Nodes in Adirondacks

Huge state park with lots of rock, from easily approachable to back country.

More than 14 cliffs on two mountains - Silver Lake Mountain and Potter Mountain. No camping at the lake, but there is camping nearby. Very buggy in the summer, so be equipped!

Follows double cracks on a 30-degree overhanging wall. "The crux involves a compression boulder problem slapping up 30-degree overhanging twin cracks between slopey side pulls, where you just have to punch it and can't stop to place gear," Kamitses says.

A small cliff on the North side of highway 73, just a bit east of Chapel Pond. With easy top of cliff access, this is a popular area for top-roping.

Climb the obvious right-angling crack that is just in front of the approach path. Finish to the right of the tree cluster that is above the right-end of the crack.

Start about 8ft right of the crack at a small seam. Climb up this past a small roof, then on to the ledge.

There is a thin seam up the cliff a couple meters left of Diamonds and Coal (and about directly below where the anchor tree is at the end of Diamonds and Coal or North Country Club Crack ). Climb this seam and the thin face above.

A smaller crag in the woods below Upper Washbowl.

The approach trail reaches the crag at the base of a 3m or so high triangular block at the base of the crag. This climb starts up the crack forming the right side of the block, then continues up the left-angling crack past a stump about 2/3s of the way and finishes at a tree that usually has slings & rings for a rappel/lower-off anchor.

Start either at a left leaning crack or in a chimney slot formed by a right facing corner and a low roof on the right. Chimney start was easier to me. Follow the left leaning crack until it disappears then straight up to another crack leading to an (awkward for me) alcove. Follow a diagonal crack across the block face (crux for me) to join the end of Cujo. Tree at the top with a fixed anchor (same anchor for Cujo)

A pleasant granite slab with an easy approach.

Starts the same as for "Regular Route".

1. (5.3 G) Climb the left facing corner until almost the end, at some bushes, then step right over the corner and belay at some good cracks. 120'

2. (5.2 G) Traverse right to stepped rock then up pock-marked rock to a ledge at the base of the large left-arching corner. 130'

3. (5.4 G) Climb the left-arching corner until it overhangs, then break out left past a crack and a huge pancake flake to the top of a hummuck, cross the top of the first hummuck, below the 2nd hummuck, and belay on the top of the third hummuck.

4. (5.5 X) Climb nigh-unprotected slab towards the good ledge at the base of the obvious off-width. (130')

5. (5.5 G, 5.4 R) Climb the obvious off-width. Step-right at the end, then friction up to a small crack/overlap and belay. 130'

6. (5.3 PG) Climb up the short but good crack, then friction straight up to a large block that rests completely detached on the slab. Belay at the tree island to the right. 120'

7. (4th class) Go straight right to a small gap in the trees. (Or straight up to the trees for the not-preferred south descent.)

V1: (5.4 G) Since parts of P1, P2, and P3 overlap with the (quite popular) "Regular Route", from the P1 belay head almost directly upwards following various right-facing cracks and flakes to the P3 belay on the 3rd hummuck. 170'

Starts at the P4 belay of "Empress" (ledge below the off-width crack).

1. (5.6 G) Traverse about 5m right across steep slab to a left-facing corner. Climb this until it becomes a right-facing corner, then continue to a bulge where it steepens. 150'

2. (5.6 G) Continue up the corner and crack above until it runs out. Then friction up and left to a tree island. 140'

3. (4th class) Traverse right to a trail into the trees. (north descent) or straight up to the trees (south descent, not recommended).

Another variation for the upper pitches that starts up Empress, then splits off heading for the left side of a prominent roof in the upper slabs.

Another variation for the upper pitches, heads up towards the right side of the same prominent roof that Victoria passes on the left, then through a roof at the top of Bob's Knob - the blocky section in the upper right part of the slab.

This is the generally best protected route up the slab, though still with significant run-outs, but generally on easy terrain.

Start at the left-facing corner at the most-trampled section at the base of the slab.

1. (5.0 G) Climb a short distance up the left-facing corner to a boulder and where a gentle-climbing cracks branches rightwards. Follow this crack until it meets a similar, though narrower, crack that zigs left, until it ends, then up into an area of small ledges and belay. 150'

2. (5.4 G) Climb up towards a large left-arching corner by way of a crack and speckled with white rock. Climb a short way up the corner to an old ring piton, then pull right up onto the slab above (the farther up the corner, the harder the pull right will get), then up the easy slab to a good ledge. 140'

3. (5.5 PG) Climb up to a shallow left-facing corner with a thin crack in the corner. Follow this crack & corner until it runs out, then friction up and right to a belay from several good cracks in a small overlap. 165'

4. (5.5 PG) Pull up over the overlap, then follow the right-most of the cracks up and right until it runs out. Climb rightwards to a gravel ledge below a large boulder, then up along the left side of the boulder to a great belay in a mini-fort with a flat floor and a birch tree. (Or, friction straight up & right from the end of the crack to the belay, with no gear.) 120'

5. (5.5 G) Step out from the fort to the left, and up the slab/corner until below a dark cave, and until the steep wall can be climbed up and right on good holds to a large ledge. Walk along the ledge and belay. 50'

6. (5.2 G) Walk right along the big ledge, then up over some ledge to a face with an S-shaped crack, follow the crack to a small ledge with a steep face with a vertical crack broken half-way up with a horizontal crack. Up this short face, then wander up the ledgy rock angling gently right-wards to the good ledge at the top. 150'

This route, the original on the slab, begins as for Regular Route and then veers right to climb easy rock, avoiding most major difficulties or exposed features.

The following three routes climb Bob's Knob, a steep buttress of rock in the upper right section of the slab.

They face the road, and are reached from the gravel ledge to the right on P4 of "Regular Route" or from "Bob's Knob Standard" which traverses the ledge as part of P4.