Anyone know what hapened to Katahdin’s Chimney.class 4 climb
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:53 am
Before I start losing people by elaborating too much let me get down to my specific questions first:
1. Does BSP still allow people to do it without ropes like in the past?
2. Why is it still not in the AMC guides? Were too many people hurt or did some mini avalanche wipe out what was once a daring but possible non technical climb.
3. When was it taken out of the AMC guides?
4. When people list (like on this website) the most dangerous and best scramblers of all time in the East why is this not on it? Based on the descriptions in past AMC guides this thing would make Huntington’s Ravine, the Cathedral trail ECT seem as safe as Disneyland. It was considered more of a route in past guides than a trail, but it was in those guides in the first place unlike pure technical climbs, and BSP had markers that even lead to the popular(yes the AMC used the word popular) Chimney climb from the Chimney Pond. Is it really that forgotten about? It sounds like the forgotten legend of eastern mountain climbing to me.
* edit ik it sounds like i'm complaining, but it's more just a fascination than anything else that comes from something that seems to be forgotten about for some mysterious reason.
5. Clearly I find this thing fascinating, if anyone has ever ascended or descended it, I would love to hear! I’m specifically interested in how it truly compares to trails such as the Huntington’s Ravine or the regular Knifes Edge between Pamola and Chimney peaks.
For those of you that don’t know the Chimney is basically the gully that runs up between Chimney and Pamola peaks on Katahdin. It currently rates as a 5.5 for rock climbing, but as stated earlier people often climbed it without ropes in the past making it the East’s only class 4 scrambler(ropes are strongly encouraged but not mandatory).
Here is an excerpt from an AMC guide from the 1960’s for anyone curious of just how insane this thing is/was:
“The Chimney is one of the very steep clefts, technically “couloirs”, in the wall of the South Basin. It offers the most direct route from Chimney Pond to Pamola or the Knife Edge, but insecure foot and hand holds and many loose rocks make it DANGEROUS, and it should not be attempted unless some in the party are experienced rock-climbers. Wear hobnailed or rubber-soled shoes, and, unless the party is of equal strength, carry an 80ft. rope. Any directions for climbing the Chimney are merely suggestions, as, on account of the ice and rock falls, it changes considerable from season to season.”
And the very end is this:
“The descent of the Chimney without the use of a fixed or a doubled rope at the first (lowest) chockstone is DANGEROUS.”
1. Does BSP still allow people to do it without ropes like in the past?
2. Why is it still not in the AMC guides? Were too many people hurt or did some mini avalanche wipe out what was once a daring but possible non technical climb.
3. When was it taken out of the AMC guides?
4. When people list (like on this website) the most dangerous and best scramblers of all time in the East why is this not on it? Based on the descriptions in past AMC guides this thing would make Huntington’s Ravine, the Cathedral trail ECT seem as safe as Disneyland. It was considered more of a route in past guides than a trail, but it was in those guides in the first place unlike pure technical climbs, and BSP had markers that even lead to the popular(yes the AMC used the word popular) Chimney climb from the Chimney Pond. Is it really that forgotten about? It sounds like the forgotten legend of eastern mountain climbing to me.
* edit ik it sounds like i'm complaining, but it's more just a fascination than anything else that comes from something that seems to be forgotten about for some mysterious reason.
5. Clearly I find this thing fascinating, if anyone has ever ascended or descended it, I would love to hear! I’m specifically interested in how it truly compares to trails such as the Huntington’s Ravine or the regular Knifes Edge between Pamola and Chimney peaks.
For those of you that don’t know the Chimney is basically the gully that runs up between Chimney and Pamola peaks on Katahdin. It currently rates as a 5.5 for rock climbing, but as stated earlier people often climbed it without ropes in the past making it the East’s only class 4 scrambler(ropes are strongly encouraged but not mandatory).
Here is an excerpt from an AMC guide from the 1960’s for anyone curious of just how insane this thing is/was:
“The Chimney is one of the very steep clefts, technically “couloirs”, in the wall of the South Basin. It offers the most direct route from Chimney Pond to Pamola or the Knife Edge, but insecure foot and hand holds and many loose rocks make it DANGEROUS, and it should not be attempted unless some in the party are experienced rock-climbers. Wear hobnailed or rubber-soled shoes, and, unless the party is of equal strength, carry an 80ft. rope. Any directions for climbing the Chimney are merely suggestions, as, on account of the ice and rock falls, it changes considerable from season to season.”
And the very end is this:
“The descent of the Chimney without the use of a fixed or a doubled rope at the first (lowest) chockstone is DANGEROUS.”