There are a few weeks during each winter when all of the stars seem to align in the correct position for climbing. Last week was one of those weeks. I climbed until my feet and hands really couldn’t take any more. By the end of the week I was feeling tired each morning despite sleeping well the prior night. It’s a good thing, I think.
One of the biggest challenges is finding strong, motivated partners that have the same days off as you (in this case – all week last week). Another challenge in the Catskills is the conditions – conditions are not always great due to frequent mid-winter thaws. Motivation can sometimes be a challenge too.
Well, last week everything fell into place and I climbed nearly every day. It was a productive week to say the least. On Sunday I bumped into Lucho Romero and Dawes Strickler at Moore’s Bridge. Lucho, a self-professed weekend warrior, was off for the week and looking to climb every day. Bingo! I had just found the best partner that I possibly could for the week.
Conditions in the Catskills are amazing right now, and Lucho’s as motivated as I am. We climbed four days straight: two days in the Hellhole where we established a new mixed line, a day in the Chasm and a day at Platte Clove High Cliff (the most scenic cliff in the Catskills). It was a great week: tons of good, hard pitches with a really strong climber who’s a blast to hang out with.
Lucho is part of a crew of climbers from NY/NJ/CT/PA that have been climbing very hard all over the world for many years now. You’ll hear their names mentioned occasionally in conversation, or see their names or photos in guidebooks, but otherwise these guys are mostly off the radar. However, their climbing generally speaks for itself. Throughout the week climbing with Lucho I learned that he’s led many of the hard routes in the Catskills before there were bolts (Purgatory, Instant Karma, Smear) and that he’s led a lot of Gunks climbs that are hard and scary (Like Bone Hard and To Be or Not To Be). Born and raised in Colombia he helped develop a cliff outside of Bogota called Suesca and made frequent climbing trips to the states to climb in Yosemite before permanently relocating to the United States. Weekend warrior or not, Lucho is a formidable ice climber. He has amazing technique, he’s very efficient and has a cool head. Solid, modest, and very understated, Lucho’s a perfect climbing partner.
Straight to Hell
Lucho, Devin Berberich and I cleaned and worked a line right of Purgatory in the Devil’s Kitchen (I like the old name “Hellhole” better). It didn’t have any scratches on it, which leads us to believe that it hasn’t been climbed before. The first third of the climb is shared with Purgatory. After the rock crux on Purgatory you climb up and right following small splitter seams to an overhang. From this point you must race to the top through the hangs to a tricky top out.
We initially thought that the route was going to need a few bolts. On day 2, after closer inspection, we found some really solid pin placements down low. There’s just enough protection to keep things safe. The upper section is protected with rock gear in some stacked blocks. The route has really classic climbing with a crux that’ll be hard to onsight. Although both of us don’t have a ton of experience with mixed grades I’m comfortable calling the route M7. Lucho and I feel that if the route becomes popular a few bolts would make things a bit safer and more straightforward. We’re not looking for the glory of another FA, but to establish more classic single pitch lines. The Catskills are a great training ground to prepare you for bigger badder climbs.
The Black Chasm
Lucho and I, along with James Shuford and Beth McClendon headed to the Black Chasm last Thursday. Of all the ice climbing areas in the Catskills this area may be the most impressive. It’s similar to the Waterfall Wall at Poke-O-Moonshine, but with more interesting features and more hanging ice. Each single pitch climb is challenging for the understated grade it’s given in the guidebook. Most of the routes in there have WI 5+ ice quality and remain vertical for more than 50 feet before letting up. The Black Chasm is a good place to go with a group of 4 or 6 people. Each group of two gets to lead a few lines and you can toprope a lot. It’s a good high mileage steep ice climbing spot.
Platte Clove High Cliff
Platte Clove High Cliff is the most scenic cliff in the Catskills. I try to get up there once every season to climb the classic lines and hang out in a scenic spot. It’s an amazing place and I just put together a page about it with more information what it’s like. Lucho and I have both climbed up there before and headed up there to see about the conditions and the potential for some new routes. The ice is in great shape up there and there’s some potential for new routes too!
Assuming it stays cold I’ll be out all next week trying to add some more new climbs in the Catskills. I’ve added new images to the Gallery. Many are from last week. Enjoy and be safe out there!