"Premature Birth"

WI5, M6

Poke-o-moonshine, NY

Joe Szot & Ian Boyer

The line gains the right side of the right ice fall via the rock below. Mid-Life is on the left.

Photo: Doug Millen

Joe Szot established this new line right of Mid-Life Crisis just before the sixth annual Adirondack MountainFest. With little ice around Joe was definitely working out side the box, or in his case shall we say the cage. He and Ian Boyer rappelled down to the ledge for the first ascent of "Premature Birth" WI5, M6. Midlife Crisis, another Szot test piece to the left was first established in this same way since the ice rarely reaches the ground. True to form Joe gave it what I believe is an understated rating of WI5, M6. On Friday Jim Shimberg and Will Mayo cleaned up the line by climbing the first pitch of Discord and then used the Garter traverse to reach the climb. Shimberg said “it felt like we were climbing 5.12, the gear was truck! What a great climb".