Ticking off the Classics

The Shawagunks guidebook describes "High Exposure" as a climb that you would have to travel to the Arapiles to match. A few days of climbing and we understood. Steep, exposed pitches of all varieties of difficulty. Tricky single-pitch workouts and 4-5 pitch moderates. With ideal weather and a campground at the base, The Gunks barely even compare.










More importantly, we were immediately adopted by a rowdy bunch of kiwis, who (a) had two copies of the coveted, out-of-print guidebook, (b) led at comparable grades, (c) built us a community kitch out of tarps and tree branches, and (d) agreed to take care of us - to the point of renting us a car and offering a free helicopter ride, glacier tour - when we arrive in "N Zed" in July.
It's unreal!!