CT Aid Routes

Hey guys,

Trying to practice some aiding and bigwall techniques, anybody have some good suggestions for good CT aid routes?

Also looking for suggestions for longer aid routes in NE to practice on before heading out west. Shout out any suggestions you have

Thanks,
-Brian

Probably a bunch at Ragged but Dol Guldur at East Peak would probably work for clean aid. Some sections could be tricky though.

First, it should be obvious but any aiding of established routes in CT has to be 'clean'. It is also advisable not to do such routes on a weekend--especially if they are popular routes for folks to work on as free climbs. That being said, most of the traprock crack lines should offer comparable aid climbing experiences and,logically, the taller cliffs---Ragged, East Peak, etc will have the longer routes, so routes such as Dol Guldur as mentioned above are good possibilities. One slightly different option is the route--forget it's name, on the overhanging wall at the far north end of Ragged--has it gone free yet? It is shorter than some of the others but steeper and less straight-forward. Travelling further afield, there are good multi-pitch options in the Adirondacks (the 'aid wall' on Moss Cliff for example) and New Hampshire (Mines of Moria and nearby routes on Cathedral or the 'big wall' routes on Cannon) once you've got the basics down in CT.

Alan Rubin wrote:First, it should be obvious but any aiding of established routes in CT has to be 'clean'. It is also advisable not to do such routes on a weekend--especially if they are popular routes for folks to work on as free climbs. That being said, most of the traprock crack lines should offer comparable aid climbing experiences and,logically, the taller cliffs---Ragged, East Peak, etc will have the longer routes, so routes such as Dol Guldur as mentioned above are good possibilities. One slightly different option is the route--forget it's name, on the overhanging wall at the far north end of Ragged--has it gone free yet? It is shorter than some of the others but steeper and less straight-forward. Travelling further afield, there are good multi-pitch options in the Adirondacks (the 'aid wall' on Moss Cliff for example) and New Hampshire (Mines of Moria and nearby routes on Cathedral or the 'big wall' routes on Cannon) once you've got the basics down in CT.

I think they should just bring a stick clip and porta ledge to Farley. Startup up Eye-Opener at 8AM on a Saturday, should be off before dark Sunday.

On a perhaps more helpful note - (way) back in the day, Jane at Crow Hill was one of the first pitches I ever aided.

Thanks Eric, yep, I'm sure Eyeopener on a weekend would not only give interesting aid practice but also experience in dealing with unusual 'objective dangers'.

I, too, thought of suggesting Jane ( also one of my early aid pitches--an all day epic with John Dill on a cold November day) but was afraid that I'd be lynched next time I went to Crow. Alan

Nick – Dol Guldor isn’t a good straight aid line, as the gear and placements are a bit far apart. I would say it is a better route to practice aid-to-free once you are pretty well-skilled.
Brian – as Al suggested, Ragged is the spot. Bill Lutkis, Pete McDevrett and Jim Peckingham aided the crap out of that place and the aforementioned NH walls before doing the Shield and others out in Yosemite. Its good for full aid and mixed aid-to-free practice. Mordor wall is a MUST if you head north. Hope that helps

Many climbers practiced their aid skills on our local cliffs. I did the 1st ascent of Jane, at Crow Hill, rope solo aid, about 1 year after I started climbing.
It would be a good climb to enhance your aid skills, and as suggested, go on to Cathedral Ledge afterwards.

My short answer is that,no, there are no good aid climbs in CT..

In NH...Razor Crack is short and steep,,,Mordor is a bit stiff for starters,, Mines Of Moria is OK but mostly fixed. Women in Love is OK but angles a bit.

All lot of shorter routes can be dicey because of groundfall potential.

Are you heading to Yos???

My first aid climbing experience was rope soloing Subline. Aid Crack would be another good one to try things out on. However I would strongly discourage hooking on these routes for your safety, and the safety of the routes. Some of the key free climbing holds down low on Subline are a bit flexing and could blow out if you hooked on them.

If you have large stuff, Thor's hammer would be a good line to aid clean. Obviously, it's a great line and you need to make sure you're not getting in people's way.

My short answer is that,no, there are no good aid climbs in CT.. In NH...Razor Crack is short and steep,,,Mordor is a bit stiff for starters,, Mines Of Moria is OK but mostly fixed. Women in Love is OK but angles a bit. All lot of shorter routes can be dicey because of groundfall potential. Are you heading to Yos???

That's the plan, got my eyes set on the nose which I believe doesn't require much hooking so I'll probably practice more stuff like hauling and lowering out instead of hooking.

Thanks for all the advice so far guys, if you've got any more regarding aiding general I'm all ears.

Anybody got any comments on aiders to use while learning ? ie ladder style vs. etriers

I would say check in with FishProducts....russ makes really good gear, though sometimes tough to find.

The Nose is really more a free climb with some aid. Aiders no't really needed for more than maybe 300' of climbing,,

last bit of the roof..glowering spot and the last pitch.

The hauling and pendulums take practice for sure..some good pendulum stuff at Cathedral. Remember following penji's can be complicated

Personally i would rather 2 smaller bags instead of a giant..or even a daypack and a small bag. Hauling a pig sucks

Unconquerable Crack, Subline (tricky start – small camming unit), YMC (tricky start - free climb a move) are all good routes to practice clean aid. Practice your transitions by setting up a haul midway through the routes and have your partner take over the next "pitch". Unconquerable is a good route to aid solo to work on your speed. The Prow and Mordor Wall (need bat hooks on Mordor) are good aid routes to tune up on in New Hampshire.