High Exposure - 5.6 Shawangunks, New York

5.6 Doesn't get any better - or steeper

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Getting to High Exposure is not an easy thing. Sure, the 20-minute stroll along the Gunks’ tree-lined Carriage Road is mellow: perfectly flat with views of the Hudson River Valley to your right, and the delicious Trapps cliffline on your left.

But the true crux is not stopping to climb the slew of incredible lines you’ll pass on the way: CCK, Son of Easy O, Andrew, Coexistence, Arrow ... the cliff is stacked with unforgettable, plan-your-trip-around-this, once-in-a-lifetime classic routes. Still, keep on truckin’: These lines pale in comparison to High Exposure, the climb for which the term “classic” was seemingly coined.

High E was first climbed in 1941, with a hemp rope and three soft-iron pitons for pro — a visionary achievement at the time. The route’s first ascentionists, immigrants Hans Kraus and Fritz Wiessner, were two of the great characters in North American climbing history. Wiessner’s fame derived from his incredible climbing prowess — he is credited with FAs of routes in the 5.11 range (in Saxony and the Dolomites) as early as the 1920s. Kraus, an orthopedic surgeon by trade, was the personal back doctor to JFK, and is credited with first making the connection between exercise and health!

Small wonder that it took two such men to crack High E, which begins with a nice 5.5 pitch up a steep corner system to the mile-long Grand Traverse Ledge.
Here, you’ll join the crowd (and, trust me, there will be a crowd) queuing up for the main event. It’s not uncommon to wait in line here for an hour or two, but the ledge is spacious, the views breathtaking, and the entertainment constant as climbers wobble up to the giant triangular roof 25 feet above and disappear around its right side via a balancy crux move.

Above this lies the section for which High E is named: a forearm-pumping, slightly overhanging 60-foot headwall that juts out 200 feet above the
forest floor and looks more like 5.11 than 5.6. The holds are big, however, and there is just enough pro; if you do whip, it’ll be into fresh air.

Those who’ve climbed High E usually tout it as the best 5.6 on the planet.

No arguments from me.