PRINT: Climb The Trap Dike, Adirondacks

The Trap Dike

WI2 Easy Snow, Ice, Snow, 2000 ft (606 m), 2 pitches, Grade II,

Avg: 3.5 from 65 votes
FA: unknown
New York > Adirondacks > Adirondack Ice… > E: Interior Hig… > Avalanche Lake/Pass

Description:

The Trap Dike and the North face of Gothics are THE classic winter mountaineering ascents in the Adirondacks. Though most parties will only rope up for a couple of pitches, the Trap Dike provides a fun, exposed, and fairly continuous line directly to the summit of Mt Colden.

From the base of the dike, climb one pitch of stepped ice(usually). The belay used to be just above the ice on some fixed tat from bushes/trees. I am not sure if the belay is still there since Irene*. After the first pitch, hike some low-angled snow to the next obvious steep step. This pitch is shorter than the first but is usually the crux of the route.

*-If anybody has information on this please comment.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Looking up Trap Dike from the middle of Avalanche Lake

Very exposed slab in early December 2015. Only verglas or exposed rock.

Huge crown line - be careful and consider the avalanche risk when climbing in the winter - this would have killed anyone on the route when it ripped.

One of the lower ice bulges.

$Shorty after taking this photo a huge fracture line went across the top of the couloir. We protected off the rock at that point. This photo was taken above the 2nd belay. Beware of this area in deep snow!!$

Shorty after taking this photo a huge fracture line went across the top of the couloir. We protected off the rock at that point. This photo was taken above the 2nd belay. Beware of this area in dee…

Waves of ice at the top of the dike

End of the trap dike with thicker, harder ice in early December 2015

Thin brittle ice in early December 2015

An avalanche crown between the first and second pitches of the route. Certified long boy Noah Johnson standing at 6' 2" for scale. The Dike is wind-sheltered and is especially prone to wind slabs d…

Climbing through the 2nd overlap (Summer "mud band") high on the TD slide on a beautiful clear day March of 2021

trapdike, heading towards the slab

trapdike, dec 20 2014

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

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NEPA and Upper Jay, NY

In early season, the ice climbing can be long and fun. But later in the year, the Dike will fill in and it'll be mostly a snow climb - but bring a second tool just in case.

The Dike itself is great, with some steep front-pointing cruxes. The slabs are a long, brutal hike with serious exposure (bring protection if the slabs are hard/icy!) but well worth the summit.

And, to top it all off, the ski tour into Avalanche Lake is second to none. If you've got the skills to descend Colden on planks, this might be the best moderate ski mountaineering objective in the Daks. Even with a hike/glissade/rap down the dike, the ski tour+solo up was probably my finest day in the mountains. The approach and route are five-star, and fun in nearly any conditions except avy danger. May 25, 2011

Matt G
Boulder, CO

Irene took out all vegetation in the dike. Don't expect any tree anchors. Dec 6, 2011

jcmaco

We climbed this route very early in the season (Dec 5, 2015). This winter has not yet seen much snow and so there was less than 1cm at Adk Loj. The waterfalls were starting to freeze and there was up to 20 cm of poor quality and brittle ice. On the side of the waterfalls are sections of solid ice with good purchase. Frozen mud was also a preferred ice pick placement. We belayed one pitch (second waterfall) and there were still a few dry cracks for cams and nuts. The rest of the dike was climbed unroped. No possibility for ice screws at that time. Higher up, where the terrain is less steep, the ice was thicker and still had lots of bare rock.

The slab was terrifying. Almost no purchase and a thin layer of verglas or bare rock at a 30-45° angle. Practically no opportunities to setup protection. We eventually traversed to the left where snow had accumulated and we set up a running belay by placing slings on branches. A few sections were belayed because of the exposure. We would strongly recommend to wait for more snow on the slab before attempting this section.

It took us 3 hours to reach the base of the trap dike from Adk Loj (lake wasn't frozen), 3.5 hours up the trap dike, 3.5 hours up the slab and 3.5 hours back down via Colden trail.

Can confirm that the probes and shovels are still there on the way to Avalanche Lake. We saw one bolt w/ hanger in the trap dike (didn't use).

We'll definitely come back later in the season. Dec 6, 2015

Robert Hall
North Conway, NH

WI2

Just like many of the climbs in Huntington's Ravine (Mt Washington, NH) this climb's technical rating bears no resemblance to the degree of commitment needed for this true Alpine Adventure. For example, see the description above from Dec 6, 2015.

But even in a good year, with relatively "thick" ice, the slabs above the dike are the real "crux". Then, of course, you have the hike back. May 23, 2016

Dylan Thomas
Burlington, VT

There is a two-bolt anchor up and left at the top of the first 130ft (or so) 5th class section, where the climbing turns into just walking; and a second two-bolt anchor up and right above the second shorter 5th class section, also where the climbing flattens to walking. These two anchors are exactly 60m apart and allow parties to descend the 5th class climbing in two 60m rappels. They do not have rap rings. Feb 9, 2024