Powerful, thin facing climbing that packs a stunning punch in just 50 feet of climbing.

 Start about 15 feet right of Kingdom Come on the right side of the ledge, just left of the black streak. Hard moves off the deck lead to good horizontal jug.  Leaving the jug you enter sustained and painful edging with strenuous clipping stances up to a fixed anchor to the right of the final bolt.  This route has been updated some what recently.   Check it out!!

http://adirondackrock.com/newroutes.htm#King_Wall

Four Guns Blazing

The Keep

Wall Ruler-King and I (linkup)

The Prince

Royal Pain

Elusive Dream (pitch 1 only)

Kingdom Come

Another Wack and Dangle Job

Working Wives

Chronic Fixation

Climb up the steep wall on good, but somewhat spaced holds to a vertical left facing rail.  From the top of the rail, head slightly right on sharp crimps to the shared anchor with Four Guns Blazing.

A great pitch on good rock that starts from a ledge halfway up The King Wall.  It is well worth climbing the scrappy Wall Ruler to access this route.  While you're up there climbing The King and I is also recommended.   

  Step left from the anchor and continue (left) for another 15 feet or so.  Climb up to a small right facing flake then back right to the first bolt.  Climb the pocketed, dimpled face past two more bolts to a sloping ledge.  Crank up into the open book to a delicate stance.  Very thin face climbing past two bolts leads to a good hold and eventually another ledge.  Work into the scoop, mantel onto the lower angle slab and then climb to the trees. 

  One double 60m rappel to the shared anchor with The King and I.  One more double 60m rappel to the ground.

This great linkup combines Wall Ruler and The King and I. 

  P1 (5.10d G): Go up the black face to a ledge, then make a difficult pull (crux) to gain a left-facing flake. Follow the flake to its top, then continue up and left and make a final difficult move to a hanging belay. This sport pitch is well-protected, but there is a possibility of ledge fall making the crux move. 80' 

  P2 (5.10a G, 5.4 X): Go straight up to a bolt, then make an awkward, scrunched traverse right to a large left-facing corner in the roof. Another awkward move gains jugs on the right wall. Go up and right to the arete and follow jugs over the roof (5.4 X), then go up and left to a fixed anchor. Gear to #2 Camalot. 50' 

  P3 (5.5 R): Go up and left from the anchor following the line of weakness, then up a chocolate-colored slab to a right-facing corner-roof. Up this to a sidewalk-ledge that slopes down and right. Go down this to its end, move down a 4'-high step (yellow Alien), then continue down and right to a fixed anchor. 100' 

  P4 (5.9+ G): Straight above the anchor is a line of black bolts (the line of bolts to the left is The Keep, 5.11b). Go up a black wall on amazing, hidden holds to a headwall. Over this, then up continue straight up two more bulges to a fixed anchor on a tree. The pitch is mostly bolted, but has a couple cam placements to #1 Camalot. 140'

P1 5.5G (50') - Up to ledge (or traverse from left on ledge), then up to a left facing corner.  Climb the corner then traverse right to a bolted belay. 

  P2 5.7G (60') - Climb straight up, through overlap (crux), up to small roof (for gear), then step back down to make a couple moves left (more gear), then up and right on a ledge with a good belay at a left facing open book. 

  P3 5.7G (90') - (V1) Climb left side of flake, follow fingercrack up and left, along a ramp, up a shallow corner (sometimes wet) to a jutting rock.  Behind this (crux), up and left through the roof.  Travese left to belay/rap. 

  You will not reach the ground with a single rope rappel.  Expect to use the rappel station about 50 feet below and right of the top rap station. 

  V1 5.9+R - Straight up black face (bolt).  Use the handcrack in the roof to right leaning crack that cuts back left to a ledge and belay (80 feet).  Up 5.7 slab (100 feet) to the top.  The walkoff right is poor, so this doesn't get climbed much.

At the left end of the cliff is a fat, right-facing flake.  This is the first pitch of Elusive Dream.  This is the only free pitch on this route, and to my knowledge, no one has freed the upper two pitches of aid looming above. 

  Climb the fun layback/jamming flake to the crux exit moves.  Once above the crux, a thoughtful "stand-up" move is encountered...don't pull on the rivets!  Choose a nest of tat to clip in to.  (Note:  There are two anchors at the top, but the one on the right seems to be the more sound of the two.)

A slightly overhanging line on one of the Adirondacks's most impressive faces. The 1st pitch is pumpy climbing on good holds. The underclinging 2nd pitch with insecure smears will test your forearms and endurance.

This amazing route lies in the massive left arching corner on the left end of the King Wall. Pat Purcell aided the route to the existing anchor all the while intending for it to be a full length route. The potential to extend this free climb out the rest of the arch is definitely there! 

  Scramble around left and back right across a scrappy ledge to reach the base of the left facing and overhanging corner. The start of the route is marked by a 2-bolt anchor which Purcell must have placed.  

  Stem up the initial corner into increasingly steep and pumpy climbing to reach the anchor. This route is truly unique for the Daks and should be destined to become a free classic at the crag!

Start on the ledge and climb up the left-facing corner(as for Prince.) At the top of the corner, move left onto the face/slab and a line of bolts. Climb up to the left end of an overlap, and move left onto a steep bulgy slab. The crux is around this part: high-step moves on desperately small crimps. After the crux move up and left and onto an outside corner/arete thing with a bolt. Move up it and right(possible trad gear around this section) and onto better holds on another face. Continue up past an overlap to a fixed anchor.

Chronic Fixation is one of the few "warm-ups" for the harder routes of this cliff. It tackles the short, but stout face 150 feet to the left of Kingdom Come.   

  Off the deck, engaging moves lure the climber to either side of the first two bolts, then the route sends the climber groping for positive patina along the sloping rails riddling the face.  The final crux comes right below the anchor with a painful series of crimps and gastons.  The route doesn't let up until you've clipped the anchors.

Located behind the Emperor Slab is the tremendous King Wall.  This wall, at roughly 300', hosts some of the Adirondacks premier hard face routes.  When looked at, the cliff resembles a large concave face; gently overhanging at the center right end, and it seems relatively devoid of anything climbable.  As a result, many of the routes here are bolt protected and very thin.   

  Unlike the easy access to many Adirondack crags, this mysterious cliff is guarded from the road by a 25 minutes uphill slog through a thick forest and a wet, loose gully.  

  This cliff IS worth the hike, even if you aren't a climber.  It is truly a magical place with a very powerful aura unlike anything else you've experienced in the Dacks.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The King Wall