A call to arms

sounds like you need road trip to better temps jay.

i always say " you gotta piss with the prick you got." unfortunately there's a 2 and a half foot icicle hanging off mine right now. hence the reason the ice people are so keen to pipe up,not the frozen wang just the cold.

i rock climb all year. it just hurts alot that's all.

it's hard to get motivated sometimes,but i just tell myself to stop being a pussy and i end having a good day on the rock.

happy trails and don't forget the wiskey. crown royal goes down smooth.

Jay Knower wrote:Yeah, I've ice climbed, but I'm just not that into it. I'd rather get out on the rock and I refuse to let this climate stop me.

Then why are you letting the climate stop you?

Jay- you can go to Traaaprock and it's OK but for sure not the Gunks. East Peak has some good stuff, two hours to the Gunks. I think that Lost City is the best wintering in New Paltz. Of course Lincoln Woods in RI has nice bouldering and is fine in winter.

john

Hank Caylor wrote: That's not really you talking, merely the Devil speaking from within you!

I thought you were my devil Hankie-poo.

The answer here is simple logic: see rock, climb it.

Robert 560 wrote: Have you ever checked out the Traprock area in Connecticut?

I think you would be very disappointed if you drove any distance for Ragged Mountain.

So, Jay, how cold is too cold? And is it just a matter of temps, or is precipitation a factor too? I'm usually good down to about 30degF once I get thoroughly warmed up, though I admit I have trouble finding partners willing to belay in those temps. Most of my best performances have come on days with temps in the high 30's or low 40s.

Hippy lettuce.......yummmmmmmmm.

ha, yeah, traprock... this is the most snow I have ever seen in CT. of course this is only my second winter here. more snow today, it should be good to go in about a month.

sweeping off boulders in between storms hasnt been good enough either.

pulling plastic pebbles is about it.

I've been waiting for my buddy in the Gunks to call and say the rock is dry all winter. FUCK!

Lincoln woods is apparently pretty messed up this year due to the melting and the frozen rain/ice crap we've had. We're getting more snow at the moment too so it's not getting much better

you'd drive from NH to CT for traprock? gah.. i'd stay at rumney and do repeats on old favorites in the cold

Monomaniac wrote: I think you would be very disappointed if you drove any distance for Ragged Mountain. So, Jay, how cold is too cold? And is it just a matter of temps, or is precipitation a factor too? I'm usually good down to about 30degF once I get thoroughly warmed up, though I admit I have trouble finding partners willing to belay in those temps. Most of my best performances have come on days with temps in the high 30's or low 40s.

High 30's would be a heat wave. We've had consistent single-digit temps for a while. Yesterday was supposedly the warmest day in weeks and in Plymouth it was 23 and cloudy. It looks like the sun will come out later this week. Fingers crossed...

Yikes!

Plenty of room for you out West....

Jay, I blame the weather guys. All last week they said sunny and 32 at Rumney on Sunday. Jenn and I found ourselves in the parking lot Sunday morning and it was 16, windy and nothing but clouds. Sadly I'm not that brave. It looks good again for this weekend...

Jay, me and my buddy went climbing on Sunday. As long as its above 30 out and the rock is dry then we're good. Most of our stuff around Syracuse is TR'able so we just bundle up well on belay. I agree though, breathing that gym chalk laced air just isn't cutting it anymore.

Mike Albanese wrote:...I agree though, breathing that gym chalk laced air just isn't cutting it anymore.

I love training in the gym but you are right it's not enough, I want to breath fresh outdoor air. And I would love to stop grabbing plastic and touch some real rock!!

We climbed at Main Cliff today. Despite weather forecasts that said 30's and sunny, it was about 20 and cloudy. While the air was warm-ish, the rock had been deep-freezed from the low of 5 the night before. Good friction...

Three routes, then we bailed to the gym. Still fun to get outside, though.

Jay, One of my most memorable days of climbing was at the Gunks when it was snowing, we did some climbs at the near trapps, not another soul around, it was alot of fun. Had some hot chocolate and schnapps in a thermos for a quick warm up between climbs. GO OUT AND ENJOY!!!

I'm a big fan of "getting stuck" in SoCal for a couple of weeks at a time for work and climbing at J-Tree on the weekend. Course that does minimize the opportunities to ice climb which is a shame cause we have some sick ice just north of Syracuse.

I'm with you, jay! I want the snow and ice to go away and stop covering up all the rock.

...that's why i'm running away to the Red during Spring break...I can't wait any longer...

Its been a tough winter. It was 55 degrees though today in CT. We are getting close. This Thursday looks amazing. It might be worth a trip down.

Jay, I hear you. In the warm spell yesterday I drove out to Farley and had a blast despite the lack of sun and dripping rock. I still can't explain why I prefer holding on to wet holds with numb fingers and water running down my sleeves to grappling plastic inside in shorts and a t-shirt. This weird preference for rock - even cold, wet rock - is inconsistent with my explanation as to why I don't love ice climbing: the constantly cold hands. My hands get way colder when I try to eke out a day on the rock in February than when I'm swinging tools...

Enjoy the warmer weather, y'all!

Coz,

How is Farley these days? I'm sure the boulders are submerged in snow.

Are the sport routes dry(ish)? How about Bulletproof? Is that dry?