Fun House 

Climbed this route 08/2008. Solid 5.7. The first dihedral can spook a beginner leader due to the vertical nature of the rock. About 20 feet up the first dihedral, a perfectly placed pin allows for a nice quickdraw for additional security. The pin is solid. Looks like it's been there for years. While the dihedral has a slight overhang feeling to it in the middle (near the pin), the holds are perfectly situated to allow for ladder-like movement up the rock. Great climbing. It's my favorite 5.7 in the northeast. Get there early on the weekend. As soon as you finish the first dihedral, the climbing starts to get more slabby with good and varied holds.

The 2nd pitch crux feels a good touch harder to me, now that the tree root no longer offers a Samsonite(TM) jug past the bulging hand/fist section.

In contrast to the above comment: *don't* get there early, that's when everyone else gets there. Head up well past noon: it'll be shady, and hopefully the crowds will have dispersed.

Todd is right - the pin is very solid. A new partner and I did this route 7/25/09 - I slipped of some nasty oozing slime while placing a piece higher up and took a surprise whipper onto the pin. So much for warming up on an easier route...

I have always loved this route, it was my first 5.7 lead back in the early 80's so I have fond memories. I find it is a great climb to take with less experienced climbers as there is little exposure and big ledges to chill on. It is a blocky route and could easily snap ankles on any part of the climb at any given moment, so early leaders should stay focused when making the moves up...particularly on the second pitch (pooh link-up which most parties do). Still, they are fun moves, it protects well and offers one of the few easier ascents up the lower left wall.

Just climbed it yesterday (first rock climb of the year), and it was nice and dry where others were still quite wet from the winter thaw. Havnt been on this since summer of 2,000. The pin was the first pro for me (I think it was only about ten feet from where I started), and I backed it up with a nut and from there, pushed through to the ledge. There is definitely room for more gear above the pin, but the stances are less solid. After, we did Upper-Refuse (a classic combo), but it was tricky to get onto becauce of the big bleeding ice column that looked ready to colapse.

Great route, protects plenty and especially where you need it. The start of the first pitch was a bit damp/slimy when we were there too, guessing it doesn't dry out as quickly as the rest of the route. Probably a good idea to anchor your belayer before starting P1, a bad slip on some dampness before your first piece could take you both for an unpleasant ride.

There is a trail which runs along the base of the cliff underneath the route where you can look up through the trees and confirm the starting location which is shown in pictures 3 and 5. Getting to the base from the trail (40 feet up),can be slippery business after a rain, spacious area at base of climb when you get up to it.

Havn't done this route yet, but can someone tell me how tall in feet this route is?

Eric, the first pitch is about 80', and the second maybe 100'.

You can make it to the tree ledge with a 60m , but i wouldn't..too much drag.