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Thor's Hammer

5.9, Trad, TR, 80 ft (24 m),  Avg: 3.8 from 38 votes
FA: FA: Sam Streibert, John Dowd, February 1964; FFA: Mike Heinz, Tony Trocchi, Ken Nichols, July 1975
Connecticut > Central Valley > E Peak > Merimere Face
Warning Access Issue: Permits Required to Climb on City of Meriden, CT properties. DetailsDrop down

Description

This route ascends the obvious stairstep dihedral on the Merimere Face. A Connecticut classic. Although obvious from the road below, this is somewhat tricky to find when approaching from the blue trail from the parking lot at the castle. Be sure to look at the landmarks around the climb as you drive up.

Climb the relatively easy corner to the first roof, undercling left (crux), and continue up a wide crack through another smaller roof to the top. A belay can be set after the first undercling to lessen rope drag.

Approach from the Metacomet trail. A gully on the south side gives access from the trail.

This can be toproped but a fall from under the crux overhang generates a very wild swing into space.

Protection

Bring some big stuff (#4, #5 camalot) if you want to lead this. Doubles of the bigs might be nice, mainly to keep the rope off of the first one as you turn the massive corners.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Thor's Hammer
[Hide Photo] Thor's Hammer
Thors, aka wrestle the wide
[Hide Photo] Thors, aka wrestle the wide
Dan Champagne in the chimney
[Hide Photo] Dan Champagne in the chimney
Kim Smith top of 1st pitch in Nov 1987. We broke it up into two pitches for rope drag and photo ops.
[Hide Photo] Kim Smith top of 1st pitch in Nov 1987. We broke it up into two pitches for rope drag and photo ops.
Traversing under the first roof. You need a large cam to protect the second roof above.
[Hide Photo] Traversing under the first roof. You need a large cam to protect the second roof above.
Kim Smith starting the 2nd pitch, Nov 1987
[Hide Photo] Kim Smith starting the 2nd pitch, Nov 1987
Topping out in the chimney section
[Hide Photo] Topping out in the chimney section
This is what you're looking for as you hike in from the upper parking lot.
[Hide Photo] This is what you're looking for as you hike in from the upper parking lot.
Top of Thor's Hammer
[Hide Photo] Top of Thor's Hammer
Shot from the access road. Tarp used to mark top of route for anchor placement. Tarp was roughly 5'x 5' to give you an idea of face height. One 60m rope toproped was perfect length wise.
[Hide Photo] Shot from the access road. Tarp used to mark top of route for anchor placement. Tarp was roughly 5'x 5' to give you an idea of face height. One 60m rope toproped was perfect length wise.
Here is a shot from the base of the route.
[Hide Photo] Here is a shot from the base of the route.
Thors Hammer from the base with my friend half way up...
[Hide Photo] Thors Hammer from the base with my friend half way up...

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

jackkelly00
Chocorua, NH
[Hide Comment] Best 5.9 in CT. May 28, 2010
FooDawg
Las Vegas, NV
  5.9
[Hide Comment] Really a great climb. We toproped it and the swing from the crux was nothing to fear too badly. The route is solid. Finding it from the top was a pain, think there should be a marking somewhere at top to denote anchor placement for TRing.

Recommend rappeling to the bottom because hiking it is the suck lol.

i23.photobucket.com/albums/…> Nov 2, 2010
M Mobley
Bar Harbor, ME
 
[Hide Comment] its funny how CT climbing has many classic climbs with no trail to the base of the climb. it is a loose, chossy bushwack to the base of this true classic. Nov 2, 2010
jason malczyk
General Delivery
  5.9
[Hide Comment] A 60 meter rope doubled up (30 meter rap) made it to the bottom but watch your ends. There is a great pine tree to set a anchor off that you rap in lookers left of the route, bring some extra webbing if top roping to get over the edge. Best land mark is the rock outcrop that makes up the stair step roofs. Raping in is easy hiking in is hard. No bolts needed on this classic. Mar 11, 2011
Kurtz
Fort Collins, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Keep yourself and your rope out of the POISON IVY at base! Sep 24, 2012
Ksween
Wakefield, RI
[Hide Comment] Followed this today. The jug moving out of the squeeze just above the second roof is covered in bird poop. Copius amounts of poop. Sooo much poop. You will be breathing it and wearing it. Bring a powerwasher, or a mask. Nov 24, 2012
Andrei Patricio
Lowell, MA
[Hide Comment] Yes. Doubles of 4s and 5s would make the route super safe. Great route. November 8 and the weather was perfect. NE classic. Nov 9, 2014
[Hide Comment] Best way to find this route is look at the fourth picture provided up top. That rock on the nice lower ramp. Remember it. The white spray paint above it. That white paint is covering nasty tags left by retards some time ago. Walk down the blue blaze trail to you get to this large gully. Seven minutes from top of blue blaze trail coming from the parking lot. Cross the gully walk the cliff. The first arete after the gully in the right corner isn't it. Down a hundred ft further. Use that fourth picture for reference. Dec 20, 2017
J Gills
 
[Hide Comment] Amazing climbing on splitter rock!

Very much recommend rapping in rather than bushwhacking to the base. Also suggest stopping at the bottom of the splitter corner on a sloping ledge (build an anchor) rather than rapping all the way to the bottom. This avoids the poison ivy bushes and the dirty, chossy section. Needless to say we did not do these things. Oct 5, 2018
[Hide Comment] Thor's Hammer was originally aided by Sam Streibert and John Dowd back in 1964. What an unlikely choice for aid climbing. I've often wondered how much was actually aided, just the first roof, maybe the thin crack left of the corner? I don't remember seeing pin scars when we did the FFA though. Bagging this was a real milestone for me. No other climb in Connecticut catches the eye from a distance like Thor's. Who, when first visiting East Peak, didn't look up at those lightning bolt corners while driving around the reservoir, and exclaim; What's that! Jan 11, 2022