Smugglers Notch

Smuggs is a blast, but wouldn't be my top choice for beginners. Most routes need to be lead to set up on toprope routes can have long approaches/be tricky to find. The Upper or Lower West Bolton are much better options imop.

I would agree with Tim on this one. Definitely not a great place for TR'ing. I can't think of any routes off the top of my head that would be an easy TR. Possibly slogging up the North side of ENT gully would be possible but that's really all I can think of.

Prospect Rock is nearby and has a lot more TR options.

Cheers!

Rock quality is also not very good, slow to dry, usually cold. Long loose approaches. Lower west bolton best for top roping.

june m wrote:Rock quality is also not very good, slow to dry, usually cold. Long loose approaches. Lower west bolton best for top roping.

Hiking up hill past clips and salsa will bring you to the shallow end, a handful of 5.6-5.7 routes with bolts and anchors might not be a bad option. Be aware though that some trails in the notch and Mt. Mansfield area are closed for several more weeks.

Hey kris, last year Jeff and I climbed better living thru chemistry. The guide book says the rock gets better as you go up. We both had holds break on every pitch. Its almost like going to cannon without leaving home. Just not a place I would recomend to novice climbers. I really think that when an area has great ice climbing the rock quality is poor.

june m wrote:Hey kris, last year Jeff and I climbed better living thru chemistry. The guide book says the rock gets better as you go up. We both had holds break on every pitch. Its almost like going to cannon without leaving home. Just not a place I would recomend to novice climbers. I really think that when an area has great ice climbing the rock quality is poor.

Smuggs rock is pretty interesting.... this is what passes for a 4 star rout up there ;)

I heard one climber say elephant head crack was the best climb he had ever done. The person who got me addicted to cracks, said it was the worst climb that he had ever climbed. So I had to see for myself. I would rate it somewhere in the middle. But I think the rating is in relation to other area climbs. Its classic, one of the first climbs in the area, done without cams for years, heard a great story about a guy trying to french free off a hex and having it pull while his partner was taking a pic .

Prospect rock would be a much better TR option. It's convenient to manage from the top or bottom and it's quite scenic. The shallow end is also good, but it's not as convenient a set up as Prospect.

I actually thought it was pretty fun and climbed better than it looks. It looks like a total heap and it's only sort of a heap. trim some brush and give it a real scrub and it would be worth at least 2 stars;)