Ice Climbers Beware!
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 3:40 pm
For those of you that have been climbing the ice off Route 42 in West Kill--
Hurricane Irene precipitated one massive landslide and several smaller ones across state route 42 in Deep Notch (between Shandaken and West Kill). The biggest is still in a precarious state. The National Guard dug it out to open one lane to traffic, but any activity nearby could start more landslides. This is an area that has been popular with ice climbers for the last several years. The has been a sign that said "Fallen Rock Zone" there for many years, and there are frequently large chunks of ice in the road in springtime, but Irene buried the road over 20 feet deep and partially filled in the beaver pond. A wide swath brought down giant boulders, entire trees, etc. Please be very careful about climbing here because you could easily end up in an avalanche if you dislodge anything.
Hurricane Irene precipitated one massive landslide and several smaller ones across state route 42 in Deep Notch (between Shandaken and West Kill). The biggest is still in a precarious state. The National Guard dug it out to open one lane to traffic, but any activity nearby could start more landslides. This is an area that has been popular with ice climbers for the last several years. The has been a sign that said "Fallen Rock Zone" there for many years, and there are frequently large chunks of ice in the road in springtime, but Irene buried the road over 20 feet deep and partially filled in the beaver pond. A wide swath brought down giant boulders, entire trees, etc. Please be very careful about climbing here because you could easily end up in an avalanche if you dislodge anything.