Crag features

The Catskills are home to many high quality ice routes that accommodate both novices and seasoned climbers alike. Areas such as the Asbestos Wall are perfect for novice climbers to gain experience climbing ice in the relative comfort of a short, southeast facing cliff. For the multipitch enthusiasts, areas like Stoney Clove offer moderate and more difficult routes high in the Stoney Clove pass. The Devils Kitchen is unique in having such a high concentration of classic lines of varying difficulty so close to the road. The Black Chasm is home to some of the steepest, most sustained ice pitches in the Northeast and is a testing ground for your skills in the absurd endeavor of hard ice climbing. 

Given the increasing popularity of winter climbing, easily accessed areas can be very crowded on weekends between mid-December and mid-March. Fortunately, this increase in pressure has been met with a flurry of new mixed route development in areas such as the Devils Kitchen and Stoney Clove. These routes offer a good technical workout to those looking to climb harder, more challenging lines.