Best slide for beginners?

[Colden]

Hi everyone,

Love the forum, and this slide climbing group in particular, a lot of very helpful information.

I am a pretty experienced hiker and know the ADKs well, but I have never done a slide climb and I have only some bushwhacking experience. I am planning to climb my first slide soon and would greatly appreciate suggestions on the best route for beginner slide climbers. The other 2-3 hikers coming with me would all be of around the same experience as me.

From what I can tell, Macomb may be the best option, both for relative ease in getting to the base of the slide, and the climb itself. I am not sure of the best/easiest route for the descent though - would it be the same slide, the 1947 slide, or one of the herd paths? We wouldn't necessarily be looking to bag any of the other peaks up there - just looking to try out a slide climb.

Of course the Trap Dike on Colden also looks exciting, but perhaps it would be better to wait on that until we have some experience?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions, much appreciated.

[hillman1]

If your not looking to summit, but just climb a slide, the 5A slide on Kilburn would be nice, with a shorter approach. The easiest one to find and climb with a summit might be Macomb, or possibly the SE slide on Colden, but the upper bit is a bit steep. The dyke is a classic, don't put it off too long if you like being on rock.

[Rivet]

Bennies Brook Slide (Root Canal) on Lower Wolf Jaw is an easy climb. Though, it requires a short bushwack to reach the bottom of it from the Southside trail. The slide takes you right almost to the ridge, and then you could take the marked trail back down.

[Boreal Chickadee]

Macomb is a good starter slide. You can either continue on to Dix for alonger day and go down by the Beckhorn or just go back down the slide for a short day.

Either way be sure to go to the summit about another ten minutes (at most) once you exit the slide (on the left side). Beautiful views of Elk Lake.

Some pics from two trips up the slide and along the Dix range last July.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=k9z7mf1.aarhx291&Uy=lz01w3&Ux=0

[TFR]

The Trap Dyke and the Macomb slide are very different. On the Macomb slide you are climbing a large rubbly slope. There is almost no hand climbing to be done here. Footing can be tricky, especially descending. Any water on the Macomb slide is almost a non-issue.

The Trap Dyke on the other hand involves a lot of hand climbing. There can be water flowing on it as well. There is very little loose rock. Well, that was before the avalanche this past winter, so who knows? :eek:

Another alternative is the slide on the North side of Dix. If you ever think you are getting in over your head, you can exit almost immediately to the trail.

[Mavs00]

Bennies is a GREAT beginner slide, I didi it with my kids and they were like 10-13 years old. It's very mellow as slides go.

[AlpineSummit]

the Great Slide on Grace* gets my vote

*the peak formerly known as East Dix

[lumberzac]

the Great Slide on Grace* gets my vote

*the peak formerly known as East Dix

That one gets my vote too. It's also my favorite access route to the Dix Range.

[Neil]

One important consideration is the quality of the views from the slide. In that regard I would give the slide on Grace a :tup: . Nothing wrong with Bennies of course but I found the views to be less panoramic than from the Grace slide.

The Bottle Slide on Giant had stupendous views but I wouldn't call it a beginner slide, especially because of the long approach and tricky route off the slide's top to the summit.

Another slide which is pretty easy to get onto, up and off of is the Whiteface ski hill slide.

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Macomb... hands down(http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150686/macomb-mountain.html). It was my first, and I'm glad it was. Being a rubble slide, you don't have to worry about your footing on potentially slippery slabs, route finding, or headwalls. Overall, it has a "safer" feel to it that will allow you to get accoustomed to the exposure on slides.

As far as slab slides go, Bennies Brook and Dix North are good slides. However, you'll have a thick herdpath to follow for the summit of Dix from that slide.

I must disagree with Neil: Though the Whiteface Ski Slide (http://www.summitpost.org/route/166992/Ski-Slide-1.html) is very nice, I think that sections are too steep and exposed for a first slide. And although the Great Slide on Grace/E Dix (my second, ) is nice when dry, I would definitely stay away from if there is any chance of it being wet as it is covered with an extremely slippery red algae (Adk Teflon). Info at http://www.summitpost.org/route/160564/great-slide-of-east-dix.html... don't let the main photo scare you, it's a climber (which just happens to be me) ascending the nub, off the main route up the slide.

One tidbit to remember... going down a slab slide is harder than going up, so don't paint yourself into a corner (another bonus for Macomb).

[Colden]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think we will probably end up doing Macomb or maybe Bennies, but it looks like we won't be able to do it for a couple of weeks unfortunately. I will post an update when it happens.

Thanks again for the help!

[pete_hickey]

the Great Slide on Grace* gets my vote

*the peak formerly known as East Dix

Not if it has rained the night before. When wet, that thing gets slicker than the left hand of a movie star.