Bloody Mary

Paralyzing positioning, sustained climbing, and impeccable rock make this route one of Poke-O's finest vertical jaunts.

As you climb, remind yourself that for 15 years, this route stood as the hardest climb in the Adirondacks.

Pitch 1: Begin roughly 100 feet to the right and uphill from Gamesmanship, and roughly 100 feet to the left of The Fastest Gun. Spot the curving dihedral high on the route (the 2nd pitch), this is what you are aiming for.

Climb the broken corner and hand cracks to the left of the corner to a nice belay ledge below the massive, curving dihedral.(Note: You need to build an anchor here). (5.6 / 40 feet)

Pitch 2: The gem of the route. Climb off the belay ledge and into the dihedral. Continue up the sustained corner until you reach a welcomed rest mid-pitch. Aim for the small, left-facing corner. Gain this and climb it with similar difficulty to a semi-hanging belay at chains. (5.9+ / 110 feet)

(NOTE: MOST PARTIES RAP FROM THE TOP OF THE 2ND PITCHES THE UPPER PITCHES ARE RATHER DIRTY AND LOOSE!!)

Pitch 3: If you want to continue...climb the tight dihedral until easier rock is reached. Belay here at another small ledge. (5.8 / 80 feet)

Pitches 4, 5, and 6 Scramble over some loose, dirty rock to gain the upper pitches of Gamesmanship (5.7 PG/R), or continue out right to meet up with The Fastest Gun (5.10).

Descent: If you plan to go to the top of the cliff. Use the same rap station as Gamesmanship or The Fastest Gun. Both require two 60 meter ropes for rappelling.

The route is located 100 feet to the right and uphill from Gamesmanship, and roughly 100 feet to the left of The Fastest Gun. Spot the curving dihedral high on the route (the 2nd pitch), this is what you are aiming for.

A nice size rack with doubles in the #.75 to #3 Camalot size. An additional #3.5 or #4 is welcomed, too. Double ropes, or a tag line, many long slings, and as with all routes on Poke-O, a good assortment of stoppers and RPs is always nice to have in the quiver of protection.