The Powerlinez Climbing Area
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An elephant, a rhinoceros, and Jabba the Hutt inhabit the zoomorphic rock along the cliff at Torne Valley. Known to climbers as the Powerlinez, the utilitarian name doesn’t do justice to the picturesque crag, with its melted, colorful features.
The area of Harriman State Park opened for rock climbing is known as the “Steps of the Torne” located on the southwest side of Ramapo Torne. Climbing areas do not include anything on or above Wrightman’s Plateau, which is the flat area above the “Books Tier.” The summit cliffs of the hill are off limits. |
The Ramapo Torne was formed from gneiss rock, a hard metamorphic rock that was subjected to immense heat and pressure creating coarse irregular whirls, bulges and folds making for varied climbing. The trad routes are short with rough, unpolished rock, and due to the low traffic, can be a bit dirty.
A new climbing area, the Powerlinez has not been “gardened” so there are trees to circumvent mid-route and top-outs can be downright messy. Some of the climbable rock is loose or breakable.
The Powerlinez is part of Harriman State Park, but Orange and Rockland Electric also uses the area, accessing their substation from the same trail head.
Gunks legends such as Russ Clune and Al Diamond had been sampling the Ramapo Torne’s offerings for years before the Powerlinez became a sanctioned climbing area. It was shut down in 2011 due to concerns about increased climbing use from the area’s multiple landowners.
A new climbing area, the Powerlinez has not been “gardened” so there are trees to circumvent mid-route and top-outs can be downright messy. Some of the climbable rock is loose or breakable.
The Powerlinez is part of Harriman State Park, but Orange and Rockland Electric also uses the area, accessing their substation from the same trail head.
Gunks legends such as Russ Clune and Al Diamond had been sampling the Ramapo Torne’s offerings for years before the Powerlinez became a sanctioned climbing area. It was shut down in 2011 due to concerns about increased climbing use from the area’s multiple landowners.
The board of the Torne Valley Climbers Coalition (TVCC) worked with Jim Hall, head of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, to open the area, which happened in 2013. The TVCC now manages the area’s waivers, trails, and usage.
Located at the Southern end of Harriman the crag is accessible, not through the park, but from a pull-off parking lot on Torne Valley Road in Ramapo, NY. After quick jog along the roadside, take a left over a newish bridge, then take an unmarked right up a Jeep road. The road splits, take the left fork follow Rutty Road, which is the home of the “Welcome Boulders” and bear left. Bouldering starts on the right followed by rock climbing.
Powerlinez Bouldering areas are in this order – first Boulder Road (0),East End bouldering (0),The Loop(8),Monsoon / Swamp (0),Rock Dojo (1),Shakedown Street (0),Swath Boulders (0),Tower Wall Tier (0), and the Welcome Boulders (6).
Rock climbing walls start with Swath, 9 routes, and continues with Boulder Road Crags (3),Swamp (7), Yankee Ramparts (11), Revolutionary Ramparts (18), Tower Wall Area (46), Picatinny (42), Perched Ramparts (58), East End (89), Kittatinny (0), Books Tier (109).
Top-Roping several interesting lines close together works for many of the sections. From the work of setting up one route, climbers can access several short, interesting routes.
Boulder problems abound on the jungle gym of rock strewn at the base of the cliff, many unsent.
There are five routes that have some bolts at Powerlinez -- but these bolts and hangers,zinc-plated steel, were there before the official opening, and they are not inspected or maintained by the TVCC or the Park.
Norm Rasmussen, a board member of the Torne Valley Climbers’ Coalition, gave me a tour of the area in mid-May. Rasmussen said that the valley below the climbing was used as a paint dump site by Ford in the ‘70s, but has since been cleaned up. However, Rasmussen is still wary of partaking in the blueberries bushes that grow so abundantly atop the steps.
Well before the misuse of the 70s, the area was a Ramapo Indian site. Humans have been drawn to the area for centuries; there is a compass rock on one of the outcroppings signifying the area’s importance to native peoples. Ramapo recorded variously as Ramopuck, Ramapock, or Ramapough, is of Lenape origin, meaning either "sweet water" or "slanting rocks".
The TVCC intends on keeping the infrastructure of the area undeveloped, except some approved trails ,usually marked with white diamonds or sometimes yellow or red paint.
By designating a climbing area with intention, not organically, the TVCC can benefit from the experience climbing areas that have gone before them and hopefully avert some of the problems of overuse other climbing areas have experienced.
A waiver form is required before climbing. Forms are kept at the Gravity Vault - Upper Saddle River, NJ, Chatham, NJ, and several other locations. The Cliffs- Long Island City, NY and Valhalla, NY, and Rock & Snow climbing shop in New Paltz, NY. Signing the waver must be done before arriving at the Powerlinez to climb. As of this writing in June 2017 there are no fees to climb at the Powerlinez.
There is a rough guide book available at some of the local climbing gyms and Rasmussen, and Matt Ratajczak have developed an App on Rakkup Powerlinez Rock Climbing Guidebook.
The TVCC gets a permit to continue its work at the Powerlinez each year from the Palisades Park Commission, according to Russman.
“We think we’re doing a good job, especially based on the cleanliness of the area and the fact that climbers are following all parking requests on where to park,” Rasmussen said.
This year the TVCC got permits for the next five years, so must be doing ok. Rasmussen estimates that around 1,300 climbers use the Powerlinez each, based on waiver and estimates of people who don’t sign.
When we were out walking around, I saw no trash and little evidence of social-trials or gardening.
The TVCC was awarded the Access Fund’s Sharp End Award in 2013 for their exemplary grassroots organizing and advocacy in reopened the Powerlinez.
Some of the original TVCC Board members have moved on to other objectives, but those who volunteer on the board now still have the same goal: to keep the Powerlinez open for climbing.
“We just want people to have a good time and climb here,” Rasmussen said.
Located at the Southern end of Harriman the crag is accessible, not through the park, but from a pull-off parking lot on Torne Valley Road in Ramapo, NY. After quick jog along the roadside, take a left over a newish bridge, then take an unmarked right up a Jeep road. The road splits, take the left fork follow Rutty Road, which is the home of the “Welcome Boulders” and bear left. Bouldering starts on the right followed by rock climbing.
Powerlinez Bouldering areas are in this order – first Boulder Road (0),East End bouldering (0),The Loop(8),Monsoon / Swamp (0),Rock Dojo (1),Shakedown Street (0),Swath Boulders (0),Tower Wall Tier (0), and the Welcome Boulders (6).
Rock climbing walls start with Swath, 9 routes, and continues with Boulder Road Crags (3),Swamp (7), Yankee Ramparts (11), Revolutionary Ramparts (18), Tower Wall Area (46), Picatinny (42), Perched Ramparts (58), East End (89), Kittatinny (0), Books Tier (109).
Top-Roping several interesting lines close together works for many of the sections. From the work of setting up one route, climbers can access several short, interesting routes.
Boulder problems abound on the jungle gym of rock strewn at the base of the cliff, many unsent.
There are five routes that have some bolts at Powerlinez -- but these bolts and hangers,zinc-plated steel, were there before the official opening, and they are not inspected or maintained by the TVCC or the Park.
Norm Rasmussen, a board member of the Torne Valley Climbers’ Coalition, gave me a tour of the area in mid-May. Rasmussen said that the valley below the climbing was used as a paint dump site by Ford in the ‘70s, but has since been cleaned up. However, Rasmussen is still wary of partaking in the blueberries bushes that grow so abundantly atop the steps.
Well before the misuse of the 70s, the area was a Ramapo Indian site. Humans have been drawn to the area for centuries; there is a compass rock on one of the outcroppings signifying the area’s importance to native peoples. Ramapo recorded variously as Ramopuck, Ramapock, or Ramapough, is of Lenape origin, meaning either "sweet water" or "slanting rocks".
The TVCC intends on keeping the infrastructure of the area undeveloped, except some approved trails ,usually marked with white diamonds or sometimes yellow or red paint.
By designating a climbing area with intention, not organically, the TVCC can benefit from the experience climbing areas that have gone before them and hopefully avert some of the problems of overuse other climbing areas have experienced.
A waiver form is required before climbing. Forms are kept at the Gravity Vault - Upper Saddle River, NJ, Chatham, NJ, and several other locations. The Cliffs- Long Island City, NY and Valhalla, NY, and Rock & Snow climbing shop in New Paltz, NY. Signing the waver must be done before arriving at the Powerlinez to climb. As of this writing in June 2017 there are no fees to climb at the Powerlinez.
There is a rough guide book available at some of the local climbing gyms and Rasmussen, and Matt Ratajczak have developed an App on Rakkup Powerlinez Rock Climbing Guidebook.
The TVCC gets a permit to continue its work at the Powerlinez each year from the Palisades Park Commission, according to Russman.
“We think we’re doing a good job, especially based on the cleanliness of the area and the fact that climbers are following all parking requests on where to park,” Rasmussen said.
This year the TVCC got permits for the next five years, so must be doing ok. Rasmussen estimates that around 1,300 climbers use the Powerlinez each, based on waiver and estimates of people who don’t sign.
When we were out walking around, I saw no trash and little evidence of social-trials or gardening.
The TVCC was awarded the Access Fund’s Sharp End Award in 2013 for their exemplary grassroots organizing and advocacy in reopened the Powerlinez.
Some of the original TVCC Board members have moved on to other objectives, but those who volunteer on the board now still have the same goal: to keep the Powerlinez open for climbing.
“We just want people to have a good time and climb here,” Rasmussen said.
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