From the 1976 AAJ:

"A color photo in a packer’s brochure shows this face to good advantage. The north-facing wall is about 700 feet high, rises above Spring Lake (Middle Fork Kaweah drainage), and is reached by an uphill grind from Mineral King. Robb Dellinger, Debbie Winters and I placed the first route on this attractive face July 14, 1974, following essentially a direct crack and dihedral system to the summit. The rock is very good and the climbing continuously excellent. NCCS III, F6."

After walking along the base of the Spring Lake Wall and examining features with binoculars, it is believed this route ascends the face of the peak closest to Granite Pass, rather than the larger and steeper face that is directly above Spring Lake.

Beckey Route

That's A Sheer Cliff

The One That Got Away

From the 1976 AAJ:

"Spring Lake Wall, “That’s a Sheer Cliff” Route. The north face of Peak 11,440+ in the Mineral King region drops sheerly into Spring Lake. Unknown to Vern Clevenger and me, Fred Beckey had climbed the right side of the face earlier in 1975. As we veered from the unofficial trail to approach the face, a backpacker began yelling at us excitedly, “Come back! Come back! That’s a sheer cliff!” We decided that his quote would be a fitting name if we could climb the wall.

The center of the face had several dihedrals rising vertically nearly 1000 feet. Rashly, Vern and I began the climb at two P.M. after our approach from the roadhead. We thought if all the climbing was free, then we could finish the climb by dark. Late in the day we had climbed only two F9 pitches, one of them poorly protected and devious. We descended and returned the next morning, climbing two more F9 pitches up cracks, chimneys, and bulges before the route eased back into lower angle F7 and F8. By noon we reached the summit. NCCS IV, F9."

This route climbs the prominent, central nose of the Spring Lake Wall in nine pitches (5.11b C1).

See Alpinist Magazine:

Sequoia National Park: Spring Lake Wall Gets New

Route after 40 Years (posted July 15, 2015).

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Spring Lake Wall