The weekend of June 7-8, 2025, the 10th Mountain Alpine Club facilitated a trip to the world-famous rock-climbing area on the Shawangunk Ridge (“The Gunks”) near New Paltz, NY. 9 members of the club braved the, so far, wet summer and were rewarded with great climbing in and around the rain. Group members ranged from 18 to 44 years old, and in experience from none to experienced rock climbers.
History
New Paltz, just south of the Shawangunk Ridge, is two and a half hours north of New York City, just west of the Hudson River Valley. The Gunks are an old technical rock-climbing area for the US, with many first accents in the 1930s and 40s. Two famous Gunks first ascensionists, Fritz Wiessner and Hans Kraus, both served as technical advisors to the 10th Mountain Division and the US War Department in WW2. While their original soft iron pitons have been removed or replaced, their routes are still sought after, including Easy Overhang, which the Alpine club ascended. Other than pitons, The Gunks has remained a staunchly traditional climbing area, meaning there are few permanent fixed anchors, and more equipment is required than for climbing in a gym.
Adventure
Everyone camped at the excellent American Alpine Campground, which led to camping memories around the campfire, under the pavilion, and setting up extra tarps over tents. Everyone got climbing experience and several climbed their first multipitch routes. The group practiced and discussed rappelling, safety equipment, and anchors in The Gunks conglomerate. While more dry climbs would have been nice, climbing outside is always a roll of the dice and the group mitigated risks and developed contingencies as required. This is what Alpinists do to successfully summit any mountain: use advanced skills honed on smaller objectives and practice careful risk management.
While most the Alpine Club’s outings are shorter events, trips like this help bring the community together, raise awareness of the unit and America’s Alpine heritage, and foster a culture of outdoor activities. This was the second annual trip, and a sign of things to come.
Event report written by Sam Colby
