Photos by Jim Lawyer, David Le Pagne and others as noted. Created by Doug Millen

Salmon River Falls, one of New York’s ice climbing jewels, is found tucked into the remote and hilly folds of the Tug Hill Plateau. The area is well known for fishing—the Salmon River holds some of the most eagerly sought game fish in the northeast. It’s also known for snow, lots of snow—in excess of 20’ per year, the highest east of the Rockies. The fluctuating temperatures, overflowing water table, and a terrain of deep ravines ensure a bumper crop of ice each year.

Ice climbing has occurred in the Gorge since the DEC acquired the property in 1993. The first routes to be climbed were on the main waterfall and some of the easier gullies that drain into the Gorge. Difficult climbing began with Jeremy Haas’ ascent of Shale We Climb (WI5 M6), a mixed route that ascends a shale overhang, then follows delicate icicles and drips to final a 50’ free-standing column. With this eye-opening ascent, climbers began exploring downstream, especially the Amphitheatre, an overhanging shale wall similar to Ponte-Rouge in Quebec. More....

From Altmar, take Route 22 north passing the Salmon River Fish Hatchery to Falls Road; the parking area is a couple miles up on the right.

The routes require considerable cold to initially form. Once formed, though, they build continually throughout the remainder of the season, usually at their best in late February and early March.

A rack of screws, including stubbies. A couple pieces of rock gear are useful on some routes, although most topouts are equipped with fixed protection. Long runners are useful for setting anchors and slinging columns.

Before accessing the Gorge, you must fill out the climbing permit form and place it in the drop box at the information Kiosk.

A guide for the area can be found at: http://www.jimlawyer.com/Salmon River Falls/web/SalmonGuide.pdf

 ...Continued from above

Climbers had long believed the Amphitheatre to be a terrifying place—it’s cold, dark, and noisy with sound of crashing pillars. On warm days, bits of shale and ice spontaneously fall, peppering the blanket of fresh snow at the base with black chips. Perhaps most imposing of all is that the ice doesn’t reach the rim of the Gorge, instead teasing climbers by dripping from overhanging shale 20’ or so from the top. There is one line in particular that captured the attention of climbers—a collection of steep columns that lead to an overhanging rock finish in a corner. It is probably the most aesthetic route in the region and one of the most beautiful in the state. The line was climbed in 2001 and, in keeping with the salmon theme, named Mate, Spawn, and Die (WI5 M4). The top section was initially protected using trad gear, but is now equipped with fixed protection. This ascent demonstrated that the Amphitheatre isn’t such a scary place, and that the rock finishes can be negotiated safely and are even fun.

 The Closure

 Several other routes were climbed in the Amphitheatre before the Gorge was closed in 2002. Reasons included the perceived danger imposed by water release from a dam upriver, the potential impact on two species of rare and threatened plants, and search-and-rescue concerns raised by the local fire department (there have been several non-climbing related deaths at the Falls in the summer). Tickets were issued to ice climbers for disobeying signage; nobody would be climbing anything for the season.

 Jim Lawyer and Jim Seeley (the “Jims”) began discussion with the DEC and, after several meetings, came to an understanding to allow ice climbing in the Gorge with several restrictions, the first of which is the closure of the main waterfall (and walls immediately surrounding the main waterfall, including the route Shale We Climb) due to the possibility of emergency water release and the “attractive nuisance” issue. (Hopefully, this restriction can be revisited in the future.)

 By allowing ice climbing, the DEC was concerned about non-climbers getting injured traveling in the Gorge. They addressed this by requiring proper equipment to enter the Gorge, such as helmet, crampons, and so forth. This is self-policed: to enter the Gorge, individuals must sign a free permit that acknowledges acceptance of the rules and required equipment.

 Finally, to protect the endangered plants, ice climbing is restricted to areas of the Gorge with ice; no scrambling on the low-angled slopes next to the ice to set topropes.

 The local ice climbing community is in debt to the forward-thinking managers of Salmon River, specifically Dan Sawchuck of the DEC and Scott Jackson, forest ranger and ice climber. Through Dan’s help, ice climbing is not only allowed, but an information kiosk has been installed, as well as a permanent anchor point for a winch to assist in hauling injured people from the Gorge. Finally, with Scott’s encouragement, the DEC is providing funding for a rescue cache to be installed during winter months near the Amphitheatre.

 The Rebirth

 The year 2003 was a banner ice year. With the eye-opening successes on Mate, Spawn, and Die, and Shale We Climb, activity centered on the Amphitheatre with the addition of 5 new routes rated WI5 or harder. All of these routes were on the “easy” right-hand side of the Amphitheatre where columns were connected and the topouts somewhat shortened. Routes like Salmonella (WI5+), Salmon Nation (WI5), Go Fly a Kype (WI5), and Curtain Call for the Salmonid (WI4) were all climbed within a couple of weeks.

 Later in the season, the second “big” route in the Amphitheatre was climbed, Play it Again, Salmon (WI5+ M6). This route ascends a free-standing 100’ column to the point of attachment, then dry-tools through three big roofs to reach the rim. It saw a second ascent this year by Tom Yandon; while seconding, much of the route collapsed into the river. Several weeks later the route reformed bigger (and safer!) than ever.

 The 2004/2005 season was especially good and many new lines were climbed. The season started with the first WI6 route in the Gorge, A Pitch Called Wanda (WI6 M6), followed immediately by Chum (WI5 M6), put in by Will Mayo. Several weeks later, Will Mayo returned and climbed King Salmon (WI6 M7+) on the steepest section of the Amphitheatre. Joe Szot paid a visit, putting in Scale, Flail, or Bail (WI5 M4). An end-of-season visit by Robert “Griz” Ginieczki and Todd Mazzola resulted in four new routes, the hanging column of Chum Stick (WI5 M4 R) and its variation Chum Lick (WI5 M4), the hanging dagger Sockeye (II WI5+b/c PG13+/R-, as graded by Mazzola), and the super steep Filet It Again (WI5+ M6).

 Not only was it a good year for new routes, but many other lines in the Amphitheatre are getting climbing on a regular basis. Mate, Spawn, and Die, once a scary undertaking, is now the standard warm up and has been led by at least a half-dozen climbers. Salmonella (WI5+), a 60’ free-standing column, was especially fat and saw many repeats.

The Gorge is a special place. It’s remote, private, very quiet, has easy access (100 yards from the car), and has a large number of routes of a variety of difficulties.

Jim Lawyer