Lover's Leap Guides

Lover's Leap Guides The only local guide service to Lover's Leap. Amga certified. Safe, fun, and fast. Come climb wit

02/17/2026

Conditions Report!!!
Winterlandia is open us! Snowing down to 2000 feet!

02/12/2026

Conditions Report!

02/11/2026

🧗‍♂️ Leader Transition & Leaving the Belay

🔥In this final post, we focus on transitioning the lead and leaving the belay efficiently when climbing as a party of three.

⭐️Smooth transitions at the anchor depend on thoughtful rope management and clear role assignment.

⭐️⭐️ Key considerations:

• Decide whether to lap coil the rope or stack it on a ledge, depending on terrain and space
• Managing two ropes as one system can introduce twists—taking the time to re-flake the ropes is often a worthwhile investment
• If lap coiling, do so on the climber who is not belaying, allowing the belayer to stay fully focused on the climber.

⭐️ Efficient leader transitions reduce confusion, minimize rope issues on the next pitch, and keep the team moving safely and smoothly.

⭐️ Planning ahead at the anchor is what makes multi-pitch climbing with three feel controlled instead of chaotic

Feel free to ask any follow up questions and look for our upcoming clinics. Dates coming out soon!

02/10/2026

🧗‍♂️ Party of Three: Multi-Pitch Systems — Part 4

⭐️ Clipping Followers Into the Anchor

⭐️ In this video, we outline an effective and efficient method for clipping followers into the anchor that helps keep ropes clean and minimizes unnecessary twists at the stance.

⭐️ This is a system used by many professional climbing guides and, when done correctly, provides a clear, repeatable way to manage multiple ropes and climbers at the anchor.

➡️ A key consideration is thinking ahead—especially about who will lead the next pitch. Position that climber so they can leave the anchor smoothly, without needing to step over or under the rest of the team.

➡️ Clean setups lead to smooth transitions, better communication, and more efficient multi-pitch climbing💪

02/09/2026

Party of Three: Multi-Pitch Systems — Part 3

🧗‍♂️Belaying & Bringing the Team to the Anchor

In this video, we focus on belaying the followers and managing the stance as the team arrives at the anchor.

⭐️ Key points we emphasize when guiding and teaching:

• Rope management matters—stack ropes where they won’t interfere with incoming climbers (lap coils may be necessary; we’ll cover this in another video)
• Be intentional about which side climbers enter the anchor
➡️ If you’re continuing to lead, you should be able to leave the belay without stepping over or under your partners
• As the leader, clip ropes consistently while leading—either treat both ropes as one line into protection or clip a single rope, but avoid alternating
➡️ This reduces twists and provides better directionals for the followers
• Maintain spacing between followers (at least ~10 feet)
• It’s generally advisable for the stronger follower to climb second, as they are responsible for removing the protection
• When the first follower arrives, they should unclip their rope only, leaving the second follower’s rope running through the gear
• The first follower should avoid crossing under the second follower’s rope and instead stay on top to minimize tangles
• If twists appear, followers should push them up toward the leader—many are false twists that will resolve naturally

⭐️ Additional considerations:
• On traversing pitches, it’s often preferable to bring followers across one at a time
• Be aware that climbers approaching the anchor from the side can potentially defeat an assisted-braking device if a piece is clipped directly to the side or slightly above the belay device—we’ll cover this more clearly in a future post

⭐️ Good stance management and forward planning lead to smoother transitions, clearer communication, and safer movement for the entire team.

02/08/2026

🧗‍♂️Party of Three: Multi-Pitch Systems — Part 2

⭐️ Approaching the Anchor & Getting Set Up

In this video, we’re focusing on arriving at the anchor and setting things up cleanly before bringing the team up.

⭐️Key points we emphasize when guiding and teaching:

• Clip yourself into the anchor using both ropes, treating them as a single system
• Isolate the strands to eliminate the triangle / “Bermuda triangle” effect
• Get your anchor organized before bringing climbers up
• Place your belay device on the anchor before calling “off belay”—or at the very least, before pulling up the ropes
➡️ This makes it immediately clear to the followers that they’re on belay and improves overall safety and communication

Leader positioning matters.
Think ahead about where you want to be relative to the incoming climbers. If you plan to continue leading, you should be able to leave the belay without stepping over or under your partners.

🔥 Clean setups create smooth transitions—and smooth transitions keep teams moving efficiently and safely.

🧗‍♂️Multi-Pitch Climbing with a Party of 3 — Part 1⭐️In this mini series, we’re breaking down a clean, efficient system ...
02/08/2026

🧗‍♂️Multi-Pitch Climbing with a Party of 3 — Part 1

⭐️In this mini series, we’re breaking down a clean, efficient system for climbing as a party of three.

⭐️This first post focuses on one leader with two followers climbing simultaneously on separate ropes—starting with one of the most important steps: tying in cleanly and managing the ropes from the beginning.

⭐️We demonstrate a tie-in system we commonly use and teach to:
• minimize twists
• keep transitions efficient
• make problem-solving easier later in the pitch

⭐️Simple systems set the tone for the entire climb. More to come.

⭐️Feel free to ask questions in the comments!

Lover’s Leap February 5th! Scary warm and climbable right now. Extremely unusual for the first week of February. Pony e...
02/06/2026

Lover’s Leap February 5th! Scary warm and climbable right now. Extremely unusual for the first week of February.
Pony express trail, the Lower Buttress are both free of snow. The base of the East Wall has a thin strip of snow, and a few patches on Main Ledge. Descending you will walking through snow. ❄️
Temps drop for the weekend and starting Monday rain and snow return to the forecast for the first tim in a month

01/27/2026

Conditions Report!!
🌞Conditions are ON at SugarLoaf.
Cold-season temps, dry stone, and excellent friction. One of our favorite winter climbing zones right now.🌞
🧗‍♂️Guides available for this weekend!
✨Multi Pitch Climbing! Let our guides give you your biggest day possible at Sugarloaf!
✨Learn To Lead Trad! We run a fantastic course and we will have you placing solid gear and anchors@by the end of the day!

For those who climbed at Sugarloaf in the last week, you noticed the large dead tree that fell over the trail. Today our...
01/13/2026

For those who climbed at Sugarloaf in the last week, you noticed the large dead tree that fell over the trail. Today our good friend and local arborist Fremont Shields () helped us clear this obstacle for us.
If you need any tree work, Fremont is your man!

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Po Box 1017
Twin Bridges, CA
95735

Telephone

530 318 2939

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