A portion of Near Trapps has been closed to climbing MORE INFO >>>
A portion of the Near Trapps has been closed to climbing. This includes land below the cliff to above cliff line and starts approximately at Eenie Meenie and continues south about 200 feet. Climbers are asked to respect the no-trespassing signs and advised to use the access trail marked in orange blazes. This trail starts at the intersection of the Blue trail over the top of the Nears and the first Red trail. Follow the orange blazes east and downhill from this junction to arrive at the far (south) end of the Nears. For more information please view http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?news
One of the 5.8 testpieces of the Gunks: the "+" refers to the starting move (certainly harder than 5.8), and to the scary start of the 2nd pitch.
Although short, this climb is often done in 2 pitches to avoid rope drag.
This climb is easy to recognize - about 50' past the initial boulder pile is the huge roof to the right of Disneyland. Broken Sling climbs the right edge of this area. It starts at a left-facing arete just under a right-facing corner and roof.
P1: Locate an obvious boulder problem just right of a low roof. A large jug about 10' up dares you to grab it. The moves up through this are surprisingly tricky - you're definitely risking a twisted ankle or worse. You can protect with a cam on the left (tough to place) or just go for it and place a piece from the big jug. Borrow a crash pad or bring a beefy spotter. Once your feet are on the jug all is well, but there's a lot more climbing ahead.
Above, move up to a small roof, turn it on the left, then climb up meandering towards a large alcove with a fixed anchor. Belay here to avoid rope drag. 5.8+, 75'.
P2: Climb out right of the alcove. A pin that once protected the traverse is gone now, so this part is hard to protect. You can make a long reach straight up if you're tall, or, as most people do, quake right, up, and left on minimal pro to easier ground. A bit more climbing leads to the top. 5.8 PG, 65'.
Protection
Standad Gunks rack to a #3 camalot. Some small stuff might help on P2.
This is a very exciting climb, from start to finish. The first pitch is physical and continuously interesting, while the second pitch has a very tricky traverse that is needed to approach the upper overhangs. I thought this sequence was very inobvious, even though it was clear where to go above. The upper overhangs are wild and crazy! So good!
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