Adirondacks

[scrambled_legs]

Just wondering if anyone has some good info on climbing areas around Cornwall (1 hour south of Ottawa and 1 hour west of Montreal). I think I hit the middle of the flat lands but hear that there is some pretty good climbing an hour south near lake placid. Anyone have any specific info on routes trad 5.8 and bolted 5.10. Any suggestions any other area`s worth checking out. I have the Adirondacks guide book, but it looks really old school and I think its going to be a challenge to find the routes. Anyone know of a climbing board for that area... or a web page. Thanks for the insight.

[DPS]

Try sending Alex a PM. He went to school in that neck of the woods.

[TimL]

On what I would consider my short-term tour of East Coast crags, I just visited the Dacks last weeks. I would reccomend going to Pok-O-Moonshine. Its much like the Lower Index Town Wall and offers a variety of good crack routes at about the same rating difficulty as Index. For 5.8 trad, I would say climb The Sting and Gamesmanship. Both are awesome 5.8's. If you keep going down the trail to the climbers right from Gamesmanship, there are a number of bolted 5.10 face climbs. There is a good campground right below the cliff that will enable a five minute walk to the climbs in the morning. I also climbed at the Spiders Web which was really good. Much better than Pok-O. The only thing about Spiders web is there are only a couple quality, 5.8's and 5.9s. Most of the cracks are hard 5.10 or in the 5.11 range. I'd reccomend Mr. Rogers 5.8 and Esthesia 5.9+.

 

If you really want a good crag, I'd say make the drive to the Gunks. I just came back from there this past weekend and I think it, besides Index, is one of the best single crags I've ever visited.

 

Have fun. I might actuallyt be in the Adirondacks next weekend for the Walface.

[RuMR]

Tim ....you need to check out the NRG...

[Alex]

scrambled_legs, the Mellor guide has a farily new edition which is up to date, actually. I have the first edition (from what? 1988) , however, and it still gets me around very well.

 

The Adirondacks *are* old school you will find very little in the way of bolted 5.10s. There are plenty of trad 5.8s! It being the East coast the Adirondack crags are actually all very well established and are easy to find. For trad 5.8 where you can TR 10s I would suggest the Creature Wall near Chapel Pond, or Pok-O (Gamesmanship is the classic .8) I would second Pok-O as a great place to go, probably the premier crag in upstate NY, however it might be hot and humid in August and would prefer to go in Sept or October.

 

I thought there was an "Ontario Limestone" guide at one time that had stuff that would have been closer to you...?

 

Alex

[Szyjakowski]

yeah i hear that place kicks

[RuMR]

home sweet home! That's my home crag!...

 

its got everything...

[Alex]

yeah but the New is a long ass drive from Toronto!

[TimL]

I friggin luv the Gunks

[arlen]

I'll second Chapel Pond. There are numerous small roadside crags in Keene Valley with harder routes to TR--not much need for QDs around there. The trails are obvious; parking's the tricky part. Don't forget the DEET!

[Doug_Hutchinson]

The trad 5.8 mega classic is the "Diagonal" on Wallface. A true wilderness big wall experience. Hike/scramble five miles in from the Tahawus trail head (nice remote feel - like old mining area THs in the North Cascades), take climber trail to the base of this ~1000 foot high cliff and enjoy lot of nice pitches up to stiff old school 5.8 (lots of long 5.4 ramps). Hella descent but a great day in mountains.

[scrambled_legs]

Awesome... thanks for the input. How about some weekend alpine routes. Are there any good ridge runs or scramble-climbs out here. Man, you give a guy an inch and he wants a mile. I can`t believe that amount of input that this forum will give a guy 4,900km from its base.

Edited August 10, 2004 by scrambled_legs

[IceIceBaby]

Not really in the way of alpine as you know it …but gothic is a good one long ass climb. some stuff on Pharoh mountains, my favorite is Echo cliffs, some less traveled destinations but it is all trad. there is TONS to do in the Daks just stop at the Mountaineers in Keene valley of route 73 and they even will volunteer info for the current routes and conditions.

BTW, the Mountaineer is GREAT store in the same fashion of Rock and Snow in New-Paltz (the Gunks) the only Biff I have with that store is the prices…really High!!! but there are some other Gear store in Lake Placid where u can find good bargains

[philfort]

Are there any good ridge runs or scramble-climbs out here.

 

Plenty of good scrambles there. Do a google for the Trap Dike on Mt Colden... 2000ft of 3rd and 4th class scrambling. Eagle Slide on Giant Mtn is a good one too.

[Alex]

Are there any good ridge runs or scramble-climbs out here.

 

Phil actually mentions perhaps the two most classic 'Daks alpine trips, but there are very few peaks in the 'Daks that are higher than treeline so "alpine" there is all relative to roadside cragging.

 

There are two more very good trips that might give you a run for your alpine money, and that is a technical route on Big Slide in Keene Valley, or do the Great Range traverse in a day car-to-car (Lower & Upper Wolfjaw to Marcy, and out Johns Brook, or you can get crazy and go out to Adirondack Loj). By East Coast standards these are very hard days in the mountains.

 

Alex

[cj001f]

or do the Great Range traverse in a day car-to-car (Lower & Upper Wolfjaw to Marcy, and out Johns Brook, or you can get crazy and go out to Adirondack Loj). By East Coast standards these are very hard days in the mountains.

Given the standards of Adk trails the Great Range is a fairly asskicking route by most standards. Not the best terrain for trail running.

[Ibex]

The 'daks are nice, but there is a lot of great stuff to be done just east of there in NH. Try:

 

Whitney-Gilman- 5.7 ish 4 long or 6-7 short pitches up a nice knife edge arete (its on Cannon Cliff). Great exposure, fractured granite but this one is the cleanest routes on Cannon.

 

Pinacle Buttress- 5.7ish and about 5 pitches. Nice wandering alpine route up a buttress in Huntington Ravine on Mt Washington.

 

Then behind each of these rock routes are NICE ice climbs. Behind Whitney-G is the Black Dike (a venerable WI4) and Pinnacle Gulley a sweet moderate WI3.

 

Just food for thought. A google search will yield plenty of beta, these are all well traveled routes.

 

Ibex

[boatskiclimbsail]

Placid/Keene Valley is more than two hours south of Cornwall. Poke-o is about the same. Both are spectacular climbing areas, as is the Gunks, but that is about 6 hours south of Cornwall. The guidebook to get is the Don Mellor book, pick it up at any EMS in the area or the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. The folks at the Montaineer can give you whatever beta you need. Stop to get pie at the NMD (Noonmark Diner) on your way home. Delicious.

[PaulB]

Just wondering if anyone has some good info on climbing areas around Cornwall

Lots of relatively local options to choose from:

 

- Head down the 401 to Kingston and check out Kingston Mills. You might run into the famous Rob Chisnall... one time holder of the world record for one finger pull ups.

 

- The Gatineau Cliffs in Luskville (in Quebec, not far from Ottawa). Some details here.

 

- Mazinaw Rock in Bon Echo Provinicial Park. Directions, access and other info here.

 

- Val David in Quebec if you want to experience "la belle provence".

 

As others have said, for major road trips, check out the Gunks in NY or Cathedral Ledge, Whitehorse Slabs and Cannon Mountain in NH. All are worthy destinations.

 

If you're going to be there during the winter, the ice climbing options are just as good.