Climbing in the Gunks today

You guys are nuts. The second pitches of climbs are notorious for being soggy in better conditions.

The good news if you believe the forecast is the snow event is going to be nominal (amybe 2 inches) and it will be above freezing for most of the next 3-4 days. Sun won't be out until Saturday though so drying is slow until then.

I've known a lot of people who've driven (as I have) hours to get to the infamous "Gunks dry in half a second" to find 90% of the routes too wet to climb. It's easy for locals, people with endless gas cash streams, and climbing addicts who climb in the pouring rain to suggest otherwise but it doesn't change the reality of whether it will actually make sense to climb this weekend.

Consider the cost of gas, tolls, and possiblty day pass for what isn't a sure thing. Maybe Simon would like to put up a "Gunks guarantee" travel insurance plan, and offer to pay for our expenses if we get there and there's only 20 dry climbs for a 100 climbers... :)

Just sayin'.

Thanks for all the response. I think we're going.

We both have annual memberships and are only 1 1/2 hours away, so not too worried about cost. I used to go there more often but got into bouldering more where I live. Both of us are nursing injuries due to lots of bouldering haha so I want to work the recovery by getting in mileage on long easy routes.

lucander wrote: Henry Barber, but I forgot which climb he did.

Jane.

Although both Cro-Mag had been climbed way before SA and Hot Henry got to them - they just did the FFA's

Rock Cricket wrote:Thanks for all the response. I think we're going. We both have annual memberships and are only 1 1/2 hours away, so not too worried about cost. I used to go there more often but got into bouldering more where I live. Both of us are nursing injuries due to lots of bouldering haha so I want to work the recovery by getting in mileage on long easy routes.

Cool, my membership runs out in 23 days...

If you want long easy routes, try linking the first two pitches of Dennis, Belly Roll, Jackie, RMC, and Betty. They almost feel "alpinish" with 180 feet of rope out. :)

Gas and tolls are $30-ish for me from east of Albany. Been skunked too many times to be bothered anymore heading anywhere if conditions aren't a gurantee. Plus, there's only so many times I can do the same usually dry routes at the Gunks over and over.

lucander wrote: Henry Barber, but I forgot which climb he did.

Not exactly who I was thinking of since Crow Hill not the Gunks was Barber's "local crag" but given his time and accomplishments in the Gunks the panel of judges have decided to accept your answer. The climb or climbs anyone?

I am surprised no one has come up with the answer. Maybe it is my idea of a Gunks luminary that is off. I guess it isn't a straight up-and-down answer.

I hesitate to pose another one that I think maybe harder, but ... This climber I also believe "cut his teeth" at Crow Hill but made his mark(s) in more ways than one way, way beyond Crow Hill. Name the climber and the climb.

Eric got one.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: Been skunked too many times to be bothered anymore heading anywhere if conditions aren't a gurantee.

Many of the best days of climbing in my life came on days where the weather was "iffy" but turned out beautiful and, consequently, few others were around.

Eric G. wrote: Many of the best days of climbing in my life came on days where the weather was "iffy" but turned out beautiful and, consequently, few others were around.

Not talking about those days, talking about ones where I actually arrived and couldn't climb due to the conditions, or get in one pitch before it pours, etc.

I've had those unsure days that turned out great. Been climbing long enough now at the usual NY spots that I'm pretty good at guessing the conditions and weather. I may miss out once a year being conservative, but save several wasted travel days. There are things to do other than climb (and other places to go), which makes those decisions easier for me. If climbing was all I thought about and did in my spare time maybe I'd be more apt to solo and climb in the rain.

I wouldn't listen to Kevin. Sorry Kevin.

Unless it's truly heinous outside (and "winter storm saturn" ain't even close), motivated climbers get out there and find dry rock, dry it themselves, or climb it anyway. Bouldering is possible even in pretty nasty conditions. If it's truly too shitty to climb outside, you can always do a little exploring and scope lines at the many undocumented crags on the preserve.

Adam Ondra onsighted Mind Control (14c) when it was wet. vimeo.com/21939923

Tommy Caldwell and crew are up on the Dawn Wall working the pitches in snow storms. youtube.com/watch?v=kz6Q0cg…

There are countless videos of Colorado boys digging out and shoveling off snow-covered boulders so they can climb on them. climbingnarc.com/videos/dan…

I could go on...

The masses at the Gunks don't know shit from shinola when it comes to decent climbing conditions. The place fills up exactly when it gets too warm to climb something at your limit.

Yeah quit it with the negativity Kevin! Maybe you're doing us good though, the ass-hats will listen to you and decide to sit in their NYC apartment and keep the crowds at bay. ha ha

Everything in balance. I head north when it gets busy. Not sure I appreciate being lumped in with "the masses"... :-/ However, I would agree that I'm not a "motivated" climber if your prerequisites are "drying off rock". I also don't lead 10, so I'm probably being ignored by the community anyhow. "He's an icky Gumby!!" Pointing at the elite of the elite climbers and suggesting we do as they do borders on negligence. Maybe we all should solo long hard routes like Honnold.

Sponsored climbers climb for a living, most of us work j.o.b.s for a living and climb when we can. The level of skill between a pro and a weekend climber are vast.

I do realize that, for some, climbing is as much fun as it is a sickness. I'd like to think I have a handle on reality enough to maintain perspective on whether or not to climb something based on its wetness. Especially when leading. Wet rock is rather unpredictable.

Sorry Charlie!

Ben, we'll likely never see eye to eye on some things. I certainly don't post for your benefit.

And while we're at it, what's with driving more traffic to the Gunks? Do we really need to promote MORE climbers there? Shit, you can end up waiting in line during the off season now. Seems self defeating to be trying to get more people out there. Seems we should be doing quite the opposite if we actually want to get on climbs.

The Gunks suck and they're going to be wet until at least late May.

Kevin,

Those videos feature pro climbers, sure, but the point was that they were getting after difficult projects in bad conditions. We can all do that at our own level, whether it's V14 or V3, 5.14 or 5.9. If one doesn't want to lead because he's concerned about wet rock, he can toprope or boulder.

Furthermore, the reason I go out on iffy days is precisely because I'm an average Joe and not a pro climber on permanent vacation. Dave Graham can say, "Fuck it," and try again on Tuesday. I have to wait until next weekend, at best. My time is too precious to admit defeat and go to the gym unless it is truly hopeless.

No offense intended. Carry on.

-CK

P.S. Did you grow up in Hunterdon County, NJ? I knew a kid in high school with the same name.

Charles Kinbote wrote:P.S. Did you grow up in Hunterdon County, NJ? I knew a kid in high school with the same name.

No sir, Upstate New Yorker. Odd, that's the first I've heard of the alter-Kevin H. Hope I'm not making his internet life hard. lol

I understand the desire to climb and you seem to understand my objections. All is well. Be safe.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: They almost feel "alpinish" with 180 feet of rope out.

Wait... what? A 180' climb with a 5 minute flat approach, noisy cars below, and tons of hikers, bikers, boulderers, etc chatting away on the carriage road feels alpinish? What kind of alpine routes do YOU climb?

Simon Thompson wrote: Wait... what? A 180' climb with a 5 minute flat approach, noisy cars below, and tons of hikers, bikers, boulderers, etc chatting away on the carriage road feels alpinish? What kind of alpine routes do YOU climb?

I've climbed in the gunks a lot during the week in the off season. So, yeah it's possible. :)

Unfortunately won't be able to enjoy such solitude this Spring :( .

Fwiw, doing those long pitches at the Gunks on a quiet day does remind me of Toulumne (easy, long pitches, expansive view). Between the cars going by of course (but there's cars in Yosemite too).

So what about that Simonized Travel Insurance?

Yeah Simon. If I come down and it rains, I'll climb with you but you have to buy me drinks, eh? The only time the Gunks have felt "alpine" was when we climbed in like 30 degree temps with snow coming down at night without headlamps.

Kevin Heckeler wrote:The Gunks suck and they're going to be wet until at least late May.

It will be too hot to climb in the Gunks by late May. Really, the only decent time to climb there is Columbus Day Weekend.

Some of my best times at the Gunks have been when the routes (a lot of them) were wet. Makes you "think on your toes" and you inevitably, to avoid the waterfallesque sections, have to make your way up off route. The same unknowing sometimes that you get from first ascents.

Just saying. There's positive in the negative. Plus when its wet there is 1.3 million less people!

Today is a good time to climb.

I just read the Gunks and "alpine". Definitly not. With 3.75 trillion people around you and the fact that you rapp back down to your bags is not alpine at all. Its a large-small crag.

So its multipitch and trad...and it has easily achieved exposure...not alpineesque even. More like the New York City of crags.

I do love it though, the rock, routes, the actual climbing is fun.

The Stoned Master wrote:I just read the Gunks and "alpine". Definitly not. With 3.75 trillion people around you and the fact that you rapp back down to your bags is not alpine at all. Its a large-small crag. So its multipitch and trad...and it has easily achieved exposure...not alpineesque even. More like the New York City of crags. I do love it though, the rock, routes, the actual climbing is fun.

Exactly. The physical act of climbing in the Gunx is incredible. Though there is a recurring pattern and particular style to the climbing, the movement over rock is generally extremely satisfying. It is in NO WAY alpine... except for maybe the rock fall hazard from the masses on the GT ledge.