Has anyone climbed the Pyramid Creek headwall / Horsetail Falls (off Hwy 50 near Tahoe) in winter? I've done that many times during the dry season - it's a nice 3rd class scramble on good granite if you stay close to the falls (easier but less interesting if you keep left). I wonder what it's like in winter. How much snow does it hold - is it a mixed climb or just steep snow? Does anyone have winter pictures?

Climbing and descending on skis from Twin Bridges on the left side to the summit of Pyramid differs from storm to storm and year to year but is popular .I've seen a few people ice climbing on Pyramid but not near the Falls.

Yeah, I know it's easy to avoid the falls by climbing the ridge on the left, but I am curious what it's like to climb them in winter. I'll try it this winter.

If anyone happens to have winter pictures of Horsetail falls, could you post them?

We actually had a go last year, but there was precious little on the main fall high up; the staircase was some short but fun steps, but mostly snow covered. i think that had we tried in later season we have had more luck, but it was a painfully warm winter in Tahoe last year. If colder temps prevail this time, there may something worth looking into up there

FWIW,
Interesting, no response from a similar inquiry over at SuperTopo asked in 2007:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum ... /Tahoe-Ice

any one has an update of condition on this trail? I am interested in trying it out.

We climbed Pyramid from the Horsetail Falls TH on 12/24. We went up significantly to the left of the falls, then proceeded to the south ridge. We just went in boots, and though there were sections of postholing it was not enough to justify skis or snowshoes.

Here's the only photo from before the falls; as you can see it's almost dry.


Higher up with a view of Pyramid:


And a panorama looking north from the summit:


Photo credits: G.Wicke