In the early 20th century New York and New England were graced with great climbers fresh from the cutting-edge environments of the Alps. Boston and New York City were a first stopping place almost all European immigrants and nearby crags and peaks became their playground or place to settle. In New York State Fritz Wiessner pioneered many first ascents, including the first climb at the Gunks on Millbrook Mountain (the photo above).
I first heard of Fritz while exploring the Northeast with author and photographer John E. Winkler. Winkler knew many of the early Adirondack 46ers who had a connection to Fritz, and we visited many cliffs were he had built his reputation. It has hard to have a conversation about early climbing without they guy somehow being mentioned.
Jim Goodwin and other US-born founders of climbing were either taught directly or closely influenced by Wiessner and others from the Alps. Even though climbing is practiced by over 1 million Americans each year today, it still has a core community which is relatively small. In the 1920s-1940s you can certainly imagine the community was even smaller and news and techniques traveled efficiently with help from the American Alpine Club.
The link with climbing today
Fritz Wiessner like many climbers today had a global perspective (he climbed on K2, all over the US West and in Europe on trips) however he considered the Gunks and Adirondacks his “home” area where he could practice his craft as a part of his regular life. Today you can climb all over the Northeast on classics set by Wiessner. He, like most immigrants today had a strong social network and kept those connections by staying close to New York. He encouraged new people to try climbing and was engaging and vivacious. He continued to climb until his 80s and if you speak to some older climbers who lived through the 30s and 40s they may remember meeting Fritz.
Recently I climbed with one of Fritz Wiessner’s relatives and as a 5.10 climber I was constantly pushed to the limits as we rapidly consumed 12s in out-of-the-way areas. You could say that the spirit of the family is still strong and they still climb hard!
I stumbled upon an article by well-known Adirondack Author Phil Brown on Wiessner’s Chapel Pond Slab routes. Now that spring temps are warming up you may want to try some of these classics near the beautiful Keene Valley.
Here is Phil’s Article in the Adirondack Explorer >
