Cams for Gunks/Peterskill

Hello Everyone

New to the forums here ... my wife and I are getting back into climbing now that the kids are getting older. As I start investing in new equipment again for this coming spring what size cams would be recommended for setting up top rope anchors in Peterskill? I have read extensively about the tree situation and have plenty of rope but don't want to be limited to long natural anchors. We have little experience in the Northeast as we used to live and climb out west in the days before kids! The last time I was in the Gunks I was climbing off a friends rack who took care of most top rope anchors.

Also, we plan on taking the kids to climb this year (7 & 9 yrs old). They have lots of gym experience but this will be their first outside experience. Does anyone have some good top rope climb recommendations in Peterskill for getting the kids out for an enjoyable experience.

Thanks in advance!
All the best!
Keith

Consider buying some old hexes if you aren't leading.... save money! But as for cams, you generally don't need bigger than the Black Diamond Blue (C4 #3).

Also, there are several bolted anchors at Peterskill.

Climbs will be dependent on what your kids can do, but there are routes from 5.2 and up there. I would just head out with the little guide book and see what was open(on a weekend, it is a zoo).

A lot of the popular climbs at Peterskill will have bolts up top. The easier ones may not, so more important than gear for these will be static anchor line. Like, a lot of it. The top of the cliff is pretty featureless, so the trees ~20 ft back are the way to go for those.

Also I know that people stop their cams just short of a BD 0.3, but I use that size almost every route in the Gunks, I think its a must have.

I've taken my 9yo to the Breakfast Wall in PK.
It's close to the parking lot, stacked with easy low angle routes, and it's all pretty easy to set up for TR.

For PK I usually just pull a set of nuts and cams from bd .5 -3 from my regular rack.

I have a bunch of static rope but don't wind up using it. Plugging 3-4 pieces from the above rack and equalizing with cordalette is usually quicker for me, and I prefer keeping off the trees.

keith,

When you said "now that the kids are getting older" I was picturing teenagers.
Shows how old I am, I guess.

As far as your racking goes

.3-3 C4's
maybe a few smaller cams of the alien,x4,c3 type
set of stoppers in the BD 3-13 range
tricams- pink,red & maybe brown...I don't use any smaller ones(black & white) as they're fiddly to place and remove, and I've seen quite a few of them fixed on climbs

You'll also want some extendable draws as some routes wander in the Gunks.

There's a family climbing group that gets together by email messaging, if you'd like to get on their listing let me know and I'll recommend you to them.

I'll PM you my contact info if you'd like to get together when the rock season starts and my daughter and I can show you around some.

Jim

Definitely bring .3 BD C4 and up, no larger than #2-3 C4. You should not need doubles of any cams. Long slings/cord for extending the anchor over the edge.

I've brought and used static rope for a few select routes at PK, but in general you won't need it. PK is a good choice for the kids, many of the climbs have a good base for hanging out and the routes are long enough to be fun/challenging but short enough to actually finish.