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tomhaegler
Jun 22, 2011, 9:45 PM
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I'm from Switzerland and usually climbing in the Swiss alps. But I'm in NYC for two weeks (also visiting my cousin upstate) and thought about doing some climbing in the "gunks".
- I would be there mid october, is this a good season to climb there?
- What kind of equipment do I need to bring over? (Here in the alps, a lot of the multipitch are bolted, do I need to bring a full trad rack? Is a single rope ok, or would I need to bring my half ropes?)
- I'm not sure if a friend is coming along or not. if not: is it easy to find a climbing partner there?
thanks!!
tom
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olderic
Jun 22, 2011, 9:57 PM
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You'll get a ton of answers.
1. mid October should be pretty good although you could get a rainy spell. But it you have 2 weeks and can pick and choose your days you are guaranteed to get some pretty nice ones.
2. Most will recommend a full trad rack. You can do without larger gear for the most part.
3. Some swear by double ropes but for the most part you will do fine with a single.
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A-Bowl
Jun 22, 2011, 10:21 PM
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If you dont want to spend the rediculous $15 a person to climb each day I reccomend getting in and on the walls before 7am and leaving after 8pm. Spend the whole day on the rock and you're good. Plus you'll get a ton more done. I hear they pop you pretty good if you walk around on the carriage road and the further down you go the less likely you are to run into ranger danger. I wouldn't know though cuz they never got me.
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dbogardus
Jun 22, 2011, 11:10 PM
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olderic wrote: You'll get a ton of answers. 1. mid October should be pretty good although you could get a rainy spell. But it you have 2 weeks and can pick and choose your days you are guaranteed to get some pretty nice ones. 2. Most will recommend a full trad rack. You can do without larger gear for the most part. 3. Some swear by double ropes but for the most part you will do fine with a single.
What he said. October is a great time to climb, you'll need gear, and I always prefer a single.
I may be looking for a partner if you're showing up solo. PM me if you'd like.
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smallclimber
Jun 23, 2011, 1:30 AM
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If you are going to climb for several days buy a annual pass it'll work out cheaper. Do not try to evade the day fee, the climbing is on private land and the fee goes towards maintance (eg the outhouses) etc.
October is a great time to climb, also the busiest, but if you can get there in the week it will be quiet. You'll need a trad rack. Double ropes will speed up some rapells, but most parties just use a single.
Have fun.
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tomhaegler
Jun 23, 2011, 3:12 AM
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Thanks everybody for the fast answers. Park fee is no problem for me - as Id really like to support the area...
One more question about the trad stuff: How much gear do I need? Ive got cams 0.75 - 2 and a DMM nuts set, a few slings and biners. But I think I will be picking up more gear there (there must be some climbing shops around...)
Tom
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horseshoe
Jun 23, 2011, 3:19 AM
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tomhaegler wrote: But I think I will be picking up more gear there (there must be some climbing shops around...) Tom
Definitely check out Rock and Snow in New Paltz!
http://www.rockandsnow.com/
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johnwesely
Jun 23, 2011, 3:43 AM
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tomhaegler wrote: Thanks everybody for the fast answers. Park fee is no problem for me - as Id really like to support the area... One more question about the trad stuff: How much gear do I need? Ive got cams 0.75 - 2 and a DMM nuts set, a few slings and biners. But I think I will be picking up more gear there (there must be some climbing shops around...) Tom
Get master cams or similar 1-4 and you will have a completely adequate gunks rack. Maybe pick up tricams too.
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rgold
Jun 23, 2011, 5:04 AM
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Mid-October is about as good as it gets in the Gunks. You've already gotten some gear recommendations, and yes, you'll need a good trad rack, including smaller cams then you have now. Double ropes are good if you know how to use them effectively, but plenty of people manage fine with a single.
If it was you and friend coming over to climb together, than you'd need all this stuff, but if you are planning to find someone here to climb with (and that shouldn't be too hard) then why not use their rack and rope and just come over with your shoes, harness, and belay device? Hauling all that trad gear over for a few days of climbing seems like a lot of unnecessary effort (and money in overweight charges).
The Mohonk day pass is no more than you'd spend for a few hours at a climbing gym. Thanks for explicitly disregarding people who trespass on private land out of some self-centered sense of entitlement and then brag about it on the internet.
(This post was edited by rgold on Jun 23, 2011, 5:13 AM)
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xbrianx1990
Jun 25, 2011, 12:26 PM
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One more question about the trad stuff: How much gear do I need? Ive got cams 0.75 - 2 and a DMM nuts set, a few slings and biners.
Most routes at the Gunks are wandering so a few slings and biners probably is not enough. Most people carry 6-12 tripled "trad draws".
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scrapedape
Jun 25, 2011, 2:57 PM
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xbrianx1990 wrote: One more question about the trad stuff: How much gear do I need? Ive got cams 0.75 - 2 and a DMM nuts set, a few slings and biners. Most routes at the Gunks are wandering so a few slings and biners probably is not enough. Most people carry 6-12 tripled "trad draws".
If you mainly use quickdraws climbing in Europe, then you could get by with 5-10 of these, as long as you add in at least 4 shoulder-length runners. Just my opinion.
As others have said, smaller cams would be helpful. I would add at least something in the Metolius #2-4 (yellow, orange, red) sizes. You could add a BD #3, but it is not critical. You probably don't need any more nuts, but a couple of tricams would be helpful (pink and red particularly).
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blueeyedclimber
Jun 25, 2011, 3:10 PM
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tomhaegler wrote: I'm from Switzerland and usually climbing in the Swiss alps. But I'm in NYC for two weeks (also visiting my cousin upstate) and thought about doing some climbing in the "gunks". - I would be there mid october, is this a good season to climb there? - What kind of equipment do I need to bring over? (Here in the alps, a lot of the multipitch are bolted, do I need to bring a full trad rack? Is a single rope ok, or would I need to bring my half ropes?) - I'm not sure if a friend is coming along or not. if not: is it easy to find a climbing partner there? thanks!! tom
A lot of good answers so far, but I'll just add my two cents:
1. Pay the fee. It's privately owned. Yeah, it would be nice to climb there for free, but given the traffic that goes there, I can't imagine the state it would be in if it wasn't so taken care of.
2. Gear - in general, you do not need doubles of anything but you will want a full rack up to a #2 camalot. There are plenty of routes that take larger gear but I rarely carry anything larger than the 2. You will need smaller gear though. Gunks horizontals eat up cams/tricams and often nuts won't do. Second, Gunks routes tend to wander a bit, traverse, or go over roofs. Because of this you'll want plenty of slings (shoulder length and maybe one or two longer). Like someone said, triple them up because often you won't need them extended.
3. Weather - it IS the northeast, so you never know what's going to happen, but in general, Mid-October is the best time to go. The leaves should be in full bloom. The day are a little shorter, though. With your two weeks, you should find ample nice weather to climb in. Unless your unlucky, that is. And if we DO get unusually bad weather in October, I'll know who to blame 
4. As for partners, you shouldn't have too much trouble if your friend decides not to come. Post up here and on Gunks.com. Or just go to the Uberfall (the beginning section of the Trapps) and ask around.
Good luck!
Josh
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tomhaegler
Jun 26, 2011, 10:36 AM
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thanks blueeyed! very useful info - now I'm really starting to look forward...
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A-Bowl
Jun 26, 2011, 5:01 PM
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I guess you guys are just used to getting ripped off. $30 for my girlfriend and i to climb outdoors was way too much for me. That is the most expensive place to climb outdoors in the US and how much is a season pass? You guys are brainwashed.
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A-Bowl
Jun 26, 2011, 5:09 PM
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Not saying I wouldn't buy the pass if i lived there... but think of this from the average dirtbag climber perspective, which this guy could have been, and that is just too much money. He's established that he can afford it so all the more money for that private land owners who charge for you to have the right to touch something that people shouldn't own privately in the first place.
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marc801
Jun 26, 2011, 6:00 PM
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A-Bowl wrote: ... private land owners who charge for you to have the right to touch something that people shouldn't own privately in the first place.
Also, it's not just a climbing fee - *all* users of the land must purchase a pass. Yes, there is a surcharge for climbing. You might want to check into NY state park day fees before you start complaining about the fees in the Gunks. Enjoying the beach at Jones Beach State Park for example will run you $40/day.
I see your location is listed as Arizona. You do realize that there is a fee charged to use the Mt. Lemmon Highway for any reason, including climbing or even using an outhouse unless you have a home in Summerhaven? You do realize that all the national parks and many national monuments have an entrance fee?
We've heard this drivel and whining about the day fee at the Gunks for decades, all the way back to when it was $3. The argument is just as lame now as it was then.
STFU, n00b.
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A-Bowl
Jun 26, 2011, 6:41 PM
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Thanks Marc801, ive been officially burned back into my place... Noobdom... all because I was throwing out an option for a guy. $80 a year for all the parks in the US is far less than $90 for one btw. and have fun getting your jersey tan on at that overpriced and most likely trashy beach next time youre in NY. I'll go head and opt out of that fee too.
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A-Bowl
Jun 26, 2011, 6:46 PM
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Oh forgot... $80 is per car while that gunks $90 is per person. Not even the same ballpark.
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marc801
Jun 26, 2011, 10:29 PM
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A-Bowl wrote: Oh forgot... $80 is per car while that gunks $90 is per person. Not even the same ballpark.
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A-Bowl
Jun 26, 2011, 11:05 PM
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Naw, not upset. Like I said i'd pay for the pass if I lived near to the gunks and I'm happy to support something that i definately get my money out of. I can't get $17 dollars worth of climbing in a day anywhere, which is just my personal opinion. Also for the original poster... you can get into many national parks in the US for free if you enter after 10pm and leave after 10pm. Just throwin out some good beta for people who are only here for a bit and might not want to get raped to spend some time enjoying the great outdoors.
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sp115
Jun 27, 2011, 1:39 PM
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A-Bowl wrote: Naw, not upset. Like I said i'd pay for the pass if I lived near to the gunks and I'm happy to support something that i definately get my money out of. I can't get $17 dollars worth of climbing in a day anywhere, which is just my personal opinion. Also for the original poster... you can get into many national parks in the US for free if you enter after 10pm and leave after 10pm. Just throwin out some good beta for people who are only here for a bit and might not want to get raped to spend some time enjoying the great outdoors.
And by your logic you can eat for free if you wear a large coat with pockets on the inside and steal food from supermarkets.
Personally I don't give a fuck what you do, afterall we both know you're a thief, but the justifications are lame, better to just wear your badge with pride.
(This post was edited by sp115 on Jun 27, 2011, 1:42 PM)
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sethg
Jun 27, 2011, 2:03 PM
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I live in NYC, climb in the Gunks and pay the annual fee. And I think if you climb there you should pay it. But I'm not surprised to hear people gripe about the day fee and talk about dodging it. It is a natural reaction, especially from such antiauthoritarian sorts as climbers. I don't know why people get so bent out of shape defending the Preserve. They have a right to charge whatever they want, and people have the right to complain about it. Why is this such a big deal?
(This post was edited by sethg on Jun 27, 2011, 2:05 PM)
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johnwesely
Jun 27, 2011, 2:05 PM
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A-Bowl wrote: Naw, not upset. Like I said i'd pay for the pass if I lived near to the gunks and I'm happy to support something that i definately get my money out of. I can't get $17 dollars worth of climbing in a day anywhere, which is just my personal opinion. Also for the original poster... you can get into many national parks in the US for free if you enter after 10pm and leave after 10pm. Just throwin out some good beta for people who are only here for a bit and might not want to get raped to spend some time enjoying the great outdoors.
You wouldn't spend 17 dollars for a day on El Capitan? Really? You have never spent 17 dollars worth of gas to go climbing for the day?
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sp115
Jun 27, 2011, 3:04 PM
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sethg wrote: I live in NYC, climb in the Gunks and pay the annual fee. And I think if you climb there you should pay it. But I'm not surprised to hear people gripe about the day fee and talk about dodging it. It is a natural reaction, especially from such antiauthoritarian sorts as climbers. I don't know why people get so bent out of shape defending the Preserve. They have a right to charge whatever they want, and people have the right to complain about it. Why is this such a big deal?
Because - "we are men of action, lies do not become us.", or...because this is the Intardnets and every statement is a calling to the Court of Argument.
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