Iridescent Wall is a distant south-facing point on a southwest spur of Mt. Le Conte (ca 13,960’). The wall, which rises above an idyllic lake nestled in the Miter Basin area, can be reached by a strenuous cross-country route up the South Fork of Tuttle Creek or a longer, more leisurely hike from the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead. 

On July 17, Andrew Oesterreicher and I climbed Iridescent Flow (9 pitches, 5.10), which follows the right margin of what could be called the Iridescent Pillar, a massive white feature on the left side of the formation that offers a way to avoid the prominent red shield of lower quality rock on the upper part of the wall. [Editor’s Note: This new route is to the right of Space Force (5.11b; AAJ 2019), likely the first route up the wall, and may share some terrain with it near the top.] 

Iridescent Flow is steep and on mostly clean rock, with the exception of one short section of bush wrestling which only adds to the character of the route. Each belay is on a comfortable ledge and bolted. The final ridgeline to the crest has extremely poor rock and still leaves you a long way from the actual summit of Le Conte. A reasonable option is to descend from the high point of the route by scrambling west and down to the lake or by rappeling the route with a single 70m rope. 

— Dave Nettle