Anorthosite delight

Slide climbing is a fundamental part of the Adirondack mountaineering culture. Scaling exposed anorthosite rock slopes dates back to the 1800s, when early pioneers used them as the path of least resistance to a respective summit or to add an element of adventure to a hike.

Heavy rains are typically the catalyst for new slides exposing rock. On Aug. 21, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene tore through the Adirondacks and left an unprecedented 42 new or enlarged slides longer than 1,500 feet, and countless smaller slides. Finding many slides before the storm required