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Azure ice climbing

New York > Adirondacks > Adirondack Ice… > A: Northeast

Description

A small northern mountain with summer climbs and some winter ice opportunities. Multiple shortish unnamed routes around the Equinox Face area (most to the right), most in the 25 -100 ft range. Few routes have long vertical sections, most are "step-like" with a series of 12-15 ft faces.

If you wish to go all the way to the Main Face, there may be longer, more vertical routes to climb, many take longer to form than the area around the Equinox Wall. The summer route Weenie Jam is often winter ice climbed and is off-vertical.

Getting There

Azure Moutain is 35 miles north of Saranac Lake and is identified as "Waverly NY" on Google map searches. Turn off of # 458 onto Blue Mountain Road between St Regis Falls and Santa Clara. From the highway it's 7 miles of iced dirt road to the parking lot, you may meet snow mobiles and logging trucks on the road.

Park in the maintained Azure Mountain parking lot, which used mostly by hikers.... (it's a very popular 1 mile, 1000 vert ft hike, hot shots run it in <25 min)

Follow the main (summit) trail slightly uphill 1/5 mile to the remains of a fireplace, there's a small creek in front of you. A popular back country downhill ski trail joins the main trail on the right side(starts on summit).

At the fireplace ruins, don't take the main hiking trail which goes straight (and up), take the (usually established) small trail heading "10 o clock" into the woods

The trail goes 7 minutes on flat land then 10 minutes uphill .....

You'll see the cliff line in front of you .... many flows to choose from

Route in pic is at the end of the cliff line (and has an easy top-rope set-up)

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Lots of ice Feb 2025
[Hide Photo] Lots of ice Feb 2025
Busy day on Feb 9 2025
[Hide Photo] Busy day on Feb 9 2025
A top rope can easily and safely be set up.
[Hide Photo] A top rope can easily and safely be set up.
Base of cliff, often there's a trail connecting the climbing spots
[Hide Photo] Base of cliff, often there's a trail connecting the climbing spots
Popular flow, actually almost vertical here
[Hide Photo] Popular flow, actually almost vertical here