central mass bouldering!

please message me if you would have any interest in taking part in the development of a relatively untouched boulder field in central mass such as cleaning getting FA and naming some awesome problems in this local spot! this spot has lots of potential, in the first 2 weeks of visiting and climbing alone I have established 4 new climbs and scouted out many more that are yet to be sent!!

Curious as to where this is? I’m not much of a boulderer but have moved around central MA a lot and scrubbed a few backwoods boulders in my searches for ropes climbing. 

The name of the spot is rockhouse reservation. If you check it out on mt project I would recommend using a computer because the app doesn’t show all the problems I have added but it’s a really good glacial scattering featuring a 30 ft tall cave with other boulders scattered around the 200 acre property

I know the Larson Brothers (Josh and Zach) climbed in there quite a bit as well as a local guide who lived in the area. I have hiked it myself and some of the blocks in there are amazing. Most everything has been climbed already. There was an old forum post about the Rock House years ago. Nice place and definitely under-used

Another nearby gem is High Rocks. More famous for the bolt war with Ken Nichols..... it has some great undeveloped bouldering on a hidden upper tier as well as a large boulder field below the cliff. The waves of route developers were more occupied with the nice cliff so the boulders never got any attention. I cleaned an overhanging finger crack in a corner that would probably go at about V4-V5 and never even got to climb it.... pretty amazing

That’s awesome! If you have any more info I would love to add some of their finding to my project so more people can have access to their findings. Even if it had been touched in years past, I’d love to have this relatively unrecognized spot to get its deserved attention I have logged a few problems myself and some even as first assent just because i had no records to say otherwise but I’d be happy to add some historical problems to the list 

What town is that spot in? Central mass bouldering is a bit few and far between so I’d love to check it out 

Hello Ethan, Rockhouse is not nearly as "untouched" as you think. I know that Ward Smith, for one, has quietly done a good bit in that area, as have others as well. However, it is worth emphasizing the "quietly"  aspect. Rockhouse is a property owned by the Trustees of Reservations, who have been far from 'climber-friendly' on their properties. I'd be very concerned that significant cleaning and numerous visiting boulderers will bring a negative response from them. So, if you go, please be very low-key and leave minimal trace of your visit (that includes avoiding obvious cleaning, chalk marks, leveling of landing zones, and tape fragments). There are other nearby boulders, and at least one small outcrop, that are not on the Reservation itself, but are still on private property, so the same attitude is required. Sorry to put a damper on your enthusiasm but this is the reality of the situation there.

yikes that is disappointing but good to know for sure. I have done lots of research in the past month or so and kept my eye out for no climbing regulations and came up empty handed. I know that I was in no way the first person to have ever climbed this spot but I was suprised by the lack of attention it seemed to have especially on mountain project.... I guess that explains it. If you have any sort of contact with those people who had projected there before I would love to check out their work just to satisfy my curiosity. Thank you for the heads up! I’m always careful of cleaning up after myself and respecting nature so you won’t have to worry about any damage to nature here

As Al said.... most of the rock in the area has access problems. I haven’t lived in that area in a while. Other than Josh’s obvious route in the cave I don’t think anyone even named routes there. If you are looking for a place to put up FAs then High Rocks would be the place.... though I’m not sure how access there is at the moment.... we had cleared a trail through state land at one point but I would wager it has regrown in the swampy areas. It is virtually surrounded by private property and wetlands. I will try to find some pics of boulders.... I know I have them buried in Google somewhere. 

Thanks Ethan. That type of approach is consistent with what has been the norm there for years and will hopefully continue to keep the heavy hand of 'authority' at bay---it is a beautiful place with lots of interesting 'blocks'.

The access situation at High Rocks (which is on the East Brookfield/Sturbridge line) is also a bit 'touchy' , though likely less so than at Rockhouse---as it is more remote, harder to get in to, and with a more 'nuanced' ownership situation.. That trail that JD mentioned is still there and useable (at least it was a year ago when I last was there), though it helps to go there with someone who knows the way as there are some 'route-finding' issues. I have only climbed on the crag itself, but the boulders clearly have significant potential. There are a number of other worthwhile crag and bouldering areas in central and western Mass.,  but the all-too-common theme is that of access difficulties. That is why the recent WMCC/RMF/AF purchase of Hanging Mountain, a good bit further west but still in Mass., is such a wonderful development. While the focus of the acquisition is for route climbing, there is likely decent bouldering potential as well--once the area becomes open for public use--hopefully by next summer.

http://www.climbri.org/highrocks.htm

found this super helpful site on high rocks! awesome find I will definitely be checking this out. as for rock house, I will keep your words of warning fresh in my mind and continue in my activities with respect for the land and the owners, I would never want to bring unwanted attention to such a nice local spot thanks everyone for your responses!

The crack on the backside of the boulder beneath the prow is worth the visit to high rocks. There's fine boulders continuing along the base to the siuth, beyond the climbing area, as well.

Kind of happy that Podunk still sees some climbing.