Roof cracks don't get much better than this one! 

  This was the first line climbed at the Beer Walls, and named after the first ascentionists' fantasy on that warm spring day in '82.  

  Commence this climb in a blocky right-facing corner that leads to large ledge about 40 feet up.  Either belay your second up to the ledge, or continue up the steepening right-facing corner.   

  Either way, you will eventually come to a large crack under the massive roof that casts an ominous shadow on you.  Protect this with a #4 Camalot and move out left and up around the roof on buckets.  Fight the sustained crack to the top, plop yourself onto the final belay ledge, and clip the chains.    

  This is also a great way to introduce yourself to multi-pitch climbing, as the belay ledge is as large as a car and offers several options for belaying your second.

Labatt-Ami

Center Stage

Bouncer

Fake ID

Neutron Brew

No Comments from the Peanut Gallery

Roaring Twenties

Seven Ounces

Dark Horse Ail

Tequila Mockingbird

Flying & Drinking and Drinking & Driving

Radioactive

Frosted Mug

Guinness

FDDD starts by climbing up the initial corner of Labatt-Ami, before cutting back left on good holds, until you are just shy of the arete. Small gear can be found at either end of the traverse and should be utilized while still being as extended as possible.  

     From the end of the traverse, make a couple hard, thin moves to a jug rest at the base of a thin crack. Protect in the crack with small nuts and face climb up to the crux, getting into a small left facing corner.  

      Once you've gained the corner follow the 5.7 jug haul to the top.  

      The gear on the 5.10 sections of this climb is small and decently spaced. I would not hesitate to call it PG 13. The 5.7 jug haul is unprotected for the last 15-20 feet and certainly R. The holds are, however, the definition of juggy. 

      There is a direct version that pulls a roof to the right of the mainline. It goes at 5.10d R, but can be easily TR'd off of the same anchors.

One of the better 5.12 trad routes in the park. It hasn't seen much attention over the years, but has recently been thoroughly scrubbed. The first ascent avoided the initial overhanging wall by climbing a cedar tree, which is now gone. The direct start goes at V4. 

  In addition to the hard start, the route has several additional cruxes: the endurance face climbing (which is also runout), and the slab at the top. 

  Boulder up the overhanging wall (~V4) to a ledge. (You may want to stick clip a high piece here to avoid groundfall.) From the ledge, continue up a fingercrack to its top, then traverse left 5' to another short crack. Protect here (bomber #0.4), then punch it up and right to a bolt, then up to a ledge. Negotiate a few puzzling, heartbreaker slab moves, then up horizontals and a right-leaning crack to the top. There's a nice spacious ledge at the top with a large tree for an anchor.

Quality climbing on featured rock with a few shallow diagonal gashes. Very enjoyable and easy (5.8?) climbing until the crux move near the top.

Scale the brickwork face aiming for the two horizontal cracks just right of the tiny hemlock.  Daintily wiggle 1 (or 3) less-than-bomber small cams into the top crack. Then traverse right and transition onto the arête (crux). Climb the arête and left face to a big ledge with sappy pine tree.  

  Wiggle behind the pine and ascend the crack and features directly behind its trunk. The tree will spot you as you make some unprotected moves up to a horizontal jug which takes a lovely pink tricam. Easier going and more pro to the top.  

  Employ your unused rope to build an anchor by slinging the topmost boulder in the pile.

Similar excellent climbing as Radioactive and others on the 5.10 wall.  

  Start at left-hand side of the M-shaped blocks on the ground. Take the most direct line to the top, staying on the left when given a choice. 

  Tequila Mockingbird shares a start and finish, but stays right for the middle 3/4 of the wall

This routes follows a black streak just left of Neutron Brew. An independent, direct -- but unobvious -- line ascending the 5.10 wall. 

  Start 10' left of the M-shaped blocks on committing moves with tricky-to-find protection and stay in the black streak left of the alcove (a shallow, box-shaped area capped by an overhang) OR start by scrambling up to the far left side of "M" shaped ledge and follow a crack that leads to a stance on the far left side of the alcove. Move up and left to follow a streak of black rock. 

  Follow the black streak and pull through the 5.10 wall's second-tier roof at a well-defined vertical crack. Climb to a tan-colored horn in the crack. It's possible to climb straight up from here with reasonable protection and a few cruxy moves -- or traverse left on good holds to a vertical crack, go up a few feet, and the move back right to align with the crack below and then continue climbing straight up to the top.

Much in the style of Tequila (and probably Neutron). You'll need jams, but also to finess on edges, side pulls, pinches - think trad climbing meets technical face with lots of small-ish holds. The rock doesn't feel that good in terms of quality - very grippy, lots of small feature but also feels kind of like choss that's been well cleaned.

 First rise above the blocky start - it's easy but you'll have some height to go to before you can put any real gear in. Might wanna put 2 at the lip before you attempt getting established on the face - it already feels pretty intimidating, after that easy solo up and that humongous headwall stretching 100+ feet up, perfectly flat & vertical (or does it not lean slightly over you?) covering all of your field of view.

 Getting established might feel like the hardest part, but it won't let up much. Get ready for a fight. Once you're midway into the thing, take the time to appreciate the vast expense of vertical rock surrounding you. Then look up and realize you've still a long way to go....

Seven Ounces is a short hand crack that can be easily TRd. Its length, jamming exercises and accessibility make it a good beginner route. It also takes great gear on lead.

This route has some great crack climbing, all well-protected except for the move to and past the crux jug. 

  Climb up a crack system straight up to a horizontal below a roof. Make a huge move to a sloping jug (crux), then gain the excellent crack above. Follow this up past a pesky tree to the sloping ledge where Frosted Mug finishes.

Intimidatingly vertical, sustained, and pumpy climbing on highly featured rock. This route is by no means pure crack, demanding some finger and hand jams, but also small pinches, side-pulling, and the occasional jugging. Hugely enjoyable from the low crux for the remaining 100 feet.  

  Climb up moderate terrain to a ledge (tree pictured in Lawyer & Haas 2014 no longer present), traverse right to guano covered alcove, then up and slightly left over bulge (crux) to start gradually easing but still vertical and pumpy climbing (5.8) straight to top. V1 (5.10b) skips traverse (and guano) and climbs up and slightly right to gain easing but vertical climbing.

Excellent climbing on the slightly overhanging 5.10 wall. Several other routes and many variations follow the same terrain, but no worries: all are good, and all are similar in grade! 

  Start at some mossy ledges and scramble up through some massive juggy boulders. Use the right-hand of two similar cracks splitting the bulge, gaining a stance under an overhang.  

  Move left under the overhang (or go straight up for Radioactive Direct 10d, substantially harder), and eventually work right again to head straight over the line you began with.  

  Roaring Twenties 10b takes a similar line, but breaks left on the upper part (and uses the left-hand lower crack). 

  See Adirondack Rock for a detailed topo.

Along with Mr. Clean, this is the quintessential Dacks crack-in-corner pitch. Beautiful, steep laybacking and jamming up a finger--> hand crack caps an exciting lower half. Begin just left of Labatt-Ami at a broken inside corner. At 10 feet, protect and traverse beneath a small overlap to gain the arete. 10 more unprotected feet (5.7R) gains a stance beneath the corner. Jam and layback the fantastic crack to an enormous ledge with two bolts. 

  This is really a must do; it and Slim Pickins represent the best of 5.9 in the Keene Valley area.

A climb with lots of possibilities for placements, plagued by wetness.  

  Keep walking to climbers right of 3.2 for fifty feet. A varying crack/corner snakes up the wall- this is the climb. Climb up the right-facing corner to a ledge, then up a wide crack. The crack narrows up higher, then step right to avoid a cedar tree growing in the upper crack, and reach the ledge above the Seven Ounces area.

Climb the crack with good holds and rests. Good to warm up on or something to do while waiting for Seven Ounces.

This is the first wall you come to from the parking area.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Upper Beer Wall