What's the hardest slab climb in New England?

I'm talkin pure slab? Thoughts?

Jim

Stretched On Your grave is 13a but a TR, cannon. The hardest lead slab that i know of is black Flies Consume Jim Dunn 12+ at Green;s Cliff

I have heard of boulder slabs up to V8 at PWay

Black Flies at Green's Cliff is freaking hard. It would help to have a big wingspan, but being good on your feet is key. The bolts need replacing, but I know that was high on Dave Power's to do list. He got rained off last time out there with the drill. There is potential there on parts of the Main Cliff for really hard pure slabbing. If you can get up the first pitch of that, some great looking steeper second pitch cracks would be accessable.

There's a ton of hard slabs still to do in NE.The Grand Finale area on Cathedral has at least 4 pitches of 5.13 or so,, Cannon, and SO much at green's

Since we have a couple of folks posting here that know what they are talking about, I will ask a related question that I have been giving some thought to over the last few years. That is, how do you define a "slab" route. Now, I realize that the technical definition probably just means that the climb needs to be sub-vertical. However I have climbed routes through about mid-13 that met this definition, but I would really call them technical face climbs because there were holds for your hands (tiny and desperate, but holds nonetheless). Thus my personal definition of slab means that you are smearing and/or smedging your way up something (really no noticeable feature to pull on at all).

Now, by this definition, the hardest thing I have climbed was about 12b (now keep in mind that this was a Darrell Hensel/Johnny Woodward GU route, so its pretty darn western at the grade). The route was a sliver sub-vert and there was nothing, I mean nothing, but vertical smears. Now, I see you guys mentioning 5.13 slabs out east at Cathedral and I know that Ron Carson et al. put up some 12+ "power slabs" around Courtright Res. (Hensel and Woodward have a couple 12+ routes at Whitney Portal), but I have not been on them and I have always wondered whether they were "pure slabs" by my second definition above (i.e. no holds at all....just smears). If its true that you can smear your way up a 5.13, damn would I like to see how its done because I thought I was defying the laws of physics by smearing up mid-12.

John? Mark?

In this context I would define it by the emphasis on your feet, though usually you are going to get at least some occasional ripples or something for at least tenious hands. If you are crimping your way up it is getting more into face climbing.

In the case of Black Flies..., as far as I got, it was mostly smearing, but I was also doing some face climbing moves. To get over to a little corner seam I had to do a toe hook so I could release both hands to reach accross. For me, without a huge ape index, the crux is going to be steep hard smearing.

Hensel is the real master.. so many climbs. At a place like Suicide, the slab/face thing can really show up. A lot of the routes there are bordeline- Playing In the Freeway for instance being more of a "slab" while race with the Devil more "facey" IMO

I would define slab as more footwork than fingers AND sometimes a situation where you can't stop. BITD it was called "foonting" in Yosemite. Stretched on Cannon is in this category.

john strand wrote:Hensel is the real master.. so many climbs. At a place like Suicide, the slab/face thing can really show up. A lot of the routes there are bordeline- Playing In the Freeway for instance being more of a "slab" while race with the Devil more "facey" IMO I would define slab as more footwork than fingers AND sometimes a situation where you can't stop. BITD it was called "foonting" in Yosemite. Stretched on Cannon is in this category.

Yeah, Hensel is a real granite ninja. Ground up 12+ granite slab is fricking impressive to say the least.

Interesting word you mention....i.e. foonting. What words exactly is that combining? I assume its a play on words like "smear + edge = smedge", but I can't nail down what it is. Moreover, what exactly is the definition of "foonting"?

It was a bit before my time but i was told Jeff Foont was the guy who stated things in Yosemite , on the Apron. EB's would sqweek on the smears and you had to keep moving.. and sqweeking.
I think the route was called - flakey foont or something like that. i had this happen to me on the Clogdance around '82 in EB's and it was very strange

Awesome. Thanks for the history John.
Cheers.

It's cool to think that Stretched On Your Grave has stood up so well. Quite an achievement, John!

Anyone know the names of the hard slab problems at Pawtuckaway?

Jim

Thanks.. i don't know about any ascents ?

Chinos crew knows about the PWay stuff