Shortest Version: If you’re going to climb in the Adirondacks, or in New York, or you love guidebooks, go buy the new Adirondack Rock Guidebook. The Adirondacks are some of the best rock climbing I’ve ever done in the world. It’s a very strange place, with a remote nature and pristine beauty that rivals or surpasses what I’ve seen out West and certainly anything in Europe or Central Asia. It’s hard to explain in ten words, but all the same, I’d really recommend visiting the area at least once, a bit like Vedauwoo but different.
For the past two or three years, Jim Lawyer and Jeremy Haas worked days, nights and weekends on a labor of love. They researched and wrote a new climbing guidebook to New York’s Adirondacks. I write all about how cool it is below…
I used their topo and their route notes on my Wallface trip last summer. The route notes were great, from approach to rappel. The topo was also of the highest quality. I have to say that what I used was an incredibly well crafted introduction to Wallface, and it kept much of the spirit of the Burgundy Book of Lies alive and well.
At the same time as keeping the spirit of the Adirondacks safe, Jim & Jeremy made some incredible decisions that I think will serve as the benchmark for future guidebooks. For example, they are making the major, big topos available as .pdf’s for download. Have a look at an example of the Diagonal Section of Wallface topo: the photo and the topo. Brilliant. Somewhere, I’ve got a picture of the topo that Kelly Cordes and Colin Haley used on their CiloGear powered link up on Cerro Torre. It was a postcard they bought at El Chalten…
The ‘Daks are one of my favorite places to climb. The cliffs stick out of a North Eastern deciduous forest that is just plain out beautiful. There are bears, coyotes and maybe even big cats. You’re not more than six hours drive from New York City, Montreal or Boston. I really recommend a visit. And I think this will be one of the best guidebooks you’ll ever see!