“Tricam Project” First Ascent – Reaching new heights at Thacher

By Jeff Martino

A major milestone has been achieved for the John Boyd Thacher State Park rock climbing community. The park, along the Helderberg Escarpment near Voorheesville, is 15 miles southwest of Albany. The route previously known simply as the Tricam Project was first ascended on May 24 by Ryan Almeida of Manorville. The route difficulty is rated at 5.13 which is near the top of the 5.1-5.15 Yosemite Decimal System scale. Routes at this rating are typically only climbed by elite and professional-level athletes. “It was super fun climbing throughout, but the culminating top section itself left for a pretty stressful conclusion,” Ryan said. “I didn’t expect to experience that level of climbing based on other routes in the area.”

The open project was named after a piece of tattered, old rock climbing gear known as a “tricam” that was found in a crack near the bottom of the route. While it is unknown how long the tricam was there, it was discovered by local route developer Jeff Moss, who cleaned and bolted the route back in 2016.

Jeff, along with many ambitious climbers, attempted to climb the route but were stumped by the strenuous crux toward the top of the route. “The route goes at about 5.10 up until the crux, which is a very hard boulder problem.” Jeff said. “That tricam was placed about 20 feet up by some misguided visionary way ahead of their time. They were basically trying to do a 5.13 route, ground up, on gear, on Thacher limestone. Once the Thacher Climbing Coalition was formed in 2012, and took a proper, sanctioned approach to developing routes, they put the route up with bolts, and it’s great that someone has finally ‘sent it!’”

It is tradition for the first ascensionist of a route to have naming rights after it has been climbed free. Ryan has renamed the route “Peregrine” for the fast-diving bird of prey that can sometimes be spotted within the park. Ryan has uploaded a full-length video of himself climbing the route: youtube.com.

The Thacher Climbing Coalition hopes that this route will attract other elite-level athletes to the park and promote Thacher as a climbing destination in the Northeast. “It’s absolutely wild to see someone finally send this climb.” said TCC president Dan Weber. “It’s a stunning line through the most impressive section of the climbing area and it really opens up more possibilities there in the Cave Wall and throughout the park.”

Several climbing walls were temporarily closed in late spring due to the peregrine falcons nesting in the area. The early June reopening allows TCC to continue with new route development plans this season. There are other ongoing projects happening for the team as well. Most notably, the coalition is managing the installation of a staircase that will provide better access to the climbing area. The addition will eliminate the need to traverse through the narrow cavern colloquially known as the “squeeze.” Plans for the staircase were conditionally approved by the park. “The squeeze is a unique feature and some of us are quite fond of it.” said TCC board member Bill Ottaway. “But for some people, squeezing through that tight space with climbing gear can be uncomfortable, difficult or simply impossible. The stairs will make climbing more accessible and provide a much more welcoming gateway to the area.”

Aside from the peregrine, TCC has worked closely with park staff to ensure longevity of other rare and threatened species as well. Among these species are the little brown bats that live within Hailes Cave and an evergreen cliff-loving fern known as “smooth cliffbrake” that grows along the walls of the Escarpment. 

While the first ascent of “Peregrine” and the conditional approval of the staircase are monumental achievements, the coalition also plans to conduct several route cleaning days to clear the climbing walls of potential falling debris. The team also has a trail maintenance day planned for later this summer. 

Thacher Climbing Coalition is a non-profit organization that’s entirely supported by volunteers and donations, and climbers are encouraged to get involved. For more info, visit: climbthacher.org. 

Jeff Martino (jeff.b.martino@gmail.com) is a new member of the Capital Region but has dived headfirst into exploring the area through his climbing, running, and cycling pursuits.