Winter Wallface

A buddy and I are currently sitting at the bar, broken hearted. We slept the night at the upper works lot, got an alpine start. Did the approach in a comfortable two hours. Got to the base of the diagonal to find some very scary ice hanging above. The first pitch was also covered in verglas. We traversed the base to check out the other routes. Most were in more danger of falling ice. Around 0845 the ice was coming of in Hobart industrial bread mixer size chunks. The ramp specifically was taking direct impacts. We bailed. Bummer but we had a good time. With the amount of ice that formed in one night I find it hard to believe there are not some pretty awesome ice climbs that come in every now and then. Does anyone have any intel on this? 

I’ve made a handful of trips into Wallface hoping for a badass ice route. Legend has it, under the ideal conditions such a route can form. The problem is that (usually) most of the ice hangs from high above and would still involve lots of rock climbing to get to it. Under “normal” winter conditions there are can be some awesome-looking pillars and daggers in the top couple hundred feet. When I finally bagged a winter ascent of the Diagonal, there was about a 100’ section of WI2 on the ramp. 

Simon Thompson wrote:

I’ve made a handful of trips into Wallface hoping for a badass ice route. Legend has it, under the ideal conditions such a route can form. The problem is that (usually) most of the ice hangs from high above and would still involve lots of rock climbing to get to it. Under “normal” winter conditions there are can be some awesome-looking pillars and daggers in the top couple hundred feet. When I finally bagged a winter ascent of the Diagonal, there was about a 100’ section of WI2 on the ramp. 

Awesome Simon that counts for something for sure. Obviously the crux is the approach in the winter with the strong possibility that there is not much out there. I was thinking that we could potentially use a drone to fly from upper works to scout wallface. This could be done and if there is no ice one could shoot over to chapel pond or something and salvage the day. If I get to it this winter I’ll let everyone know what I see. 

Lots of work, high risk, difficult bail options, hard and extreme ice on wallface would be very proud and bold. 

Gunkswest wrote:

Blue Lines 2, the Adirondack ice climbing guide, lists four ice routes on Wallface (pages 156-57). The longest routes are Far from the Madding Crowd (4+ M5 600 feet) and Grin and Bear It (4+ 500 feet). Grin and Bear It is the most pure ice climb of the bunch and was done in 1986. Winter ascents of rock routes started on Wallface as early as 1951 (the Case Route).

Those both sound incredible. Only a few climbs around that come close to those descriptions. Where about on the cliff are they? 

Joseph W. Dutton wrote:

I was thinking that we could potentially use a drone to fly from upper works to scout wallface. 

Drone use is illegal in wilderness-designated areas in NY. Wallface is in the High Peaks Wilderness Area so the rangers might take issue with that

If my understanding is correct, drones cannot takeoff and land in wilderness area…. But a flyover is ok. 

Simon Thompson wrote:

If my understanding is correct, drones cannot takeoff and land in wilderness area…. But a flyover is ok. 

While I am not familiar with the specific regulations,but allowing flyovers of wilderness areas seems to be totally contradictory to the whole point of drone prohibitions for such areas.I, for one, would feel that having drones buzzing overhead was negatively impacting my wilderness experience.

I, for one, would feel

Given the addiction to documentation, eventually, you might be the only one to feel so.

WF WF51 wrote:

I, for one, would feel

Given the addiction to documentation, eventually, you might be the only one to feel so.

Yup - the urge to dumb down and sanitize everything seems like a strong one among the younger set...

From my understanding.. the only agency that can prohibit flying drones is the FAA... the rangers have no jurisdiction in the air.. however  good look operating the drone and not standing in the park.

Michael Spiesbach wrote:

From my understanding.. the only agency that can prohibit flying drones is the FAA... the rangers have no jurisdiction in the air.. however  good look operating the drone and not standing in the park.

The prohibition is only on wilderness areas. A public road is DOT right of way, not under the same regulations as the wilderness areas as you have no expectation of wilderness on a public road. Drone use is also not explicitly prohibited on wild forest lands (i have some drone footage of climbing in those regions but none from wilderness areas, yes we were ok’d by everyone at the crag if there were others). However as Mike said, you will not have signal to your drone if you are not standing at least near the wall, it is a 5 mile hike in so unless you have a satellite controlled drone, you are SOL. You are probably best spending a couple hundred bucks for a bush pilot to do a fly-by for you and taking a couple photos, find a couple other cliffs you want to view if thats your approach. 

Nick Budka wrote:

The prohibition is only on wilderness areas. A public road is DOT right of way, not under the same regulations as the wilderness areas as you have no expectation of wilderness on a public road. Drone use is also not explicitly prohibited on wild forest lands (i have some drone footage of climbing in those regions but none from wilderness areas, yes we were ok’d by everyone at the crag if there were others). However as Mike said, you will not have signal to your drone if you are not standing at least near the wall, it is a 5 mile hike in so unless you have a satellite controlled drone, you are SOL. You are probably best spending a couple hundred bucks for a bush pilot to do a fly-by for you and taking a couple photos, find a couple other cliffs you want to view if thats your approach. 

I don’t actually have a drone but I’ve heard from some buddies that some of the new ones have a pretty crazy range. The Mavic 3 states 15km online although I guess there is a lot that goes into that and in most situations it is less. However they also have a service ceiling of 6,000m so you could potentially fly partway there high up and then just use camera zoom to check out the cliff. I also agree with everyone that drones can be annoying but I do think they have some pretty awesome uses in the mountains and they can be used in a respectful manner. 

Nol H wrote:

Drone use is illegal in wilderness-designated areas in NY. Wallface is in the High Peaks Wilderness Area so the rangers might take issue with that

Hunting is legal, so your more then welcome to carry a shotgun! Would be a shame if someone started enforcing that law.

(But for real that’s a pretty significant nesting site for protected and “normal” birds so drones especially in later spring conditions would be kinda poor practice)

WF always has very interesting and very brief comments. Truly a master of conveying deep ideas as simply as possible, even when I disagree. Much the opposite of myself. 

No thoughts on wallface, only went once for diagonal. The same day somebody decided to jump off it and end their own life. My partner Adam and I heard the disembodied voice hiking ahead of us, but never ran into them. Received a call from NYS investigator a few days later.