Breakneck Climbing

Breakneck is a small bolted cliff and patch of boulders southeast of Pittsburgh in the small area known as Breakneck. It can get slightly crowded on weekends, so consider one of the other several crags in the area as a backup plan.

The cliff faces the north east and will receive morning sun. However due to the shade that exists for the majority of the day, snow can remain on this hillside for days after it melts elsewhere. It can be a good crag following a day of rain, thanks to the morning sun and great quality rock. The rock is sandstone and in great condition, as are the bolts and anchors.

A few trad lines exist, but if you want to climb some cracks this definitely is not the area. The route to the far left is listed as a trad route on Tim's page, but is now bolted. This was to increase traffic on the route in hopes of keeping the dirt/moss from returning, and it can still be led with gear.

Eclipse is the most obvious route on the main wall and goes at 5.6. It is where a lot of SWPA climbers led their first route.  One of the recent additions to the area is Apartment 19 which is also a 5.6 on the lower side of The Cannabis Boulder.  This is less committing than Eclipse and now the easiest climb at the area.  Another classic moderate is Mosquito on the left part of the wall. The faint of heart can avoid the 10a bulge by escaping right on a separate 5.8 line of bolts. This is great for those in groups with varying skill levels.

There are a range of boulders scattered below the main cliffs, including a small number of problems for all abilities, though the area really shines for its high concentration of harder testpieces.