capn_morgan
May 2, 2005, 9:16 PM
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Registered: Oct 7, 2003
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This is a little thing I wrote up for our outing club newsletter, thought I would share it with y'all. Just a brief overview of the climbing around the capital region in NY. Feel free to chime in with other recommendations or cool spots that I missed. I left out places that have questionable access, even if they were close and good.
Where’s the climbing?
So you like rock climbing eh? Well, you’re in luck. We happen to be with a few hours drive of some amazing climbing of all variety. No matter whether you are a die-hard traddie or a pad-toting boulder, there is something for you. There are of course the well know areas; the Gunks in New Paltz and the numerous cliffs around Keene Valley in the Adirondacks. There are pretty comprehensive guidebooks for these areas so I will focus more on the many smaller cliffs that have been becoming more established in the last few years.
About an hour and a half west on I-90 in the town of Little Falls there is a fair bit of climbing in several areas. The main area is Moss Island, which has many moderate to hard lines. While several of the climbs can be led on gear, most are generally top roped. Typically the anchors require either gear or lots of webbing/static line. On the north side of the island there is some interesting bouldering…from what I’ve been told. On the other side of the river.. and train tracks.. is an area known as the dihedrals. There are numerous lines here including some bolted lines.
If you feel like getting out of NY State for the day you can always head to Rose Ledges in Mass. There are some good cliffs here with a bit of a walk in along some power lines. I haven’t the faintest idea how to get there but if you ask around I’m sure you can find some directions. Most of the popular climbs can be toproped easily though I would imagine that at least some of them could be led on gear without too much hassle.
Feel like going sport climbing but don’t want to drive to Rumney? Stewarts Ledge on Buck Mtn near Lake George might be just what you are looking for. This is a great little cliff that is only about an hour from campus. There are a handful of bolted lines from 5.7 to 5.11. Most of them are well bolted, though there are a couple that could use some supplemental gear. There are also some great lines that can be toproped or led on gear.
For all you pebble wrestlers…I mean boulders, there are some pretty nice little rocks to climb near McKenzie Pond outside of Lake Placid. Even a dirty trad climber like myself can find some enjoyable climbing on these. In the last couple years some pretty nice boulders have been found Near Nine Corners Lake.
Now if you enjoy a nice hike through the woods and prefer to climb away from the crowds, there are many crags of various size listed in the Don Mellor Adirondack Guide Book. Of the ones that I have visited I highly recommend Huckleberry Mountain, near Warrensburg, and Good Luck Cliff, near Gloversville.
I think that’s enough for now. If you want to find out more about any of these areas just ask around. What I have listed here just scratches the surface. There is continuing development at various crags around the area. Some of these new areas have some incredible lines both sport and gear. Enough of this…time to go look at gear online…I mean study for finals.
Peace Out ~ Cap’n Morgan
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