Winter 2023 IS ON!
Climb The Leap
Lover's Leap offers some of the best rock climbing around Lake Tahoe. Lover's Leap Guides offers guided rock climbing and educational courses for all ages and abilities. Our highly experienced guides have been operating at the Leap since 2003 to provide safe and unforgettable climbing experiences for our clients.
Rock Climbing Guiding and Education
Founded in 2003, Lover’s Leap Guides are based at The Leap in Strawberry, California near Lake Tahoe. Learn to climb, learn new techniques, or just enjoy a day out on the rock with an experienced guide.
Experienced, knowledgeable guides
AMGA-certified guides who have developed and completed first ascents of many of the climbs at Lover's Leap.
All ages, all abilities
Specialized in working with children and adults. We also have experience guiding adaptive climbers.
Safety. Fun. Learning
Whether you want to improve technique or learn technical skills, we'll be your guide.
Fun morning climbing with Matt and his daughter Elle at Sugarloaf this morning. Another perfect day to be Loafing around!
#youmustgoup #climbing #localguides #climbing #laketahoe #winterclimbing
Thankful for all of you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
#youmustgoup #grateful #thankful
Sugarloaf! Perfect weather through the weekend. I have Saturday open if you are looking for a full day of guided climbing.
Farley 5.9r 3 pitches, Scheister 5.7 3 pitches, Harding’s Chimney 5.8 4 pitches, Bollee Gold 10c 3 pitches, and the list goes on!
Let us show you around the classics!
#youmustgoup #climbing #hireme #localguides #localbusiness #sugarloaf #laketahoe
Day two of our Learn to Lead course with Sara! After extensive gear placing and anchor building, Sara was leading easy trading safely!
Great weekend with perfect weather, Sugarloaf delivered the goods!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #eldoradocounty #sugarloaf #tradisrad
Wrapping up day one of a two day Learn to Lead at Sugarloaf today with a evening lap up #ponyexpress
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #tradisrad #sugarloaf
Great couple of days out in #redrocks with @livinonalimb and @livinontheledge
Olive Oil, Ginger Cracks into the awesome Blade Runner, Buelah’s Book into Sunflower!
#youmustgoup #climbing #guidesdayoff #climbingaddict
Grabbing the last of the tools before winter arrives tonight!
A year ago being at the Leap was heart wrenching. Now seeing the trees and shrubs come back warms the heart!!!
Thanks everyone who came out helped this season, and looking forward to next year to keep moving forward!!
#youmustgoup #stewardship #localguides #caldorfire @norcalcrags #climbing #localbusiness
With a cancellation because of the incoming storm, ended having the day off. CJ, @livinonalimb , one of our guides, met me at Sugarloaf this morning. We were able to climb Harding’s chimney, Farley to the top, Dominion, Fracture, and Tuarus before the rain started.
#youmustgoup #sugarloaf #localguides #climbingaddict #climbing
Great Learn to Lead instruction with @moskalmule at Sugarloaf today! Ground school gear placements, anchor building, and leading, brought us to Chris’s first trad lead!!
Finished the day with a lap up the classic Scheister!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #tradisrad #winterclimbing #instruction #sugarloaf
Bluebird
#loversleap #localguides #localbusiness #climbing
Probably the last day of the season at the Leap. Deception Direct and a final lap on Bears Reach.
Time to start Loafing around!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #seasoncloser
Chris has been climbing with us since 2006 and somehow we@never climbed The Surrealistic-Corrugation link up🤷🏻♂️. Then we finished the day with my favorite East Wall route, Fantasia!!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #tradisrad #weputmultipitchintomultipitchclimbing #laketahoe
One of my favorites with my favorite!
#youmustgoup #climbing #echolakes #partners #flagpole
Great day dialing in @kirk_ditterich and @mountcrumpit trad leading skills! After ground school showing modern anchoring techniques, we headed off to the East wall. There Vanessa and Kirk swapped leads up the classic Haystack!
Looking to up your game? Let Lovers’s Leap Guides help!!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #tradclimbing #climbing #laketahoe
Great couple of days teaching Peter how to trad lead! From ground school to following his first multi pitch. Then finishing with leading me up safely on Knapsack crack and swapping leads on Deception!!
Great job Peter!!
#youmustgoup #localguides #tradisrad #climbing #localbusiness #tahoeclimbing
Once Lover’s Leap is too cold and snowy, we head down to Sugarloaf, where the sun shines bright and warm!!
We will be running courses and guided climbing all winter long. Don’t let the short days discourage you, come climb with us and get in your winter pitches!!
#youmustgoup #weputmultipitchintomultipitchclimbing #sugarloaf #tahoeclimbing #tradisrad#localguides #laketahoe #california
Great morning with @ericmonkhouse Bears Reach and Haystack before noon!
#youmustgoup #weputmultipitchintomultipitchclimbing #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #laketahoe #strawberry
“Last time I climbed, it was before cams were invented!”
Frank came out of retirement today! Farce into Corrugation with perfect weather!!
#youmustgoup #localguides #climbing #foreveryoung #localbusiness #loversleap #eldoradocounty
Great back to back mornings with Joel and Samantha on their first multi pitch climbs!
It’s really nice and the Leap now. Come and climb with us at the Leap before we switch venues to Sugarloaf!
#youmustgoup #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #tradisrad #laketahoe #eldoradocounty #multipitchclimbing #loversleap
Great morning with @branmuffin and @epiclytannerd
They wanted to check out some of the classic 5.9’s on the East Wall, so we made quick work of Scimitar and Fantasia! Finished climbing by noon!
#youmustgoup #weputmultipitchintomultipitchclimbing #localguides #localbusiness #climbing #laketahoe
Rock Climbing Lover’s Leap
Lover’s Leap is a steep cliff band near South Lake Tahoe. If you’re driving Highway 50 between Placerville and South Lake Tahoe, it’s hard to miss this prominent and striking feature. The Leap has become a world-renowned rock climbing destination with over one hundred and fifty established routes. It is best known for its traditional multi-pitch routes, often using granite dikes for holds; but the area also includes some boulder problems. Traveler Buttress, featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, was put up in 1966.
Lovers Leap Guides is the current longstanding guiding service for rock climbing at Lover’s Leap. We offer guiding as well as rock climbing classes.
Other Areas
In addition to Lover’s Leap, there are other zones if you’re interested in exploring some other nearby rock climbing areas.
Phantom Spires
This area is made up of many free standing formations called spires. Up to 250 feet tall, the summit of the spires offers breath-taking views of the American River Canyon.
Sugarloaf Rock
For more experienced rock climbers, the rock at Sugarloaf has frequently been compared to Yosemite for its smooth granite and straight crack climbing.
Meet Petch
Petch has been climbing since 1989 and has passion teaching and guiding as much as he does for climbing. At the end of an eight month climbing trip that took him and his partner from Joshua Tree in Southern California to Devils Tower in the eastern part of Wyoming, and everything in between, the final stop turned out to be Lover’s Leap. The right turn towards Lover’s Leap landed Petch in the campground in 1993. Climbing for eight months and a bank account of zero, he quickly found a job at the Strawberry Lodge. Falling in love with Lover’s Leap and Strawberry he found making a home easy. A guiding job opened in 1996 with teaching youth backpacking and rock climbing. The exciting future of guiding as a full time profession led to the opening of Lover’s Leap Guides in 2003. With his enthusiasm and knowledge of Lover’s Leap, Lover’s Leap Guides has become the most popular and busiest service to climb at Lover’s Leap. He has spent countless ours working with the Access Fund, CRAGS, and the Forest Service to maintain trails, protect nesting raptors, and community outreach. Climbing most of the routes at Lover’s Leap, he has also added numerous routes of his own. From 5.5 to 5.12D, some of his first ascents have become modern day classics. A good chance you will probably climb one of his routes when you climb with Lover’s Leap Guides.
Petch is certified by the AMGA as a Rock Instructor and holds his certification as a Wilderness First Responder and CPR.
Some Love from Our Clients at the Leap
”"Both of us enjoyed ourselves more than we ever have outdoors, and climbing the "Bears Reach" route after having watched that video of Dan Osmond climbing it was wonderful. We went to the 90ft wall after and both felt inspired to climb better than we have ever done. Look forward to climbing with you again sometime soon."
Martin and Donesa
Read More Testimonials”"Very good client care. Being out with Petch you really feel well guided as communication is clear, belay positions are selected to see and coach clients through cruxes. It is a good quality experience!"
Doug NidiverAMGA examiner
