Chatfield Hollow is amazing, it is in my opinion the best part about CT climbing, the rock is good it has faces overhangs and slabs and has a short approach. Also many of the trees are decent close to the edge, so when you can't get a gear anchor you don't need 150ft of static line(still bring 50ft or so).
The best 5.11 in CT is here! Forearm Frenzy (5.11b-ish) as well as some great other lines including a huge 6ft Dyno TR problem on the far right side (5.12+?) a way hard finger crack starting in a little depression on an overhanging wall(5.12d) and the Trickster over on the far left side.
There is serious potential for hard (5.11-5.13) overhanging face routes left of Forearm Frenzy on the upper headwall, problem is working them is impossible because there are no bolts for directionals, no gear directionals and a TR anchor would swing you very hard into some ugly looking trees. I hope I'm still climbing when CT climbers decide that some bolts are OK, especially when they open up previously unprotectable rock.
Come and check out this great cliff, especially if you live in CT, although it is definitely worth a day trip if you live within 150mi.
Getting There
From Route 9 (Main cliff area): take Exit 9. Follow Route 81 south to Route 80 at the traffic circle, watch for park entrance signs on the right, drive a little farther, park on the left walk up the road 150yds past a little roadcut then head into the woods just before the guardrail (faint trail) head in cliff is less than 100yds away.
From I-95: take Exit 63. Follow Route 81 north to Route 80 west, watch for park entrance signs on the right, drive a little farther, park on the left walk up the road 150yds past a little roadcut then head into the woods just before the guardrail (faint trail) head in cliff is less than 100yds away.
The obvious steep crack on the climbers right hand side of the cliff. It takes excellent gear. Excellent rock quality. The route consists of two small boulder problems separated by a huge horizontal crack rest. The first boulder problem has a left hand crimp and small feet. The upper and harder crux has two opposing gastons. The rock ramp on the left is "off" for the feet.There is also an excellent variation which starts on top of the ramp and f...[more]
Hey Ladd, you should talk to Whitey (John McClain). We used to climb there many years ago and he put up a bunch of TR routes and will probably remember the names. Just to the left of the Zig Zag crack we put up a really nice 12c that Whitey called Shape Shifter that was really good. It starts out on crimpers, than has some slopey moves and a bit of a roof to the final headwall moves that I think ended with a dyno. It would be a classic lead route with a few bolts...someday. There are a bunch of other nice TR problems there as well as a few challenging crack leads.
Chatfield Hollow
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