile approach it will always keep the crowds away..
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Jan 10, 2012 - 11:49am PT
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Warren did used to have some of his climbing classes up there. He put up the chimney/pinnacle climb on the left side of the Wrights Lake wall way long ago. We attempted a climb on a cliff north of the lake up stream from there. Ended up veering right and up off the direct line and found some old pins out there. Probably Warren again.
We put up 5 routes on the N side of Pyramid Peak in 1978. The descriptions are in the 1978 AAJ. I think the best of the bunch is Pete's Dihedrals in the center of the face. Three pitches if I remember right.
The Fortress at Lyons Lake is pretty cool. Routes are all around 100' long, clean cracks and great rock. There is a band of rock above the east shore of the lake that has some nice routes, including what we considered was the best route in the area, Monet 5.9. Don Garrett did the FA, a beautiful finger crack on a steep slab. Several other worthy routes here too.
This Bassi Falls looks great, man. I'm pretty envious.
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2012 - 12:14pm PT
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Great to hear a bit of history on the crystal basin area. Slick rock looks good for afar but never made the hike. Ive been up to loon lake more times than I can count for the bouldering, but never really worked out where the Looney Tunes wall is. Can anyone help orient me?
Another overlooked area is Chipmunk Bluff. Very good quality welded tuff near basalt bluff, at the west shore of loon lake. Roadside. There's an overhanging shield and a few adjacent walls that would give a small number of high quality, hard sport routes. There's also some very good bouldering here too.
As for bouldeirng at bassi falls, it isnt bad, tho not a scratch on loon lake - but it is less of a drive I guess. It looks like the best stash is on a slab area 0.5 miles further up river from the falls though.
Hope to get back soon and give that dike a test drive...
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Jan 10, 2012 - 12:30pm PT
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Looney Tunes is glimpsed briefly from the Loon Lake road as you top the long grade from Basalt Bluff, just before you get into the trees and the road levels out into the Lake.
There's a road cut there and through the gap on the north side, you'll see a cliff out there with a white dihedral on it. That's it. Room to park by the road cut, go over the top of the cut and past a nice tall boulder that has some good top roping, then drop into the creek and a bit of bushwhacking to the cliff. Not far.
The route Looney Tunes goes up the prow on the right side. Okay route, maybe 5.8 or 9, some locked in small blocks up top. I think the best route is Anvil of the Sun, 10c. Starts at lower right toe of buttress, moves out past a bolt into a thin crack (RPs and thin cams and stoppers), up to the ledge beneath White Corner. Follow the bolts on the face left of the corner to the top. Rappell anchor up there.
Some 5.4-5.6 routes on the lower angle face to the left of these. White Corner about 5.7/8.
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Baggins
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2012 - 02:20pm PT
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Do you park on the pullout on the big corner that swings left? or after that where the road is straight and youre away from the cliff edge? the cliff is on the right side of the road?
Thanks, I'd be keen to find this, Im headin out to loon on sat.
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Jan 10, 2012 - 07:00pm PT
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I found a better approach last year, no bushwhacking. Drive beyond the big pullout that Bob is describing and find a smaller pullout in a few hundred feet. You can simply walk up to the top of the white corner and drop a line off. I really liked that white corner route, it may change with traffic though. DMT was playing around and climbed in the area just left of the bolts and the corner, looked like the hardest section, no name or rating though. The "looney tunes" route, I think it was like 5.6, was super dirty and I cleaned it out, I imagine others are in the same boat. I checked out the basalt bluff and the easier routes (the ones I can do) were super sketchy and loose, maybe I wasn't in the right place.
Slick rock approach is less than one mile of hiking if you know how to drive out there, that's some of the best slab I have ever climbed. Still needs bolt replacement though, there is a bunch of old scary spinning button heads up there on the second and third pitches.
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Jan 10, 2012 - 07:10pm PT
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DMT getting some at looney tunes
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atchafalaya
Boulder climber
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Jan 10, 2012 - 07:13pm PT
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Bassi falls has great potential, but its short. I have been bouldering out there a few times and the rock is great. There are some boulders on the road in worth stopping for as well, and a few you can;t see from the road, but a short hike gets you there.
Is the falls running or is it dry out there right now? The best areas are across the creek.
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Jan 10, 2012 - 09:49pm PT
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Yes, that is the corner where we used to park to get to Looney Tunes, the turnout on the left turn just before you get into the trees, although what squishy said about parking father up and going to the top of the cliff would be real nice to avoid the evil bushwhack activity.
Oh yes, Looney Tunes is right of the road going up hill towards Loon (east).
The climbing on Basalt Bluff is on the east face. As you're driving up from the Gerle Creek junction, you'll first see the S side, which is hideous choss. Keep driving and keep looking uphill to your left and you'll see the nicer east face consisting of more defined basalt columns. Park barely off the road and go up. Mostly cracks with some routes mixed bolts and gear. Actually pretty decent rock on this side of the bluff, well, IMO.
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