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North Bald Cap Climbing
| Elevation: | 2,005 ft |
| GPS: |
44.46586, -71.06854 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 38,295 total · 430/month |
| Shared By: | Robert Hall on Feb 17, 2016 |
| Admins: | Jay Knower, M Sprague, Lee Hansche, Jeffrey LeCours, Jonathan S, Robert Hall |
Description
A very large cliff, 5 or 6 pitches high on the main area(s), although many climbs are only two pitches. The AREAs have a prefix "1_", "2_" so that they sort in left-to-right order.
Mostly reasonable rock, although protection may be sparse and grades may be "old school". Paul Cormier and others have established several routes and there's probably space for more.
Recently the "Chinos" have extensively developed the "Lost Boys Area", a short but steep section of cliff on the far right, and they have graciously shared that information on this site. Thanks! (Both for the development and the sharing!)
Amazingly, you can drive to within 20-30 min's walk of the base of the more "popular" climbs, yet the cliff is rather isolated and the chances of finding anyone else there are remote-to-non-existent!
The most "popular" climb on the Main Slab seems to be "October Sundae", which has double bolt anchors, and/or tree(s), for rapping with doubled 60m ropes. ( The rap tree for the 2nd to last rap has fallen over, but a new tree down lower in the tree island has been slung for rapping.) See photo labeled "Main Slab Rap Lines" posted in the "Main Slab" area and copied into some of the routes themselves.
The "New England" website "NEClimbs.com" has a fair photograph with routes, although the photo suffers from a poor route-numbering-"system".
Getting There
The GPS co-ordinates for this AREA are currently set for approximately the base of the climb October Sundae.
Aug 2021 update- The damage caused by the flash flooding of late Oct 2017 has been repaired (see 2020 photo). Success Pond Rd is open (it is not maintained for winter) and has also been re-graded and sand-packed (so now 25 mph is average, up from 15-20 ).
Directions: Take Rt 16 north through Gorham and towards Berlin. When approaching Berlin, bear right onto "Truck Route 16". Go past a nice park on the left, through a traffic light and past the landfill (on your right.) Just beyond the landfill, take a right onto Success Pond Road. Go 4.7-4.8 miles and take the right. (here's where the washout has been repaired.)
Almost immediately there’s a branch going right, take the "straight ahead" option. When the repaired section (about 150 yds/meters) ends there is one culvert and a short distance of road that you'll be happy to have high clearance (but 4WD not needed). The first 50-75 yds/meters of the road after the repaired section is, by far, the worst. Some brush cutting (2020) has occurred so there's now less "brush scratching" of your car. Go about 0.5-0.6 mi to a wide spot and continue "straight", then in about a 1/4 mi. take a right (this is the "lesser traveled path" and is quite "grassed over" now) and in another 0.1 mile or so take a left at a "Y" ( going right leads to "Lost Boys Area") for a total of about 0.9 - 1.0 mi. to park.
The cliff should be visible from the parking.
Classic Climbing Routes at North Bald Cap
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