Best protected 5.9 and up climbs Gunks and nearby.

Hoping to start pushing my trad grades this season. I climb into the 11's on sport pretty comfortably and have been leading on gear for a couple seasons, but still don't feel comfortable when I'm above my last piece. Looking for G- routes with clean falls and good gear throughout where I can push myself to fall on gear without much risk. Climbs don't have to be classics just as well protected as possible. 

 Ants line and red cabbage are on the list for the Gunks. Looking for any other recommendations.

Spiders web in the Adirondacks is the best crag in NY to climb 5.9-11 well protected crack pitches. Good holds, steep rock and generally excellent protection. Sun hits the cliff around 11AM so climb early in the summer! 

Sorry, in the dacks

Arachnid traction @ creature

Frosted Mug @ Beer Walls

Warpath, Tombstone, Sundance @ Deadwater

I tend to trust Dick W's protection ratings, so if it says G in the book, go for it.

But I have to put in a plug for a few lines at Peterskill: Bent Crank Arm,  Oops, Golden Dream, Rainy Daze

Here's some G-rated (or close to G-rated) climbs at the Gunks (some of these are 8s):

Ant's Line
Sente - A Gunks sport route!
Groovy
Boldville
Double Crack
The Spring first pitch
Lakatakissima

Some other good early 9s that are well-protected but more PG:

Bonnie's Roof
Absurdland - A low, but well-protected crux
No Glow - Short 5.9 crux protected by pins (first pin can be backed up with a cam)
Directissima

Also, I thought the gear and the climbing on Red Cabbage was kinda funky. From the ground it looks like a finger crack that you can sew up with nuts and small cams. But the crack is so irregular that I ended up placing hand-size cams in horizontals. And I certainly didn't climb it like a finger crack either... Maybe I missed something.

Along with Sente (5.9), Never Never Land feels very G after the first few moves (which aren't hard).  It has been a while since I've climbed it so I don't remember exactly how high that first piece of gear is, but after that it's a pair of bolts, a medium cam, and a couple huge cams until the chains.  If I'm wrong about the gear beta/gear grade someone please tell me but I remember the climbing being more exciting than the gear. 

Insulhation / Teeny face are both a bit harder (9 and 10?) and bot have very good gear during the harder bits but pg gear during the 5.5 section.  

the gear on Bonnies Roof is very good from what I remember.

I could give you lots of thoughts on this subject but it was kind of done to death a few years ago on gunks.com. I would suggest you look at these threads:

Breaking into 5.9

The easiest 5.10

Thanks for the suggestions. Definitely getting at least one trip into the Adirondacks this season so those suggestions are appreciated too. I didn't think to check out peterskill either. Doublecrack is definitely on my tick list.

Maybe I'll wait on red cabbage. Definitely looked like a finger crack from the ground.

Rob D. wrote:

Along with Sente (5.9), Never Never Land feels very G after the first few moves (which aren't hard).  It has been a while since I've climbed it so I don't remember exactly how high that first piece of gear is, but after that it's a pair of bolts, a medium cam, and a couple huge cams until the chains.  If I'm wrong about the gear beta/gear grade someone please tell me but I remember the climbing being more exciting than the gear. 

There's never been more than a single bolt on NNL.  And one pin below it (and arguably nothing up to that point, so don't fall). The pins above the bolt have been removed. Personally I feel NNL falls in the PG category due to the climbing one must do with gear below their feet, though injury potential after the start is pretty negligible. YMMV

SethG wrote:

....

Breaking into 5.9

...

Looked through it and I found this comment that I loved

Luc-514 wrote:

Sorry, in the dacks

...

Frosted Mug @ Beer Walls

...

OP beware there's a 5.6-5.7R section at the start.  I don't think that qualifies as 'best protected'.

Once into the corner it's a well protected climb, but some placements are strenuous (if you have experiencing placing gear blind in a layback position then probably less of an issue).  By those measures it probably wouldn't be a first-5.9 climb recommendation.  Maybe others who climb 5.9 in the ADKs want to chime in regarding FM.  It's possible a little runout at the start and pumpy gear placements/stances are just par for the course up there.

Chill 9s: Absurdland, Ant's Line, Bonnie's, Roseland (last two pitches are boring)

Scary, safe 9s: MF, Apoplexy, Inverted Layback. Higher Stannard is good with a crashpad if you're scared

Chill 10s: Nosedive, NNL, the Spring, Resistance (Lost City), Criss Cross

why the hate for top of roseland? I always found that flared corner w/ the pre historic pin  pretty darn interesting.  frosted mug was well protected when I did it.....  just Not in the Gunks ;)

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

why the hate for top of roseland? I always found that flared corner w/ the pre historic pin  pretty darn interesting.  frosted mug was well protected when I did it.....  just Not in the Gunks ;)

I like the little corner/roof thingy on pitch two but everything after was boring and/or licheny

I think 5.9s are pretty well covered here but for 5.10s, Birdie Party, Wedgetables and the Dangler are all really good intro 5.10s. Retribution and Nosedive also have good pro and very low commitment.

Adam what do you mean by commitment?

commitment generaly means  that you can not back off easily?

losbill wrote:

Adam what do you mean by commitment?

Its a good place to push yourself cause if you get spooked or cant make it up its super easy to bail and get your gear back (climb bunny and traverse to anchors). there are a ton of good climbs that would be a pain to bail off of without loosing gear, ie a few pitches up, big roofs,  no rap anchors, etc.

This is  the above Adam Gellman's picture of the High Exposure  top pitch (head wall).  

The shot below highlights the start of 'High Exposure The Hard Way"5.9(?) 

Starting at the obvious 'slot' just at the lip above the block resting on the ledge, 

The climb goes straight up, past the rectangular hole, joining 'Hi-E' at its standard crux, staying to the right of the climber in the top shot.

The idea that the climbing in the Gunks is some how less committing ? Well I guess you can usually  rap to retrieve your gear and / or travers to get your gear back.

Seeing that Teeny Face has been mentioned, What about Modern Times ? 5.8, (or it was ) and /or Modern Times Direct?

 Years ago, when the YDS, ended at 5,.10, i t was the practice to call a hard new climb "a variation of a line" & give it a grade of - 5.9+. 

This could describe anything from 5.7r to 5.11.  Giving a nod to that history, (after cleaning the streak through the lichen),

 I called  Modern Times Direct' 5.9+r 

I wonder what modern grade it gets?

Keep On Strutting, has the bolt been replaced? Oblique Twique , along with Unholy Wick with the Bow-Tie Cieling & Wedgtables    (a.10.but G) . . . all seem to be in the zone as well.

Michael,

The bolt on keep on Struttin' has been replaced but the start is still a little runout. I would still argue though that anyone who can lead the crux should have no problem on the initial runout.

InSuhlation - Directissima - Roseland - Cherokee - Keep On Struttin' - Higher Stannard (no crash pad) - WASP - Sting (p1) - Triangle (awkward)