September 19, 2002

Hi folks,

It's been an open secret for years that there actually is rock climbing up in Vermont. One of those places is on Wheeler Mountain, near Lake Willoughby. Most recently one of its best climbs was detailed in Stuart Green's book, Rock Climbing New England, reviewed in NEClimbs last year. I'd heard about the area from friends but never gotten to check it out. Well, every once in a while you can combine business with pleasure and last Thursday was one of those days. Heading up to Lyndon, VT to cover the Lake Willoughby Management Plan Meeting (more on that later) I decided to work-in a trip to Wheeler with a friend who lives up there, David Powers. We met in mid-morning and took a drive up past the Willoughby Cliffs for a quick peek. He pointed the new crag right on the road on the North side of cliffs exposed by a landslide that had closed the road for 2 months in the Spring. Constantly running water has all the local ice climbers salivating and hey, you could belay from the passenger seat!

10 minutes from the North end of the lake was Wheeler and the legendary Great Dihedral. Three pitches up on Wheeler is an obvious corner, resembling nothing so much as the upper pitch of Recompense - only much bigger. Amazingly enough the first ascent was on aid by Massachusetts native Al Rubin with Ed Webster copping the first free ascent. Here's a picture of the whole thing.

Where the Green book shows the second pitch going straight up from the belay, it actually heads up and left over an overlap, thru a tree ledge, up a short but beautiful hand crack and left up to the next tree ledge. The third pitch has a single 10b/c move that can be bypassed on the left, and that's what I did. So, after three nice pitches of mostly face climbing on reasonable gear and good rock we were at the base of the corner. It looked big and sustained, but with good gear. Dave said there were two pins and a bolt at the crux area. Since he wanted the lead, I "gave" him the sharp end. 30 minutes later he was at the top. Here's a picture of Dave finally breathing after the crux moves. Here's another of the view of the Willoughby Cliffs from the belay top of the Dihedral:

There are climbs of all grades up there and we finished out the afternoon with a couple of nice 5.9's. Many of the climbs have been put up by locals Eric Pospasil and Randy Garcia and others like Paul Cormier. There are some bolts, but all the climbs I saw require good skills with trad gear placement. This is a wilderness climbing experience, quite different from that of the North Conway ledges and more like Cannon. It's quiet and isolated. You can climb all day and likely not see anyone else. If you like that kind of experience and are comfortable taking care of yourself there is nothing quite like it. It's highly recommended.

Fundraiser Update #3:
We're smack dab in the middle of our annual "Fundraiser Month" at NEClimbs and The White Mountain Report! as you all can well imagine, putting all this stuff out every week is very time intensive. It is your donations that make it all possible and without your support we couldn't justify the effort.

We aren't asking for a lot, only a minimum $20 donation. At only 39 cents a week, that's an incredible deal. This year we're offering even more to entice you into supporting us. Make a minimum contribution of $20 or more and you'll automatically be entered in our raffle. And here's what you can get-

An individual donation of $50 or more enters you in a drawing for a pair of great ice climbing gloves (medium or small only). These have an MSRP of $100-150!

For a donation of $35-49 you're in a drawing for a shiny new Black Diamond Express ice screw.

Your modest contribution of $20-34 will put you in for one of 2 great prizes: a copy of Robert Frost's wonderful video "Uncommon Ground" or an original copy of the 1982 edition of Paul Ross and Chris Ellms' classic, "A Rock Climber's Guide to Cannon, Cathedral, Humphrey's and Whitehorse."

All 3 drawings will be held on October 15th, 2002 and winners will be posted on the site. Your donation must be postmarked or received by PayPal before October 1, 2002 to be eligible. It's a great opportunity to support NEClimbs, and a chance to win a super prize you can actually USE.

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Instant Bug Report:
The BUGcon rating remains at the minimal 1 and we expect it to stay that way for the remainder of the fall climbing season.

Lake Willoughby Management Plan Meeting:
I was at the meeting last Thursday evening, September 12th. There were some climbers there and while the general report is good, there are some issues to be resolved. I got an email from fellow climber Will Mayo who put the info together very well, and he allowed me to reprint his email here, saving me a lot of time. <grin> Thanks Will...

The VT State Department of Natural Resources released its long range land management plan. Climbing will continue to be permitted in the forest (i.e., ice climbing on Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Hor and rock climbing on Mt. Wheeler) as it has been, in the interim. The long range plan with respect to climbing is to work with climbers and perhaps use the AF plan models to make a climbing plan specific to this area. The general consensus among the VT DNR and local climbers seems to be that the drippy limestone cliffs of Pisgah and Hor are better suited for ice climbing. And, as these are sites of very rare ecosystems, rock climbing is discouraged on Pisgah and Hor in order to preserve these ecosystems. The rare and endangered plants are encased in ice during the winter and so there is little concern about the impacts of these activities. The splendid granite of Mt. Wheeler has been cited by the VT DNR and local climbers as the preferred choice for rock climbers as its rock is much better suited for this purpose and it is also not known to be host of any rare or endangered ecosystems. So, enjoy as you have and please tread lightly so that we may continue to do so.

The Boulders lodge just south of the former "tablets" parking lot has been renovated and this parking lot has been "re-claimed" (at least in part) by the new owners (it has always been on private land - at least in part). So, there MAY BE no parking here this winter. I'm still trying to ascertain if this is totally off limits now, or not. Will advise. At least part of this lot is now not a parking lot anymore. So, ice climbers should be aware that there will be less parking here - or none. Please park at the pullouts below the 'Gent and 'Bender; or, should it become crowded, please park at the south-end (across from the campground and bring a shovel - this is not plowed by the State); or, the lot south of there near the "Cheney House" which is also near the trail head for the West (nude) Beach. This will mean a longer walk for ice climbers; but, it's not really that far - all things considered - this lot IS PLOWED by the State of VT. There is a kiosk there (it's on the west side of rte. 5A south of the south-end of the Lake.

Will Mayo
Mayo Associates, Inc.

Stuff Will Fall:
A microwave sized block fell down over the top of Three Birches late Saturday afternoon. You can see it up against the large tree in the trail directly below the start of the climb. Joe Lentini was there when it happened and I can only assume that it got his attention! Also sometime on Sunday or Monday a large tree fell onto the start of Bombardment. When you climb up onto the ledge just below the starting slab you will actually have to climb under it! There was a big rainstorm the other day, but there hasn't been any real wind lately so I am surprised about all of this action. That said, there is a LOT of loose stuff on the traverse ledge and it's only a matter of time before more comes down. There's another reason to wear a helmet even when you're standing around down there! In addition someone rapping down the second pitch of Robinson Crusoe checking out the status of the pin at the roof tapped on it, and the piece of rock it was into just fell off! There is no place for protection there any more so a bolt will certainly be needed to protect the pitch. I guess the message here is, things aren't as stable as you might think!

Lost & Found:
I found a watch on Bombardment last Saturday. Send me an email identifying it and I'll make arrangements to send it to you or you can pick it up here the next time you're up.

Quincy Quarries Adopt-A-Crag a Success:
Over 170 people participated, 100 bags of trash were hauled away, anchor building skills were honed and the local climbing community was able to meet other enthusiasts in the area. The AMC Mountaineering Committee is grateful to everybody who volunteered and put in time to assist in organizing and producing this event. To see some photos from the event go to: http://www.gravityrockgym.com/aac_pics.htm

Henry Barber Slide Show:
The AAC and AMC are pleased to present New England's own Henry Barber for a slide show on Thursday, October 17th at Joy Street in Boston. The show is entitled "Climbing in Eastern Europe." The event features climbing in Eastern Europe, starts at 7:30pm and costs $7.00. No advance ticket purchase is available so come early to insure your admission. Seating is limited.

More Political Crap:
Here's a picture of a sign that Maury McKinney of IMCS removed from the Echo Roof on Whitehorse with help from Michelle Jenkins. Thanks to Maury for the picture. I just wish the heck that the climbers that are doing this stuff would cut it out!

Climbing Photography Contest:

Enter your photos of climbing in eastern Massachusetts in the Boston Rocks
Climbing Photography Contest. There are lots of great prizes, including
* $100 Gift Certificate
* Climbing Gear and Accessories
* All-expenses-paid Climbing Trip
Two days in Gunks or NH, winner's choice
* Try a New Sport!
Free ice climbing, canoeing (flat- or white-water), cross-country
skiing, sea kayaking, white-water kayaking, hiking, or rock
climbing; winner's choice
* New Boston Rocks--with YOUR photo in it!

The deadline is October 31, 2002, so there's plenty of time to get out and
take some great photos. You may enter prints, slides, &/or digital photos.
Prizes may change but will be similar to those listed above.

For more information, see http://web.mit.edu/mitoc/www/

OK, enough of that...

Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing,
and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."
-- Ernest Hemingway

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