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The best cracks of the north east

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burlap submariner · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 170

Every ones favorites? GIVE IT UP!!!!

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Good one Burlap, you must be bored !

Budapest.. Cathedral 11+

Screaming Yellow Zonkers... woodchuck 11+

MaxSuffering · · KVNY · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0

Adirondacks:
Drop, Fly or Die
On The Loose
TR
Fear And loathing in Keene Valley
Tequila mockingbird
Arachnid Traction
Coy Dog
Tennessee Excursion
Forever Wild
Fastest Gun (pitches 1, 2 + 4)
Fear Of Touching Aerie (AKA: the Moss Cliff Linkup)
Mystery Achievement
Windjammer

Gunks:
Resistance

New Hampshire:
Crack In The Woods (gets grungy after the first anchor but this was huge for me when I first did it)
Retaliation
Nutcracker
Screaming Yellow Zonkers (okay, I'll admit I only got this one on toprope -hard, NO chance of me onsighing!)
Vultures

Vermont:
The Rose

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

I'll bite.
I haven’t been on Budapest yet. I haven’t really done a lot on Cathedral. Embarrassed to say I haven’t even been on Airation yet. My partners who are into trad have already done it a bunch of times so I don’t ask them do it again. From pictures it looks great though and is on my list. Screaming Yellow Zonkers is really good. I wouldn’t quite give it the 4 stars a lot of people do, for its lack of length and the fact that the crack doesn’t start until 20 feet of eh climbing. It is a lot of fun though and doesn’t seem short when you are pumping out on that last flaring jam at the top. Crack in the Woods is on my list to do. I am hoping to get in this year and replace the old anchor and give it a scrub.
When people ask about cracks I usually list the outback classics at Owl’s and Green’s Cliffs, NH, since less people know about them.
Owl’s: Crack of the Future – one pitch 12b/c finger crack. It requires finger tip jamming, but also lots of face climbing skills.
Maybe 30 feet to the right is another finger crack, White Owl 11d. Not quite as classic as Crack of the Future, but really good
Crack of the World 4 pitches 11c, again at Owl’s .It is not all crack climbing, but the positioning of the arching rattly hand crack on the 3rd pitch just makes you have to do it.
Green’s Cliff area: Greenpeace – 200 ft 11d/12a straight up finger and hand crack.
Stewart’s Crack – 2 pitch old school 5.9+,strong 9+ hand crack in a corner up to the second pitch which is probably more like 10+ of flaring, angling, wideness to chimney , hands and fingers.
CT: haven’t really climbed there in decades after getting turned off by the KN scene, but Dol Guldur 5.11 at East Peak was great and Forearm Frenzy 11b at Chatfield Hollow was a lot of fun.

Jim Lawyer · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 6,116

I thought I'd add some lesser-known pure-crack routes to MaxSuffering's list from the Adirondacks. In my opinion, these are indeed some of the best around:

Father Knows Best (Lost Hunters)
Plumb Line (Crane Mountain)
Release the Kraken (Pinnacle Mountain)
Little Kisses (Lost T)
Tombstone (Deadwater)
Elusive Bastard (Twin Falls Cliff)

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
M Sprague wrote: CT: haven’t really climbed there in decades after getting turned off by the KN scene, but Dol Guldur 5.11 at East Peak was great and Forearm Frenzy 11b at Chatfield Hollow was a lot of fun.
the "KN scene" did one good thing for CT cracks, not meaning you specifically

and yeah, Forearm Frenzy, Unconquerable, Vector, Pegasus, Thors Hammer are classics anywhere. Dol Guldor gets one star on Mtn Proj go figure.
MaxSuffering · · KVNY · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 0

Tombstone and Airation! Not sure how I missed either of those, both classics. Also forgot about some good cracks at Sliver Lake -Handlebarbarism to Hairy Upper Lip Drip for a good one-two punch.

Thanks Jim, you just added to my tick list for this summer.

Ross Henry · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 55

Kens crack at the Gunks was a good one as well

Ben Brotelho · · Albany, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 520

North Country Club Crack at Jewels and Jems is a fun 5.6.

Rockaholic at Beer Walls is a good 5.8.

Gamesmanship and the Sting at Poke O, both 5.8.

I haven't done it, but I'm sure Little Finger at Rogers Rock has a place on the list, if for the setting alone.

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090
Ross Henry wrote:Kens crack at the Gunks was a good one as well
Is that that really sweet little 5.7 near the trashcan overhang at the Uberfall area? I remember that as one of my early leads and loving it. There must be a line 20 deep for it nowadays.
Derek Doucet · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 66

I'll add a few little known (outside of Vermont) Green Mountain classics, all at Upper West Bolton: The Rose Crack is 60' of straight in, seriously overhanging hands and fists at .10a. Good meat and potatos fun and a nice warm up for its neighbors. Right next to it is the Thorn, which has less pure jamming but is equally good, just as steep, and a few letter grades harder. As long as you're doing the Thorn, I highly recommend "The Prick Finish" variation which adds another 20' of awesome climbing in case you're not worked yet. Then there's the Onceler which while short is definitely a three star 5.11 with some awesome fingers. Running a few laps on each guarantees a good pump for most.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Mark- Stewart's must be so good now..clean and all. It sure was a hard and dirty "5.8"

Let us not forget Peanut Gallery

IMO Budapest is the best single pitch on Cathedral

John Husky · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2011 · Points: 5

Reppys
Vertigo
I also like Ravens Crack, even though it sent me packing last time.
Pitch 3 of Moby is always a treat.

GMBurns · · The Fucking Moon, man, the… · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 470

Pine Tree Eliminate
Reppys
Ken's Crack
Ant's Line

Just a few

S. Neoh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 35

The state of ME has quite a few nice crack climbs to offer.

JChepes · · West Ossipee, NH · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 7,390

Lumberjack crack at Found on the Kanc.
The Start and the Horn at Pway and the BBB route at Stonehouse. Short but punchy southern NH fun.
Center Crack, Dear Leap VT.

David Powers · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 274

Hot Seat in Hell at Wheeler Mt. will knock your socks off. A bit hard to find though.

Hot Seat

Another favorite of mine is Once Upon a Crack in Barton VT. 60' of 5.9 spitter granite right on the side of the road.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,960
David Powers wrote:Hot Seat in Hell at Wheeler Mt. will knock your socks off. A bit hard to find though. Another favorite of mine is Once Upon a Crack in Barton VT. 60' of 5.9 spitter granite right on the side of the road.
That thing is killllller looking...
Jon Clark · · Planet Earth · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 1,158

Southern Hospitality @ Poke-O

White Knight @ Spider's Web
It's Only Entertainment @ Spider's Web
Pretty much all of Spider's Web

jim.dangle · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 5,882
David Powers wrote:Hot Seat in Hell at Wheeler Mt. will knock your socks off. A bit hard to find though. Another favorite of mine is Once Upon a Crack in Barton VT. 60' of 5.9 spitter granite right on the side of the road.
Whoa! Is this area written up on that new Vermonth guide? If so I have to get that.

Jim
Derek Doucet · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 66
jim.dangle wrote: Whoa! Is this area written up on that new Vermonth guide? If so I have to get that. Jim
Yes.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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