How the Ice Pond Guidebook Came To Be (And Why Now?)

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 It was 20 years ago that Gary Goldfinger began tracking climbs on a spreadsheet during his first trip to Ice Pond — then, he forgot about it for 17 years. 

Ice Pond is one of the most beloved crags in all of Westchester, but until 2024, there was no guidebook. This meant that for decades, climbers ventured to the woods in Putnam County by either word of mouth, or handwritten directions to try the sometimes unnamed boulders deep in the forest. Gary Goldfinger, a New Rochelle native who now lives and works in Truckee, California, was the first person to publish details of the over 325 boulders tucked away in the Ice Pond Conservation Area which spans nearly 370 acres.

The name Ice Pond itself derives from the now bygone era of ice harvesting, when chunks of ice would be cut from lakes and rivers for personal and professional use before the age of refrigeration. Now, the private land that makes up Ice Pond is used daily by hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers, mountain bikers, and of course, rock climbers, all of whom can be found regardless of the season, enjoying the flora, fauna — and rock that the area has to offer. 

Private land access was a large barrier for Goldfinger when he began to write his book, and was in fact always a mystery to those he climbed with. 

“There was some skepticism on if it was the right thing to do,” Goldfinger said when he first had the idea, “I didn’t even know it was on private property, and I don’t think really anybody did.” 

The ‘private property’ signs on the edge of the main trail were old, overgrown, and had no contact information. Curious, Goldfinger found that technically, anyone could publish a guidebook regardless of whether the land is public or private. However, he was wary considering that other crags have gotten shut down as a consequence of taking this same risk. It was at this point that Goldfinger reached an ethical dilemma, and began to dig further by reaching out to the Putnam County Land Trust (PCLT), which had been attempting to buy the land since 2012 for conservation. Since he had such extensive knowledge of the area from his years of exploring, Goldfinger was able to partner with the PCLT volunteers, urging them to continue sharing the land with climbers.

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“I provided perspective from the climbers’ side of things. I did a lot of reassurance saying like, ‘this isn’t Free Solo.’” Goldfinger said. 

Due to his dedication to helping others understand climbing, Goldfinger was recognized by the PCLT, along with the sport itself, after access to the land was secured. He participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the land swap on November 18, 2023, where he guided PCLT volunteers around the property, showcasing iconic boulders and introducing them to the world of outdoor bouldering.

Goldfinger himself has been climbing since the opening of The Cliffs (now Movement) in 2005, making the summer of 2025 his 20th anniversary in the sport. He joined as a general belay staff member who had never climbed outside before, until the owner of The Cliffs, Mike Wolfert, asked him a question that forever changed his life,

“It was a slow day, and he said, ‘Do you wanna ditch work and go to Ice Pond?’, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what that means — but okay!’” Goldfinger laughed.

From that trip, he remembers having his “ah hah” moment in climbing, which continued to drive his life all the way to the Middle East. In 2017, Goldfinger moved to Oman, a country on the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula with his wife, Alyssa. While discovering local boulders, he was reminded of his long-forgotten spreadsheet, and decided to continue developing not only the climbing scene in Oman, but also his passion for creating guidebooks. He taught himself graphic design and released a pdf guidebook for free on a public site. 

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“There’s endless potential for climbing out there. Endless rock,” Goldfinger said. 

When he settled back in Westchester in 2020, that was when Goldfinger set his sights back on Ice Pond, which is also when his relationship with PCLT began. Physically producing the guidebook meant that Goldfinger would get to revisit Ice Pond with the goal of “setting the record straight” when it came to first ascents. 

As soon as climbers migrated their accomplishments online, there were a lot of unknowns when it came to original names, grades, and who climbed what — first. 

Goldfinger commented on how he loved reconnecting with people from his past for this reason, including Josh Lowell and John Kuphal, some of the area’s original developers,

“I noticed there were a lot of people saying that they got FAs, when they were done 20 years ago. I wanted to pay credit where credit is due. I don’t consider myself to be the authority of Ice Pond, but I do feel as someone who’s climbed there since almost the beginning, and since I’m friends with people who were, why not give it a go.” Goldfinger said.

When asked if he has any future projects coming up, Goldfinger humbly replied that he was working on a bouldering guidebook in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite. However, he’ll always hold Ice Pond in a special place, as do the multiple generations of Westchester-based climbers who grew up going there. 

“Guidebook aside, it’s such a special place for me. It’s not Fontainebleau. It’s not Hueco. But it is special.” 

Goldfinger built on the work of John Kuphal, an early climber of the area, who circulated a topographic map (sometimes using Microsoft paint) of bouldering at Ice Pond in the early 2000s. Although it wasn’t as complete as a modern guidebook, it laid the groundwork for Goldfinger’s later efforts.