Chapel Pond Slab, Regular Route: 06/04/2016

Back when I first started climbing, my first multi-pitch lead was up Regular Route on the Chapel Pond slabs. With its comfortable belay ledges, exciting but non-intimidating exposure and wonderful views it's a great first lead. It's also a route I've returned to many times for the sheer fun of easy climbing (5.5 on the Yosemite Decimal System) on a long route (6 pitches) in a superbly scenic setting. But Saturday's climb topped them all, when my wife Beth and I led our 12 year old son up Regular Route for his first multi-pitch climb.

More climbing at Chapel Pond, 07/25/2015

Luck was again on our side last weekend up at Chapel Pond, this time at the Beer Walls. Threatening clouds loomed over the mountains at times, but the day stayed dry and other climbing parties for the most part stayed home.

Climbing (and a bit of paddling) at Chapel Pond: 07/18/2015

With a murky start to the day in Saratoga, we took a gamble on the weather and headed up to Chapel Pond. I guess luck was on our side because the clouds broke just as we pulled off Exit 30 of the Northway. I keep a mental short list of 4 or 5 crags in the Chapel Pond / Keene Valley area that are suitable for a family climbing session, and seeing no cars parked for the Gems & Jewels crag as we drove by, I hung a quick U-turn and pulled in.

A bit of climbing...

...and a bit of paddling

Climbing with kids: the Beer Walls: 08/15/2013

Unlike last month, when we climbed at Chapel Pond with nearly a dozen in our party, we had a relatively quiet day climbing at the Beer Walls with just our family of four. I emphasize "relatively" quiet, because our kids - any kids I suppose - at times seem quite capable of making as much noise as a party of twelve. Noise level is a real issue to consider when other climbing parties are nearby, as is often the case at a popular crag like the Beer Walls, but was no problem at all for us on Thursday when we pulled up to an empty parking lot at the approach trail head. That's one of the bonuses of climbing mid-week - definitely a consideration when climbing with kids.

Daniel practicing his crack technique on 3.2

Climbing with kids: Chapel Pond, 07/14/2013

What seemed like a weeks-long rain cycle followed by a weeks-long heatwave made it hard to enjoy being outdoors during the first part of the summer, but we managed to squeeze in a day of climbing at Chapel Pond. I was mentally prepared for the worst, expecting mud, damp rock and horrendous mosquitoes. We must have picked the right spot to climb though, because the rock was dry, mud and bugs were nowhere to be found, and a pleasant breeze off Chapel Pond kept us cool all afternoon.

Our plan was to meet up with friends from Vermont and set up a top-rope or two somewhere in the Chapel Pond area. Then our party of 6 nearly doubled in size when by chance we ran into 5 more friends from New Paltz at the Chapel Pond pull-off. So we all headed to the far side of Chapel Pond and took over the Tilman's Arete / Shipton's Arete crag.

Climbing with kids: Wilmington Notch, 10/08/2012

We finished our hike up Mount Jo on Monday in the early afternoon, so we took advantage of already being in Lake Placid to head to one of my favorite beginner crags: the Notch Mountain Slabs in Wilmington Notch. In addition to a pyramid-shaped 80’ tall laid-back slab of clean rock, the slabs sport a spectacular setting high above the west branch of the Ausable River. Across the river rise Moss Cliff and Whiteface’s rocky summit. Even though the slabs are just a short hike from the trailhead, the climbing here feels remote and scenic.

Climbing with the kids: King Phillip's Spring, 07/22/2012

This past Sunday we headed up to King Phillip's Spring, near Keene Valley, to climb with our kids.

With so many excellent crags in the Keene Valley area, KPS probably isn't at the top of anybody's list of favorite cliffs, but it's actually got a lot going for it: easy access (one minute from Exit 30), a short approach (10 minutes, allow 15-20 with kids), good toprope anchors (bring a static rope), and an open, flat base. Most importantly, the climbing at KPS is on coarse, clean rock at a laid-back angle, with numerous options in the 5.2 to 5.5 range. Perfect for an afternoon of family climbing.

Climbing with kids at the Gunks (Peters Kill): 04/28 & 04/29/2012

Although I call myself a climber, the truth is I logged just a single day at the cliff last year. Once a climber, always a climber I suppose. Beth’s climbing roots run deeper than mine: she started climbing more than 20 years ago and is a bona fide Gunkie. Finding any time to climb at all in recent years has been a challenge with our two young kids. But kids are natural climbers, and when we saw how much fun our kids had scrambling on the rocks when we hiked Owls Head last fall, we figured they were ready to try some roped climbing.

This past weekend, we headed down to New Paltz with the kids and flexible plans to either hike or climb. Peters Kill had been recommended to us as a good place to climb with kids, and turned out to be a good choice. Peters Kill features the same high quality quartz conglomerate rock found just down the road at the Trapps, but is uncrowded and features easy access to the cliffs.