Adirondack climbing and bouldering

Hi All,

This is for anybody who is familiar with Adirondack climbing. I'm going to be living and working at a camp in the Adirondacks (about 35 minutes from Keene Valley)this summer. Needless to say I'm very excited. I'm located about 5 minutes from Poke-O-Moonshine and as I passed it last time I couldn't help but notice the amazing boulders right next to the parking area. Has any development occurred here? Obviously I'd love to climb trad at Poke-O, but I don't have a rack. Planning on spending my off days in Keene Valley top roping and doing the few bolted routes. Any general advice? Good stories? Places to stay away from?

Cheers,

-Ben

Ben, first thing would be to search "adirondacks" and "adk climbing" on this site. There's also a robust amount of beta on MP for nearly all the ADK crags, and what isn't here is most certainly in the Adirondack Rock guide and on their website (updates/latest route submissions):

adirondackrock.com/goodies.htm

The topic is so vast you could conceivibly have a whole forum for just climbing discussion pertaining to the ADKs. Questions like "what's good" are impossible to answer. There's literally *that much*, and more being developed all the time.

Poke-O is heavily climbed and has tons of development. Some of it is on MP, some of the new stuff on that link above, and the rest in the actual printed guide.

The star ratings are a decent gauge of quality. I find they're usually within a star (or spot on) with what I would give them. Safety grades are a little more disputable. It's assumed that leading in the ADKs is serious business. Even some of the fully bolted routes can be spicy. :-D There's a lot of mixed climbs. Having a trad rack is really a must, you'll run out of pure sport climbs pretty quick. Bouldering everywhere. Check out nine corners. ;-)

Did I mention there's a 700 page guide?

Adirondack sport climbing is kind of an oxymoron. While there is some in the Dacks, just because a route is all bolts doesn't make it sport. Start saving money for a rack.

The big boulder in the Poko parking lot has a whole bunch of problems.

Are you spending the summer at Pok-O-Macready? If so I can tell you some stories of the hell that got raised in the Purple House back in the day.

But more to your point: Plenty of boulder problems got climbed by the Ski-To-Die crew, poke around in the woods below the Main Cliff and the Slab and see what you find. Some of the problems are on private land, it hasn't been a problem but keep a low profile anyway. Bring a brush.

If you're at Pok-O-Macready check out the boulders near Sugarloaf Mt. off of Reber Road. You could probably walk there if you were motivated.

The base of Chapel Pond Slab has a few worthwhile problems but the motherload is McKenzie Boulders in Saranac Lake. Classics in all grades.

Sport is hard to come by but a few fully bolted and safe classics around Keene Valley are Kingdom Come (King Wall), P1 Weekend Warrior (Upper Washbowl), Raging Raven (Pitchoff) and Chocoholic (Spankys Wall). At Pok-O many routes with bolts require one or two critical gear placements but a few worthwhile exceptions include Menace To Sobriety, Earthly Night, P1 Pilgrims Progress, C-Tips, Home Rule and Static Cling.

Shoot me a message if you want any other beta.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: Poke-O is heavily climbed and has tons of development. Some of it is on MP, some of the new stuff on that link above, and the rest in the actual printed guide. The star ratings are a decent gauge of quality. I find they're usually within a star (or spot on) with what I would give them. Safety grades are a little more disputable. It's assumed that leading in the ADKs is serious business. Even some of the fully bolted routes can be spicy. :-D There's a lot of mixed climbs. Having a trad rack is really a must, you'll run out of pure sport climbs pretty quick. Bouldering everywhere. Check out thirteenth lake. ;-) Did I mention there's a 700 page guide?

Kevin, thank you for such extensive feedback! I've definitely been doing my research on mp and on other sites..I really just wanted to get some current stories and advice. Sorry for clogging the adk feed; I know most of my questions can probably be answered somewhere else. Luckily I'm going to be climbing with people who have been climbing the adks for 20+ years!

Are you spending the summer at Pok-O-Macready?
-I'm spending my summer working at NCC camps right off of exit 33.

Shoot me a message if you want any other beta.

-I definitely will thank you!

There have been issues recently with the owner of the land in from of the main face of Poke-O. Stay out of those boulders unless you have permission from the land owner.. The ones around the campground are fine. It is important that all climbers approach the main face from the campground and stay up against the base of the cliff.

...oh yeah, and watch for peregrine closures too. It is apparently a violation to loiter anywhere near the base of a closed section of cliff.

Ben,

For bouldering I would check out McKenzie pond and Snowy Mountain boulders (as well as Nine Corners which was already mentioned). Snowy Mountain has a unique rock type for the Adirondacks, so it has tons of huecos and finger pockets. McKenzie pond is pretty close to the place you are working at over the summer and is supposed to be great as well.

The Adirondack Rock guidebook is an awesome resource for bouldering as well as rock climbing. Get it.

Depending on the weather and when the snow melts there may be blackflies. I have not climbed or bouldered in late spring/early summer so I can not attest to their severity. I have talked to some people who said bringing DEET and wearing long clothing will make the blackflies less annoying.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Definitely take the trek out to Mckenzie Pond as others have said here. Around an hour or a little more from you, but the bouldering is fantastic. Plenty of climbs in all grades with awesome movement. Many can be highballs!

Ben-

To add to some of the bouldering recommendations, there is a bunch of bouldering to be had right in Keene Valley. There is a group of large boulders right by Chapel Pond that has some established climbs from "back in the day" along with some undone projects waiting to be plucked. All through that corridor lies a serious amount of talus and boulder scree that has seen some recent activity by the bouldering community. There are three distinct sectors right now along route 73 between the intersection with Rt 9 and Chapel Pond. The first sector is directly across Rt 73 from Chapel Pond and the other two are mentioned on the Adirondack Rock website up by the Round Pond Trailhead.

Let me know if you get out and do any new development...I am currently working on a complete Adirondack Bouldering guidebook that is covering over 20 different areas (additional areas may be added as the guidebook progresses).

Cheers man!

Let me know if you get out and do any new development...I am currently working on a complete Adirondack Bouldering guidebook that is covering over 20 different areas (additional areas may be added as the guidebook progresses).

Will do man! thanks for the great advice, and good luck on the guide; that's quite a task! My only problem right now is acquiring a crash pad..too expensive!

I am compiling a list of the hardest boulder problems (V11 and up) in the Northeast and have limited info on the bouldering in the daks. If you guys have some info you could give me to add to the list, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

newenglandbouldering.com/ne…

Joe M. wrote:I am compiling a list of the hardest boulder problems (V11 and up) in the Northeast and have limited info on the bouldering in the daks. If you guys have some info you could give me to add to the list, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks newenglandbouldering.com/ne…

For sake of avoiding duplication of effort (I actually had to page through my guide to answer some of this, no need for everyone you ask to do the same right?), some of this question has been answered...

facebook.com/pages/Adironda…

Adirondack Rock and Ice Climbers: There's only one listed in the guide at Nine Corners Lake, V11 Overburned (C. Wall). Nothing that hard at McKenzie or Crane. Not sure where else there might be problems. There's also their website that lists one new route at Nine Corners "Stigmata" V11:

adirondackrock.com/newprobl…

Joe M. here is a list off of the top of my head (i am sure that I have missed some and will let you know if I can think of any more):

Caroga Lake Region
"Luck of the Irish"- V11: Prison Boulder, Caroga Lake NY
"Era Of Lobotomy"- V12: Nine Corners Lake, Caroga Lake NY
"Overburden"- V11: Nine Corners Lake, Caroga Lake NY
"Stigmata"- V11: Nine Corners Lake, Caroga Lake NY
"Underwater Breathing"- V11: Nine Corners Lake, Caroga Lake NY

Wells Region
"Dr. Robotnik"- V11/12: Marble Zone, Wells, NY

Crane Mountain Region
"Man for all Seasons"....V11: Crane Mtn., Johnsburg NY

"Man for all Seasons- Extension"-....V12/13: Crane Mtn., Johnsburg NY

Lake Placid Region
"Magnum P.I."- V11: McKenzie Pond, Raybrook, NY
"Stanfields Sit"- V11: McKenzie Pond, Raybrook, NY

Snowy Mtn Region
"Con 2 sit"- V11: Snowy Mtn., Indian Lake, NY
"Salamander Slayer"- V11/12: Snowy Mtn., Indian Lake, NY

Awesome, thanks for the info guys (here and on Facebook). It will be added to the list next week.

Joe

Ben,
My co-worker and friend Ted S. is one of the managers at NCC. Ask him to put you in touch with Mickey, I will be in the Dacks all summer and as a matter of fact just lost my 2 climbing partners to moving and other jobs…
If you're willing to follow trad I would love to show you around.

-Mickey

Mickey Hardt wrote:Ben, My co-worker and friend Ted S. is one of the managers at NCC. Ask him to put you in touch with Mickey, I will be in the Dacks all summer and as a matter of fact just lost my 2 climbing partners to moving and other jobs… If you're willing to follow trad I would love to show you around. -Mickey

Mickey, I'm sending you a PM!

No one has posted to this for quite some time but I'm trying to find some info on getting to the bouldering at Snowy Mountain, any tips?
Found good video but only vague hiking directions. I'll be at nearby Raquette Lake for the next several days....

G Coe, from the regular hiker's trailhead on route 30, drive about half a mile south, and near a highway marker that reads 30 2206 1425, park on the shoulder. There's a well-trodden herd path that drops down into the woods on the west side of the highway. ten or fifteen minutes of easy hiking and you're there. Hope this helps.

send me an email at southernadirondackclimber (at) gmail (dot) com and I can get you a digital guidebook for the snowy boulders...nothing near the quality of the new bouldering guidebook that I am working on for the Adirondacks, but it will get you to the boulders

Happy climbing man!