Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides

First off, a big congratulations to Jesse for passing his final ski exam and earning IFMGA certification!

Jesse on the Wapta Traverse in Canada just before taking his ski exam in early April.

While Jesse was skiing in British Columbia last month, I was home obsessing over one of my new favorite places, the C-Chimney Cliff at Silver Lake.  Never heard of Silver Lake?  That's because the tract of land, once owned by International Paper Company and collectively referred to as Silver Lake, was only opened to climbers (and skiers, hikers, mountain bikers, etc.) in 2009.  A conservation easement with the state now allows recreation in all but motorized form, and since this area is covered in cliffs, crags, and massive slabs it is a candy-land of new climbing opportunities.  Check out the Adirondack Rock website for more information and details. 

Much of the climbing here is harder; last year, Peter Kamitses, a Burlington, VT based climber, established one of the hardest trad routes (5.14a) in the country at the Tsunami Wall.  Having walked under the insanely overhanging Tsunami Wall, I can't imagine being able to make one move off the ground!  Luckily, most of the climbing I've done in the area has been in the 5.9-5.11 range...much more manageable! 

That's me on the beautiful, dimpled, and steep face climb, Every Inch Counts (5.10b) at Potter Mountain. Photo by Jim Lawyer.

While some cliffs (Potter Mountain in particular) are remarkably free of lichen, moss, slime, and trees, others are more typical of unclimbed Adirondack rock and require determination and effort to uncover the cracks, edges, and flakes that make a climb possible.  Additionally, this landholding has been heavily logged resulting in muddy, rutted skid paths, swaths of open land, and numerous boggy swamps.  Approaches are generally difficult and the blackflies, mosquitoes, and deer flies are horrendous most of the spring and well into summer.  Oh, and the orientation of nearly all 14 cliffs that make up Silver Lake is south so that means the dark colored anorthosite rock is scorchingly hot in June, July, and August.  Sounds great, right!?  Despite the above difficulties, this is actually what I love about Silver Lake and about first ascents in general; that success, or even a decent climb, is never guaranteed.  But when it does work out, the effort is completely rewarding!

In early April I joined my friends Colin and Dominic to climb Colin's amazing new route, If You Don't Like It Leave (5.11b). This new route adds to the other outstanding climbs at the C-Chimney and it was on this day that I spotted my new project/obsession, hidden under lichen at the far right end of the C-Chimney Cliff.

In the past three years, particularly spring and fall, I have spent a good deal of time climbing, and seeking out new climbs, at Silver Lake.  My favorite cliffs to date are Potter Mountain and the C-Chimney.  And as much as I also love the climbing around Chapel Pond, Pitchoff, and Poko-moonshine, I can't wait to find another new project at Silver Lake!  Enjoy the photos below and follow us on Facebook, where we frequently (but not so frequent it's annoying!) post updates on our latest guided outings, adventures, and personal climbs.  --Emilie

This is the route I obsessed over for the month of April. It required days of work to reveal the sharp, crystalline holds beneath all that classic Adirondack lichen. Colin (above) and I climbed the route for this first time just two days ago, between rain storms. We're calling the route I C You, it goes at about 5.10b

Colin, mid way up I C You, a monster pitch at 60m and the only route on the cliff to go from the ground to the very exposed top of the C-Chimney Cliff.

The top out of I C You with a great view of Taylor Pond, Silver Lake, and Whiteface Mountain (a little obscured by clouds in this photo).

While I manged to get a few days on rock during our stretch of July-like weather in March, winter did in fact return, bringing with it snow, ice, rain, and clouds.  Though most of us are ready for spring by the time April rolls around, this is the best month to take advantage of those days when you can ice climb, rock climb, and ski all in a day!  Though I haven't actually done this yet this April, I was lucky enough to climb ice and rock in NH's White Mountains last weekend.  And, just after I left, Mt Washington received upwards of 20" of new snow...it's definitely not over 'til it's over (a phrase I'm borrowing from our friends at NEice)!  I'll keep this post short and let the photos speak for themselves.  -- EPD

During the last weekend of March I co-instructed an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course with Matt Shove of Ragged Mountain Guides in Connecticut. We had a great group of students and it was cool to explore some of the amazing climbing CT has to offer. Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides will be offering an SPI course this fall, stay tuned for more info. See below for useful links.

Andy, climbing dense, blue ice on the first pitch of the classic Pinnacle Gully in Huntington Ravine, NH. April 6.

Andy, topping out above Pinnacle Gully on a beautiful, albeit windy, day. Wildcat Mountain in the background.

The view into Tuckerman Ravine, just below Mt. Washington. Plenty of snow on April 6...probably quite a bit more now. Look closely and you will see skiers...

Slab climbing on the beautiful granite of Whitehorse Ledge, NH. Pam climbing Funhouse on Cathedral Ledge, NH. A cold day but the rock was plenty dry. April 8.

Whiteface Mountain on 4/12/12.

Useful and/or interesting links:

AMGA SPI

Ragged Mountain Guides, LLC

Mt Washington Avalanche Center