We tried something new this September and went climbing in the Adirondacks in upper New York state for the long weekend. Nice place. Interesting granite rock with some crack, lots of features, a little dirt and hundreds of single and multi-pitch "adventure climbing" routes to choose from.
Wilderness everywhere and no crowds!!!
We started in the Chapel Ponds region since it was near Lake Placid and because it has a high concentration of good climbing with short approaches like the "1 minute approach" to the slabs and other nearby cliffs. Plus the crags had cool names like "The Beer Walls".
Pull off the road onto a small parking area and within minutes "you've arrived".
(By the way, I'm not so sure that I like these double ropes on these multi-pitch slab routes ... too much rope management and cluster F@#& at the belay stations!)
On hot sunny days, and we had plenty of heat during our stay in the Dacks, we would cool off and wash away the sunscreen, sweat and dirt from the day's adventures in the local pond at the bottom of the cliff.
I gotta admit the grades in the Dacks are stiff! My visions of climbing some challenging 10's were quickly dashed as we "warmed up" on some 5.5's, 5.7's and 5.8's and got totally worked! (Think 2 or more grades harder!) Sure it takes some time to get used to a new climbing area but this place is nuts!!!
This is "5.7"?!?!? (The Cave variation finish of the 5.5 Standard Route up the Chapel Pond Slab).
One day we hopped on Clutch and Cruise, a single pitch "5.8+" route (... yeah, right ...) with an overhanging hand crack and disappearing feet. (Beta alert: bring two #3 BD cams for the crux, plenty of tape and be ready to fist jam). It also had a telling description in the guide book as "the most sandbagged route in the Adirondacks. I believe it!!!
A cool route with burly fun moves none the less. Definitely worth doing. (We only got the #3 cam stuck twice which made cleaning the overhanging route on rap fun, fun fun)!
But first things first. Trad rack and helmut ... check!
Climbing partner, sunglasses and rope ... check!!
Cool granite 5.7 route with mandatory overhanging hand crack ... check!!!
Actually, this 5.7 two-pitch route, Labatt Ami, was more fun and "doable" than most of the routes we climbed in the Dacks. The rock friction was great. And the upper crux was easier than it looked from below.
Proof!
Most of the routes had walk off descents. But one of the route descriptions indicated a rap off a pine tree ...
... hmmm ... we decided to pass on this little wee thing; maybe in 20 years we'll think about it.
Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Canada and say good bye to the Adirondacks and our little wilderness friend "Hooty", the Guardian of the Upper Beer Wall.
We'll definitely be back again!
No comments:
Post a Comment