The difficulties start at the first bolt and rarely give up until you clip the anchors. Thin reachy moves, stemming, balance, power. Bird man will test your face climbing and footwork techniques and let you know exactly where you stand... or don't. This route is without a doubt one of the best face pitches in the Tahoe area.

Bird Man

Gallows Pole (direct)

Over the Edge

Beast of Burden

The Falcon

Lady Luck

Telesis

South Summit Bolt Ladder

Taurus

Grand Illusion

Swallows Tale

The Mini Illusion

Morticia

The East Face

The Wanker

Scheister

The Fang-Left Side

Eastern Bloc

Harding's Chimney

Monkey Flower

Crushed Velvet

Farley

Stone

Tapestry

Blue Velvet

Lurch

East Chimney

Dominion

The Fracture

Captain Fingers

Talking Heads

Pinch a Loaf

Opus 7

Technical, yet powerful start to fairly sustained 10+/11- knob smearing up high. The beginning of this route requires good body tension and technical footwork to make progress on a vertical rail that gets progressively worse as you approach the third bolt. The first three bolts are the technical crux of the direct start; the climbing in this section is well bolted and 11++. Great climbing up fantastic rock.

Next trend left to some easy flakes before heading back up and right onto a beautiful, orange and white face. Expect sustained technical smearing just when the holds are the worst. Weave your way back and forth before eventually heading left and up past the last two bolts and the anchors.

The original start to this route climbed Harding's Chimney and then stepped out right onto the face at the flakes mentioned in the description above (around the 4th bolt). Done this way, the route is 11b.

A short extension to the  top of the ledge above Beast of Burden. Though physically easier, is way more mentally taxing. Climb up a dirty seldom traveled face on friction and faith past an old rusty relic. Now count your blessings and move up through the crux of which should only be taken with heaping tablespoons of salt. A nice flat ledge from which you can finally dis-robe and clean yourself up on is just above if you make it. An ambulance awaits below if you don't.

The Arete just left of Scheister.

Crux for most will be the intro moves.  Enjoy the steep, knobby arete but keep it together for the last few bolts.

A series of very thin sequential moves quickly brings you through the crux right off the bat followed by several easier cruxes on beautiful well protected granite. Bring your edgy shoes.

Lady Luck is a line that goes straight up from the anchors of Taurus.  I scoped the line out after doing taurus, and thought it looked like good climbing.  I couldn't see any bolts or pro.

So, I got home and saw in the old guide that it is Lady Luck, and has 2 bolts on the pitch.

Anyway, I'd love to get more info on this from someone who's done it.  The climbing looks good, but I'd like some safety beta before I give it a go.  Might try coming in from above...

EDIT: Please note I have not done this route personally, I posted it here to solicit info on this obscure route.  Post a comment below or email me if you've done the route.  Thanks.

This thin delicate slab that will test your balance and footwork. The difficult sections are in the beginning (1st and 2nd bolts) and the upper fourth of the route. Because there are long runouts between some of the bolts leading this route is a serious undertaking. Do not lead this route unless you are totally solid at the grade! Great toprope after leading

Dominion

(10a). Some of the smaller holds on the route are loose and I knocked down some small rocks while climbing. The belayer should have a helmet for this reason.

Steep climbing to start followed by a cruxy mantle onto a slab. Pass two bolts to the top of the South Summit. Figuring out how to pull the mantle is a mindbender, but just keep telling yourself it does go at 10a.

Taurus is an outstanding thin crack to lieback.  The crux comes right off the ground, moving on good locks with smear feet.  You can get a good nut, then small but solid gear.  Pull the .11b crux to a stance.  Then, climb the finger crack up, do some strenuous .10 lieback underclinging out left.  Finish up a mantel and walk up the ramp to the chains.

This route was soloed by first ascentionist Mark Hudon in the late 70s, so get after it!

Originally this climb was the third pitch of "The Fracture" and climbed on aid, but in 1979, Tony Yaniro freed this demanding route producing what at the time was probably the hardest climb in the world.

This was climbed in 1979, and recorded as the first 5.13b/c. Yosemite's "Phoenix" was climbed in some style in 1977, but is generally considered 5.13a.

This starts in an alcove and the route is obvious. Take the Eastern Terrace to this alcove and go for it!

This is located just to the right of Lurch.

The first pitch is easy, 30 foot 5.4 scramble to a large ledge. There are two bomber black bolts with black chains that mark the beginning of the second pitch (you can see them from the ground).

The second pitch climbs fun knobby terrain terrain, mostly 5.7-5.8 with a distinct 5.9 crux. It starts off following a very small seam with knobs up and to the right. Follow the bolts to another set of anchors with chains (or continue to the top via easy 5.6 climbing protected by one more bolt). From anchor to anchor it's just at 100 feet.

Mostly protected by bolts, supplemented by the occasional gear placement. All in all, a well protected route.  The initial 5.6 seam can be protected with a mirco cam 00 Purple C3. Above that there are placements for gear from 0.4 Grey Camalot to a #1 Red Camalot.

Note: you can easily reach the chains at the beginning of the second pitch by rapping from the top of Morticia with a 60 meter rope. Makes for a great double route combo.

This route is a bit of a novelty, especially for Sugarloaf. It's all overhanging, slopey fingerlocks, with no feet. Embrace your inner campus-monkey, and go quick!

Start in left facing corner, same as Lurch.  Lurch pulls the roof on the right, Morticia traverses left, pulls roof, and then continues up past 4 or 5 bolts to a two bolt anchor.

This is a short slab route located just out of sight on the very far right side of the East Face. Scramble up a short slab to a good ledge to the base of the route.

Start the route by stemming up a short ways between the wall and a huge bolder that forms a low angle chimney until you can commit to stepping out onto the face. A series of perplexing thin face moves are broken up by an occasional good stance past several bolts. The space between some bolts is noteworthy but nothing over the top for someone attempting 5.12 slab.

Climb the short difficult face with one bolt. This protects the entrance into the corner that does not reach the ground. Climb the very coarse corner for 50 feet on gear. Exit and head up joining the top 30 feet of Monkey Flower clipping those bolts on the way.

Scheister starts just up the ramp just left of Crushed Velvet (bolted face) and the Farley lieback.  It is just uphill from Harding's chimney.  Start up the ramp, and then work into the chimney.  It is pretty easy at first, stem as long as possible.  It narrows down, and then you must pull out of it onto the face (crux.)

You can belay at the shelf, or continue up a little farther and belay at the bolted stance which is the p2 anchor of Crushed Velvet.  Continue up the big corner, move left under the roof, and then hike up and back right and up another corner to the summit notch.  belay here, then tunnel out the back.

The Fang is a small pinnacle to the right of "Bolee Gold".

Boulder up onto the ramp of "Bolee Gold", then climb a 5.9 finger crack, and enter a chimney, forming the left side of the pinnacle.

Rappel from bolts or continue up "Harding's Chimney".

1st bolt can be clipped from a scramble up the left side, Just!

climb very small holds to the low crux (11d) which is somewhat miserable and super thin. Enjoy great sport climbing moves up knobs to the top where you find a very perplexing crux. What to do??

Once fathomed out it's easier than the bottom.

Easy to set up a TR when up on the East Ledge climbing Swallows Tale, Monkey Flower etc

This route had bolts but was without an anchor or a place to build one. It had a large ugly cemented flake at the bottom. The Flake fell off at some point and an anchor was put on top. After several attempts it was lead. I believe it had not been previously lead and was an incomplete route. I could be wrong?

This Sugarloaf classic climbs the chimney and crack system to the summit of the south pinnacle.

Climb a ramp and blocky rock up the right side of The Fang, to an alcove.

Climb a 5.7 chimney to a good belay.

Move up and left to another chimney and follow it to a belay ledge in the South Notch.

From the north end of the notch, climb a 5.7 arch to it's top. Turn the corner and follow a trough to a cave beneath the summit.

Continue to the summit.

A short low 5th class scramble gets you a large ledge system, the start of the route (as well as the bolted 5.9 to the left, and 5.11ish crack in a dihedral to the right).

Starts on a flake, where one could place small trad pro to keep it well protected. It leaves this soon, follows low profile knobs up and somewhat right - just follow the bolt line. The hardest moves are naturally right after each bolt (four total). The crux follows crossing a horizontal crack, and higher up, a tiny roof. The angle gradually lessens until the anchor is on a comfortable slab - but this make rope drag unavoidable if toproping. The anchor is shared with Swallow Tail (Swallow's Tale?).

We thought the crux might be 5.10d or 5.11a. Or maybe that's another route I saw nearby online called the Wanker 5.11a?

Start on Farley. Big knobs lead out of the crack and  onto the face to the first bolt. For the first couple bolts, climb the sustained knobs while occasionally using the right arete to advance upward. Things get cruxy around the fourth bolt, as the knobs get smaller and less positive and the bolt spacing increases. After about 100', the angle of the slab decreases and friction becomes your best friend.

Farley is an obvious right facing lieback flake, just uphill from Scheister.  starts as easy fingers and thin hands, and develops into a physical lieback.

Most people only do the first pitch and lower/rap off the bolted anchor, but you can continue up the wide chimney.

This is the center route on the Fang.

Climb a finger crack, 20' right of "The Fang-Left Side", pass a small roof, then step left and follow knobs to the top of the Fang.

An oldschool runnout testpiece which has been obscured and all but swallowed up by newer routes to it's left and right. A bold adventure for the few who seek the more mental challenges of climbing, Tapestry surely won't disappoint.

Begin by climbing up Farley a short distance until you can traverse out left heading for a big stance. Blue Velvet takes the direct approach to this stance, shares a bolt with Tapestry then quickly tucks tail and runs to the left. Clip this lone bolt for Tapestry then pull through the short .10b crux. Now wander through 5.7/8 knobs with possibly a questionable knob tie-off at best until you reach a bolt shared with Crushed Velvet. You can easily identify this bolt as it uncharacteristically jets out left of the line of bolts on Crushed Velvet about 70ft up past your last bolt. Now climb up and left through 5.7 knobs and edges heading for a small right facing corner with what seems to be at least 80ft up. Build a belay here as you'll quickly be out of rope if you don't.

If you have the skills to make it here. Surely you can come up with your own solution of finding your way off the route.

This is the bolted face between Schiester and Farley.  Start off the ramp leading to scheister, you can clip the first bolt before committing to the tricky opening move.

Reachy clip for 2nd bolt, then trend right and back left to keep the grade sub 11.  Crux is a smear up high.

Stellar route, sustained balancy movement between knobs and edges.  Not a power route at all, all balance, finesse and footwork.

The route takes 2 more pitches and tops out, but the final pitch is R.  Last two pitches are seldom done.

Just right of "East Chimney", climb a left facing corner, then knobs (5.8) to a two bolt belay.

Climb face to the top.

This climbs the obvious trough and chimney, then up to a belay beneath the big roof to the right of "Grand Illusion".

From here, climb up and right past some roofs (5.7), then up to the notch.

Fun and easy crack climbing leads to a groove with a thin crack and tricky gear. Surmount that with some layback moves and a couple of stem rests. Above that climb the low angle slab via flakes that lead either left towards Grand Illusion or right towards the gully, depending on your anticipated descent route.

100 feet uphill from "The Fang" is this thin crack/flake. Climb this to it's end.

Another 5.7 pitch leads to the Eastern Terrace.

A walk left takes you to the "Grand Illusion".

Captian Fingers follows a slabby finger crack up to the beautiful overhanging head wall. The crux is a very thin right leaning crack the splits the lichen covered face.

Climb up the finger crack, 5.10, following it right as it becomes a series of flakes and then pinches out. Do a few tricky moves 5.10+, clip a pin, and get established at the no hands stance below the crux. Place some gear, crimp hard, and try to stick the sequence to the midway rest.

Recover as best you can for a final section of strenuous under-clinging/laybacking until confronted with a final sequence of face holds. Pull over the lip, shout with victory and relax since you didn't whip onto any of the brass nuts that protect the route!

Start up a thin, shallow, strait in to slightly right facing crack. When the crack peters out after about 20ft move right onto the face moving from knob to knob past three bolts to the anchors.

Thin desperate edging up an otherwise unfathomable face. Wanna know just how good your foot technique is? Give this thing a go. The falls are clean and safe, but actually taking one could have you pinching your own loaf real quick.

Easily toproped after climbing the Fracture.

This is the bolted face just to the right of Farley.  They share an anchor, so it is a good toprope after leading farley.  Thin and sustained climbing up edges and tiny knobs upto a groove, then to a couple big kobs below the anchors.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in East Face