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East Coast Alpine climbs
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Hi all, So Im looking for a good quality East Coast Alpine climb. Ive been doing trad for several years and am comfortable in the 5.6-5.8 range and wanted to take a stab at something Alpine style. Basically I really want to do a climb that involves some good hiking too so Alpine seems the best bet. I'm looking for something preferably on the East Coast that I can do some good hiking to get there and then do some climbing to the summit. So far the only thing ive found that matches what im after is the Northeast ridge of the pinnacle. https://www.mountainproject.com/v/northeast-ridge-of-the-pinnacle/106304119 but as thats really the only thing ive found Im wondering if theres something better or closer to me (im in southeast Pennsylvania). Thanks in advance for any input |
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Wallface in the Adirondacks sounds perfect for you. |
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I'll second that^ Did the diagonal about a month ago, and it was a blast! Technically not quite alpine, but still remote and committing. Also, if you want to "simulate" alpine climbing in SE PA, check out Dauphin Narrows. Growing up just West of you in Lebanon, it served as a great place to learn about loose rock and rope drag on long routes before venturing out into the actual wilderness. |
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Do pinnacle. It's a great climb |
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Northeast ridge of the pinnacle is very cool but if you're doing it this time of year note that weather conditions might be more alpine than you want for a first attempt. https://www.mountwashington.org/experience-the-weather/mount-washington-weather.aspx If you want long routes with a good hike then you can get plenty of that in various places but not really alpine climbing. |
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A dose of Moby Grape is what you're looking for! |
Bport wrote: This is the one. Late summer/early fall is the time. |
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"good quality East Coast Alpine climb" Nope. |
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Mt Washington in the Winter. Not super technical but a proper sufferfest |
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I should add i dont want to deal with winter conditions. this would be a late spring to early fall excursion. |
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Dude, save up a little.... take a plane to Denver..... go to Estes Park Colorado and do Spearhead. It's way worth it and not that expensive. You are wasting your time thinking East Coast for this type of thing. Compared to Colorado, the Pinnacle in NH is a joke. As for Armadillo, this place offers amazing beauty and solitude, but again you are going to spend 12 hours in a car to get there, and the climbing is going to be so-so. Get up above 10,000 feet and you will be blown away. |
Russ Keane wrote: The Adirondacks has a bunch of "alpine" objectives; as stated Gothics & Wall Face, I think that your best advise is what Russ K says but the mention of Spearhead;, (The Barb /Barb Narly, among others) without pointing out the easier and just as fine adventures in RMNP, might lead you to shy away from a great plan. Check out Hallets Peak or Mnt Alice. . .YMMV |
Russ Keane wrote: I hear you Russ and I agree but I want to get my feet wet first. also something closer to home so that if i get weathered out its not a complete bust. I was out in CO a few months ago and i know how amazing it is but i want to get some other climbs under my belt first |
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Also, candidates in the 'Dacks are good. Gothic Arch is an interesting climb with a good long approach. |
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Katahdin, Mount Washington, Cannon. Don't be fooled, the rock quality and ease of access will spoil you. East Coast alpine terrain is a finite resource, something we have very little of. We have more options in winter than summer. Easy to argue the best ice in the lower 48 is here, a lot with an alpine feel. This is a good opportunity for a Protect Mount Washington plug, if you haven't already, visit the website: protectmountwashington.org. The Cascades are pretty accessible, a short drive from Seattle or Bellingham. You can climb a large, glaciated peak car-to-car quite easily; Shuksan is a good start. Train hard and appreciate what we have here, Cascades shale will make Cannon feel like Yosemite granite. Again, the need for fitness can not be over emphasized. Work on cardio, hit the gym too. Climb at local crags and hone your movement skills. Climb Whitney Gilman and the Northeast Ridge in mountain boots. Carry a pack. When you visit other places, you'll be ready to send. One of the highlights of living in the Northeast as a climber is the ability to become proficient and good across disciplines, then taking that ability and a high level of fitness to other places. Also, you should be able to move in inclement weather, that's part of being in the alpine. We all love bluebird days, but weather windows can be short and storms can be unexpected. One more note: learn how to move on 4th class and easy 5th class terrain, this includes decent. |
Kurt G. wrote: Been wondering about this same question myself. So two years later, what have you learned? I agree with others here that you need to travel if you want to alpine climb. However, I think there is a role for alpiney local routes. They can(1) improve speed and efficiency (time your longer climbs, and work on reducing those times) (2) develope judgement (route finding, rock quality, weather, bailing gracefully, etc) (3) prepare you physically for all day motion Regarding Chris Magness' comment about fitness, let me add that the question isn't "am I fit enough to do an approach & climb a long route." The question is how many sequential days can you sustain that for. You don't want to be sitting in a hotel recovering from yesterday's climb on a splitter day if all you get are 10 days a year to get your alpine routes in. "Training for the New Alpinism" targets those aiming for multiday high altitude ice/mixed routes, but the general program translates well to an alpine rock climber trying to put down routes day in/day out on a short trip. Check it out. For everyone else, what grade III or IV routes in the 5.6-5.9 range are worthwhile on the east coast. That's the real question. So far, 1. Moby Grape (III, cannon) 2. Diagonal (III, wallface) 3. NE Ridge of Pinnacle (III, Mt Washington) 4. Armadillo (IV, Katahdin) 5. Magical Mystery Tour (IV, Cannon) I don't know if Gothic's arch counts. It's 5.6, and 7 pitches. Depending on how sustained it is, it might not be committing enough to make the grade III cut. |
Bogdan P wrote: For everyone else, what grade III or IV routes in the 5.6-5.9 range are worthwhile on the east coast. That's the real question. So far, Gothics Arch has a fairly substantial approach -- I would expect that the car-to-car commitment of Gothic Arch would noticeably exceed, say, Moby Grape on Cannon cliff, while the climbing would be less intense. |
David Gibbs wrote: The approach doesn't factor that much into the commitment. If it did then anything requiring a chartered flight would be grade VI, but it's not. The Owen Spalding on the grand has a more substantial approach than Gothics and is a II. South Buttress of Pingora also has a longer approach than Gothics and is also grade II. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105814121/owen-spalding https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105889511/north-east-ridge https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105789686/east-buttress Additionally objective hazard on the route matters. This partially explains why some winter routes get higher grades despite the length being short. An example of this might be Sherman Climb in Colorado which Jack Roberts gives a grade IV (and he would know), even though it's only 4 pitches, and most of it is WI3. Stairway to Heaven, just around the corner, is just as long and gets a III. Only explanation is that it's in an avalanche trap with massive loading above it. A 3 pitch WI3 like pinnacle gully from a pure technical perspective is probably comparable to standard route on frankenstein (WI3, II), but gets a higher grade most likely because of the objective hazards presented by climbing on Mt Washington. I don't think this factors into rock routes very often though. |
Hobo Greg wrote: Armadillo apparently involves a bunch of 4th class before the first technical pitch and a bit of 4th class up the ridge at the end. The total elevation gain is something like 1200', and climbing times of 8 hours seems common. I'm suspicious about it being a IV, but I list it based on what MP says it is since I haven't done it either, but it's likely a III I suspect. I think if it's a IV it's either sustained hard technical climbing for many pitches, or its long, involving lots of easy terrain, but requires mandatory simul climbing to finish in a day. You would also be expected to begin this day at the base of the climb and descend in the dark. I don't think Armadillo will qualify. |
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Re' Armadillo - On a one-day "outing" the earliest you can start hiking from the Roaring Brook ranger station is about 7:15am. The office opens at 7am and you have to register for day hike. (I don't know if there is anything else you'd need to do/have/say for "day technical climb". Parking here is by lottery....for non-Maine residents it opens up (I think) 2 weeks before. If you're planning on a weekend, better be on your computer with the site open at 12:00:05 am. |
