The Northeastern Crags Rock Climbing

To the right of the Main Wall of Green's is a series of crags designated The Northeastern Crags, mostly in a line running north and facing east. These are only partially explored so far, but recent development has uncovered a bunch of quality routes in a very beautiful setting. They overlook the wonderful Sawyer Ponds Scenic Area basin, with great views across the ponds to the cliffs of Mt. Tremont and Owls, and looking more SE you can see all the way to Mt. Chocorua, and north to Mt. Washington.

These cliffs are quite featured compared to the Main Wall, with many good looking crack lines that rank right up with some of the best one and two pitch cracks in the state, mostly fingers and hands, but also including a few chimneys like the not to be missed Squeeze Box 5.8. There is also the fantastic mixed gear protected arete Bigfoot Was Here 12b. Most of the cliffs are one or two pitches tall, though sometimes a 3rd or 4th pitch is set back above. Angles are a little off vertical, over and under. There are a few outlying slabs that may be worthy, judging from a cursory look.

This is a great spot to enjoy Greens in the summer, when you can get baked off the south facing Main Wall, as the morning sun turns to shade early in the day. It is also the closest, with the approach being a moderate hike just under an hour. The same shade can make late Fall's short days feel especially cold once the sun is off.

The earliest established route that I have been able to confirm to date is Ward and Paula Smith's Premarital Blisters, put up in 1994.

It wasn't until 2013 that a more sustained effort of new route exploration began, after a quicker way in was discovered. There is quite a lot of rock out in this area, with some cliffs not even touched yet (2014), so there will likely be lots more routes to come.

The middle part of this area, which probably has the most potential, is composed of two tiers of cliff band, split by a landmark giant loose basalt gully. The top of the gully is overhanging, but the lower portion is low angled enough to allow access between the bands.

Be aware, if you climb over here, that these crags lie within the Sawyer Ponds Scenic Area, so have somewhat more restrictive rules, including no camping below the ridge towards the pond. Be especially aware to be low impact visually and noise wise. You are basically in an amphitheater for anyone down at the ponds and it is a pretty magical spot. This is a place to go light in impact, by just going for the very best lines and leaving the rest be IMO.