East Side Lake George Suggestions 8/23

I climb everywhere, with no real preference except to avoid crowds. My point wasn't the High Peaks (Keene Valley, specifically) sucks, it's that there is no reason to flock there like a month to a flame. The beauty of the Adirondacks is how much rock there is, how spread out it is, how diverse it is, and how high quality it is.

I disagree that you can only look elsewhere after you've exhausted all options in the Keene Valley area, beyond that I agree.

Beer Walls, Chapel Pond, Spiders Web, Pitchoff and Deadwater are boring. Whatever you do don't waste time and fuel coming up. The winter routes suck too. People are better off ice climbing in the Catskills.

J. Serpico, You contradicted yourself a little. You only look for spots with no crowds? You wrote you went to the Gunks last weekend. Im sorry to bust your balls but you know that's funny!

Unfortunately, you aren't busting my balls. 90% of my Gunks climbing is Friday's, and half of that is shoulder season Friday's. Where you can set up a top rope on High E and camp out and no one will bother you.

But interestingly, despite the crowded parking lots, trad climbing is a dying sport. When I was 20 I looked around and saw all sorts of people my age climbing g. Now I look around and see mostly people my age or older.

i've spent the last two Saturday's in the Gunks, climbing moderate 3 star classics without waiting once, or having another group on my heels. If that is crowded, than I'm a fucking hypocrite.

Also, I went to the Gunks Saturday, because I spent Sunday canyoneering in the Catskills. Where we didn't see another group for 4 hours of technical descents and swims. And yes, I do think Catskills ice is pretty damn good. I was climbing it till almost May this year. Living smack in the middle of the Gunks and Keene Valley I have options, and I make the most of them. I guess that makes me an idiot.

J, I was just trying be funny and talk shit. No need to explain yourself.

I didn't take it personally, just pointing out I am fortunate to have options and happy to take advantage of them. I generally avoid the Gunks like a plague a weekends, but it's really not hard to walk 20 minutes and find some (relative) solitude and hit some non classic climbs, many of which are excellent (many of which are not, that's the fun).