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A friend an I are headed down to the ice fest this weekend and we were wondering if anyone could recommend good climbs in the area. (Rosendale, NY) Grade 3 - 4 any info would be great. Looking forward to the climbing!

stay away from the Kitchen (aka Devil's Kitchen) - that's where all the clinics are going to be held.

For grade 3-4 your best shot will be Stoney Clove,
I was there yesterday and there is a lot of ice in that range this year, both on the East and West crags.

Dude, why would you drive south to go ice climbing? The ice in the Catskills is fine for people in NYC, Philly, etc who don't want to drive all the way to the Dacks. But it kind of sucks, especially with the crowds of Ice Fest. There is nothing that compares with Chouinard's, Multi Gully, Roaring Brook Falls, and the other moderates in the Dacks (maybe Buttermilk, Wildcat, and the other "backcountry" routes). You live in Burlington...you have easy access to Smuggs, Frankenstein, and the Dacks. Don't waste your time with the Catskills.

Thanks for the info on an area to climb. The reason I don't go elsewhere to climb is because I am reporting on the events at the ice fest. I can deal with the crowds. It gives me a chance to be social, meet some folk, and climb in a new area. Really looking forward to it!

Any out areas/ routes?

Short climbs and approaches would be: Moore's Bridge or Stoney Clove
Longer climbs and approaches: Buttermilk Falls, or any other falls.