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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : h. The Arrow Wall - CCK : Andrew (5.4 PG13)
By: kenr When: Aug 4, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Sharon + I thought P3 + P4 were great today. Fun moves, reasonably well-protected (I carried doubles of all cams Camalot #1 or smaller down to around Mastercam 0 / C3 0). She said she felt well-protected following except for one place, and we both agree that it was because I wasn't carrying doubles of Camalot #2, so I could make only one placement in one of the later horizontal traverse cracks.
I led with double ropes and used lots of long runners, so it worked well to combine P3 + ... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Near Trapps : b. Gelsa to Moe (closure) : Yum Yum Yab Yum (5.4)
By: kenr When: Aug 1, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: A climb as good as this deserves a more detailed description, so here's my try:
P1 - Starting up slab, trend slightly left to reach Left-facing corner, follow that to ledge with a large pine tree with rappel slings - about 50-65 feet off the ground.
P2 - First go up 10-15 feet on right side, then Left about 10 feet (tricky moves, perhaps more like Gunks 5.4) to reach left-facing corner, follow that (steep) to its top. Then up face (with a bulge) to a wide ledge - on its right side is a large p... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Near Trapps : b. Gelsa to Moe (closure) : Yum Yum Yab Yum (5.4)
By: kenr When: Aug 1, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Finding the start:
I think this has gotten easier, because there's now some signs marking a property boundary, near YYYY on the informal trail.
(YYYY is around 650-700 feet / 200-220 meters past Gelsa)
First follow the directions from the Parking to "Disneyland" (see in the Comments under Disneyland ).
Then continue walking (SSW) on the the informal trail at the base of the of the cliffs ... When you reach those property boundary signs... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Near Trapps : b. Gelsa to Moe (closure) : Yum Yum Yab Yum (5.4)
By: kenr When: Jul 31, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Great climb. I bet it's actually less far from the main West Trapps parking than more famous 5.3-5.4 routes (Beginners Delight + Minty).
But YYYY is not for (most) beginners because of the long traverse at the top - and with the top belay not positioned well for communication.
A good reason to stop and belay at the first pine tree ledge is so that the leader can demonstrate to followers the somewhat-tricky move sequence just above the ledge. WIth careful placement of protection, I wa... more >>
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Lake Champlain Region : Deadwater : Main Cliff : Geronimo (5.8)
By: kenr When: Jul 27, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: My hands are larger, so it took some fiddling to get a jam (sort of a thumb cam?) I felt solid on in the high crux bulge on the main route.
? Harder than 5.8 ? I'd say either you can get a jam with your right hand solid enough to hold you for a moment on the overhang while you grab with your left -- or you cannot. If you cannot, then I guess it's way harder than 5.8 (? or you just stick a cam into the crack higher up and grab its sling ?)
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Keene Valley Region : Beer Walls : Frosted Mug (5.9)
By: kenr When: Jul 27, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: I think the "5.7 R" mentioned in the Adirondack Rocks guidebook is for traversing under the overhang to reach the arete. Looked to me like the "R" danger was falling before the end of the traverse and then swinging back to the right and smacking into that left-facing wall below.
A different protection problem is in the main upper dihedral corner itself ... If climbed mostly with the obvious layback technique, it tends to be strenuous to place pro, so it's tempting to rush it. Even more strenuou... more >>
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Keene Valley Region : Chapel Pond Slab : Empress (5.5 X)
By: kenr When: Jul 27, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: About as varied climbing and terrain you could have given that it's all still a friction slab.
P1 - nice warmup of friction -- check if your head is ready today for what lies above. Careful not to make the anchor too high, or you'll have to down-climb to the "steppy" rock that starts the next pitch.
P2 - different rock textures ... right across the "steppy" rock, then up white-ish rock to make an anchor near base of giant L-facing corner.
(? alt P2 ? The reason not to go directly to th... more >>
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Keene Valley Region : Upper Washbowl Cliff : Hesitation (5.8 R)
By: kenr When: Jul 19, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: My partner made a gear anchor at the top of P1, to the left of the fixed anchor. My memory is that he placed most of the gear in obvious vertical crack. Seemed like setting the anchor left of the fixed anchor was better positioned for belaying the climbing both for P1 and for P2.
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Cascade Lakes Region : Pitchoff Chimney Cliff : The El (5.8)
By: kenr When: Jul 19, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P2 - seemed to me there was a section before the corner where it's pretty difficult to protect the follower from a possible substantial swing. The moves there took good balance-technique.
Then just after coming around the corner/arete, it seemed to go well by making one more move across left, then a move _up_ on a vertical crack. Then continue traversing left using the main horizontal crack for feet instead of hands. Then after more traversing, move _up_ again before creating the belay anchor.
... more >>
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Location: NY : Adirondacks : Cascade Lakes Region : Pitchoff Chimney Cliff : Pete's Farewell (5.7)
By: kenr When: Jul 19, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P3 - unless you've got rather large hands, the lower section of the crack of P3 is too wide for effective hand-jams -- but for me it went pretty easily as a layback, especially with jamming/camming my feet a little into the crack.
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : f. The Guides' Wall (Madame... : Asphodel (5.5)
By: kenr When: Jun 17, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: For the sake of good communication, I made a semi-hanging belay for P1 on the slab higher above the cruxes, with gear in the corner crack by a small tree -- at roughly the horizontal level of the ledge with two pine trees. Worked fine. When my follower arrived, she just continued around left to the two pine trees. We didn't go any higher, and the two-rope rappel off one of the pine trees worked great.
Fun climb in an interesting space. Not one of the harder Gunks 5.5s we've done. Seemed plenty ... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : a. The Uberfall : Jacob's Ladder (5.10b R)
By: kenr When: Jun 17, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: I did it as a top-rope (never seen anyone lead it). Just what I was looking for: lots of moves on small or slopy holds.
I didn't notice an "overhang" until I read the description again afterward -- so I would emphasize that it's a tiny overhang.
I found I could get to the "overhang" either by getting my feet up on the slopy ramp early, then move left -- or have my hands around the ramp and my feet below while moving significantly left, and step up onto the ramp only later. Not sure w... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : g. V3 - Middle Earth : Middle Earth (5.6)
By: kenr When: Jun 15, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P1 I found to be well-protected since I had a little Mastercam #0 to stick in a flary vertical crack as my second piece off the ground.
Above that my "normal" rack worked fine, no need for anything larger than a #2 Camalot.
P1 was pretty sustained with thoughtful face/slab moves near the rating grade. Perhaps not a good choice as an early Lead for someone making the transition from indoor climbing, because some of the protection stances required standing on slopy or small footholds ... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : b. Jackie and friends : Belly Roll (5.4)
By: kenr When: Jun 13, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Fun climb -- except for the (short) belly roll section.
(maybe I didn't get far enough inside it? - perhaps I'll try that next time). P2 is one of the better 5.2-5.3 pitches in the Gunks.
Sharon hates "the roll" even more than I do, so I've suggested that she just bring prusiks and "aid" her way up that short section, so she can enjoy the remainder. One time she avoided "the roll" by actually traversing way left and climbing the friction ramp on the Dennis route -- but I have a feeling she was ... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : h. The Arrow Wall - CCK : Easy Verschneidung (Easy V) (5.3)
By: kenr When: Jun 13, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P1 is about the nicest 5.2 in the Gunks (without hiking all the way out to Casa Emilio, which lots of people feel is harder than 5.2). And with a nice rappel just a few feet to the left of the top of the pitch. It's almost too bad we can't have a separate page on MountainProject just for P1, since P3 is completely different.
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : f. The Guides' Wall (Madame... : Hawk (5.5)
By: kenr When: Jun 12, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: There's still plenty of loose rock on P1, though I couldn't say for sure that it's more loose rock than some other ledges in the Gunks, e.g. Easy O / Baby. I would not belay or stand around the bottom with climbers above, without my helmet on my head.
The obvious tree around the top of P1 is getting a bit old.
Difficulty: Some guidebooks rate both P2 & P3 as 5.4. It seemed to both my partner and me that P3 would then be one of the easiest 5.4s in the Gunks. My memory is that P2 was mo... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : c. Frog's Head - the Arch : Bloody Bush (5.7)
By: kenr When: Jun 12, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P1 - My partner was leading, seemed like he went up quite a ways on the steep thin face before placing gear -- but maybe that was because he was psyched to place a big piece (#3 Camalot I sorta remember).
P2 - My partner (following the advice of previous comments - Thanks!) got the P1 belay high enough so that after going up the corner just a short ways I found P2 to be sort of a diagonal "straight" shot going up and right under the overhangs. No rope drag after placing my first piece out... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : h. The Arrow Wall - CCK : Andrew (5.4 PG13)
By: kenr When: Jun 12, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P2 - If keep going north on the GT ledge horizontally to the "large" multi-trunk tree, then you're in the wrong place to start the third pitch. Anyway finding the correct (as Kevin points out) non-large single-trunk oak tree is not the point. There's a larger not-so-flaky right-facing corner starting like 10-15 feet up, somewhat to the left of the single-trunk tree. And there's a flaky not-as-large right-facing corner starting like 30 feet up, somewhat to the right of that tree. The key point is... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : h. The Arrow Wall - CCK : Updraft (5.5)
By: kenr When: Jun 9, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: First pitch has nice 5.1-5.2-5.3 moves, and felt well-protected, and with a nice rap tree near its top. (I haven't tried the second pitch).
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : a. The Uberfall : Double Chin (5.5)
By: kenr When: Jun 9, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Agree with the comments above. Since this route is not real popular, I wasn't expecting much ... then it turned out to be a satisfying lead with interesting moves before the crux, and felt well-protected.
If you bring along followers who are not strong at 5.5 and not so gung-ho to try a tricky challenge, they might end up unhappy. If you fail to give them good directional protection in the top crux, and they swing out into space if they fail, they might be very unhappy that they follow... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : f. The Guides' Wall (Madame... : Minty (5.4)
By: kenr When: Jun 9, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: The crux (for non-tall people) of the route is at the start of P1, dealing with small footholds and not well-placed handholds alongside the low right-facing corner (I'd say at least 5.4). Leaders should make sure their followers are well-protected from above on that move.
That "severely leaning pine tree" is a good thing to aim toward in P1, but an awkward spot to belay from. More comfortable to instead to go past that pine tree and build a gear anchor at the base of the Right-facing ... more >>
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : c. Frog's Head - the Arch : Frog's Head (5.6)
By: kenr When: Jun 4, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: P2: My first pro was a #2 Camalot just below that fixed pin. Somehow I didn't perceive a "thin crack" after the first 20 ft of P2. I did see a shallow right-facing corner which sort of led up to the big overhanging right-facing corner -- and climbing up somewhere near that shallow corner seemed to work.
Polished? Overall it did not strike me that the rock was notably polished from grit on climbers' shoes (as often does happen to footholds in softer rock like limestone, which can ... more >>
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Location: PA : Birdsboro Quarry : a. Main Wall : Itching to Climb (5.7+)
By: kenr When: May 28, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Lots of good moves + holds. Rather sustained, my arms felt plenty worked when I reached the top.
For me the most intimidating move was just above the 3rd bolt, going up in faith that I'd find something more positive soon.
Before that, making the clip on the 3rd bolt felt a bit scary until I found an incut pocket somewhere among the large but smooth holds. Still more exciting was arriving at the top anchor foolishly with no gear ready to make a quick clip (I guess I was assuming there would a n... more >>
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Location: PA : Birdsboro Quarry : a. Main Wall : Jingle Bells (5.9)
By: kenr When: May 28, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Trying to clip the anchor bolts from below right without making the move to grab the hold above them strikes me as requiring a rather long reach.
Making the moves to the good hold above the anchor bolts -- seemed to me about the same reach climbing from the right (with careful footwork) as from the left. Both seemed like just barely doable for me (just under 5ft7in w no more than normal arm-reach) -- I assume someone less tall uses different beta and better footwork.
Climbing ... more >>
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Location: PA : Birdsboro Quarry : a. Main Wall : Rain Check Direct (5.6)
By: kenr When: May 28, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Seemed to me there's one move close to 5.8 in this short climb, and 5.6 climbers should expect to be unhappy if they expect to succeed on it. A follower belayed off the top anchor might fall from that move sideways left around the corner.
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