Taking Lead In The Catskills

I’ve been going back and forth the past few days about what area in the Catskills I’m going to climb next. Doug and I discussed Buttermilk Ravine, and I was pretty set on going there until about a week ago when I got this itch to try some really hard ice.  My wife and I are going climbing together in the Catskills in February, with a guide, and I was thinking if I get some really hard laps under my belt I’d be good with leading short and easy stuff my day out with her. Doug let me know that I’d be climbing either with him, or Dustin.  The night before, I sent him a text asking about conditions and he let me know he was in the Devil’s Kitchen assisting with a nighttime photo-shoot.  He said the Kitchen was in great shape and that he’s staying there late to help out with the rigging, so he’ll need a rest day.  I went to his house in the morning to meet up with Dustin, and Doug encouraged us to head into Plate Cove (the Devil’s Kitchen is located in this area) since the ice there was super fat.

I’ve only been to the Kitchen once, and I’m certain as we hike in that we’re going in a different way than I went before. Instead of rappelling in from the Upper Kitchen, we descended a series of switchbacks and follow a creek until we were standing on a frozen pool of water and looking out across the canyon at Tiers of Joy (WI3-4). I was thinking, wow this looked pretty rad, while Dustin uncoiled a rope for us to rappel down. I’m still oblivious to where we are at this point, and as I’m rappelling I’m expecting to see rock or some marginal ice. But as I look to my left there’s a roaring waterfall gushing under and over cascading ice. And directly in front of and all around me is fat ice. It’s not until I touch down that Dustin tells me this is Bride Veil Falls (WI3). 

Looking at Tiers of Joy (WI4) from the top of Bride Veil Falls

 

Dustin pulls the rope, leads up, and belays me from the top.  I finish and say to him, “I feel like I could lead that”.  He tells me to go down and climb it again, this time using one tool.  And I do it.  Pretty easily, actually.  I know that I can lead it, for sure.  I know that I’m absolutely solid on this ice. But, I’m a little hesitant.  I’m not afraid, but I know if I do it I’m 100% committed.  I decide to let it marinate and we cross over the creek to Tiers of Joy.

TOJ looks intimidating.  It’s taller than Bride Veil Falls, more sustained, and definitely more exposed.  Dustin points out all the rest stances and reminds me to take advantage of them as well as to take in the exposure and relax.  I do as he says.  I still get nervous and I’m pretty tired while cleaning the last two screws but I’m mindful to remain calm and take in the scenery, which helps keep me in control.  Still, I’m over gripping my tools.  I’m still struggling with this rookie mistake when nervous or on strenuous ice.  I really need to focus on having control over my grip or I’ll just end up burning out my arms. 

 

Climbing Tiers of Joy

 

I tell Dustin let’s not wait.  While we’re here, and while my arms are still fresh, I’m going to lead Bride Veil Falls.  This is my second time leading ice.  My first leads were last year, up two WI2 gullies at The Narrows.  This lead is a grade harder, with longer and steeper sections, and unlike the gullies that both ended on flat terrain near tree anchors, this climb will end with a snowy top out.  We go over the plan (which way I’ll go, and how we’ll finish), I take 5 ice screws, collect myself, and begin climbing.  I feel absolutely sure of myself on each swing and kick.  I pace myself through the easy sections, and I rest and evaluate before climbing the steep sections.  The hardest part is probably the top out.  I get in a screw at waist level and commit to the last few feet with my tools buried and feet securely dug in on each step.  I top out, feeling an amazing sense of calm (nothing like leading ice to make you so singularly focused) and accomplishment.  This climb will remain one of my finest moments.  It’s a milestone for me.  And I’m very grateful to all my friends and mentors who helped me achieve this, as well as my family for supporting me. 

Bride Veil Falls

Above my 2nd Screw on Bride Veil Falls

 

From there, Dustin and I headed into the Devil’s Kitchen and the ice was tremendous.  Huge school bus sized hangers and gorgeous smears of thick ice ran up the walls. We climbed 3^rd Corner (WI4) which is a pretty long and sustained route and I found myself needing to take several rests.  That ridiculous death-grip I on my tools I was talking about before was starting to wear me thin.  I was able to clean the last screw but once I reached it I lowered off, exhausted.  Dustin talked to me about using the higher grip on the tool after swinging, resting with my arms extended as opposed to flexed, and even keeping a more calm face while swinging.  Little points that will add up when combined.  I know I climb well.  My mistakes are common.  But as I progress and push myself into leading and climbing harder routes, I’ll have to rely more on sound technique than muscle. 

 

 

Climbing 3rd Corner

Some of the sick hangers in Devil's Kitchen



I decided to end the day running a couple laps on shorter, but steep, section of ice a little further up into the Kitchen.  It’s a section of hard 3’s and 4’s, about half the length of the taller routes where I had just climbed.  I topped out on my first route, and then traversed above to redirect the rope above another route.  I climbed up and down a few more time, worked on some of the above-mentioned tips and called it a day with a smile on my face.

Wrapping it up in Devil's Kitchen

 

 



Getting it in, while it's in.

The perfect recipe for ice - several days of rain and snow followed by several days of well-below freezing temperatures. What could be better than that?  My favorite climbing partner, my wife, telling me that she doesn’t mind belaying me for a couple of hours so long as it’s not too cold and I provide hot chocolate.  What I really need is to get this girl her own mountaineering boots!  
 
As luck would have it, the temperature that day was around 30 degrees, the wind was calm, and the sun was shining bright.  We took a ride out to the Delaware Water Gap so I could climb the Slateford Curtain.  From the parking lot, it’s less than a 10 minute walk…but you got to make it down that very steep slope above the creek and falls, which isn’t too bad going down as much as it is going up.  But we’ll come back to that.

Mr and Mrs

 

Me, standing below the curtain. Frozen waterfall to the left.

 

The Curtain was in ok shape.  Two obvious routes; with one offering left and right variations.  The bottom hadn’t quite touched down, so the first few feet of climbing were on fragile ice. The center was fat, and the top was mixed – ice, rock, and turf.  I was expecting some rock, so I wore my beat-up crampons. Unfortunately, the points had been grinded down to nubs, and the serrated teeth no longer had their bite.  Footwork was difficult.  Trying to lightly tap the tips into the delicate free-hanging ice wasn’t going well…it was either breaking, or I was losing my footing.  Once on the fatter more forgiving ice, I was cruising.  On the exposed rock, I was fine.  But man, oh man…it was all arms to get the climbing started!

 

 

Left and Right, then meet in the middle.

Extremely challenging to start up with bad crampons.

 

Hiking out of Slateford is challenging.  There is a trail, and I’m sure it’s the proper and even scenic way to get back to the lot.  But you look up, see about 200+ feet of steep scrambling and think it’s the quickest, most direct way out.  So, you go for it.  And it only takes a few minutes, and there are enough trees to either rest against or assume they’ll be there to catch you if you start sliding.  But it’s a literal on all-fours bear crawl.  My wife topped out, huffing and puffing, red-faced and a bit angry.  I laughed, pulled her up to her feet, and gave her a big kiss.  We changed back into our clothes in the parking lot and an hour later we're eating cheeseburgers, fries, and sharing a Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshake.  Thanks for the belay, babe!

Happy Guy.

After a day of rest, I met up with August and Andrew to climb some ice at the local crag.  The big flow was in, and thick.  This time, wearing my sharp crampons, I made quick and easy work and ran a couple laps.  When I was off climbing and belaying duties, I took a walk and saw in a chimney, that sometimes has a drip of ice, a pretty significant smear of ice and nearby, an overhanging crack with a good chunk of ice in the middle that we hadn’t climbed before. 

 

 

Plush, in excellent shape.



The smear route was short, but challenging and fun.  The top section was flanked by a crack that swallowed up took placements and the chimney squeeze required specific footwork and body positioning. Another 10 feet of climbing, this route would be a classic.  It’s unfortunate that this isn’t a regularly occurring ice formation.

 

 

The very cool Ice Smear route. Short, but worth it!

 

The neighboring climb was a brutally physical mixed route.  I went first (using my dull crampons since it was mostly rock) and managed to figure out the crux sequence (after getting tossed a few times) but found myself completely spent for the two-hands-on-one-tool escape move out of the constriction.  August and Andrew, being fresher, taller and having the chance to watch me, had it a little easier…not to say that it was easy.  Even August, the big strong young climber from Maine, struggled to finish.  We figured the climb was probably an M7-M8.

 

 

Once you get your feet on top of that ice bulge, you're past the crux...then it's overhanging through that big crack, tool placements are there, you just need some strong arms!

August, using his size, strength, and my Nomics, to work through the sequence.