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Routes in 4. Moby Grape Area
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Dark Hallow T 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a A4+ R |
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Manhedral T 5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a |
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Moby Grape T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13 |
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Moonshadow T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Peppy's Face S 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a R |
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Psyche Dike Bradley Leblanc's variation T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c R |
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Reppys Crack T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Tip Trip (Formally 11a) T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Union Jack T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Vertigo T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a A0 R |
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White Iceberg, The T 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b |
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| Type: | Trad, Alpine, 7 pitches, Grade III |
| FA: | Joe Cote, Roger Martin, 1972 |
| Page Views: | 91,080 total · 609/month |
| Shared By: | Andy Casler on Nov 8, 2006 |
| Admins: | Jay Knower, M Sprague, lee hansche, Jeffrey LeCours, Jonathan Steitzer, Robert Hall |
Your Star Rating:
Description
Moby Grape is the second most popular route on Cannon, behind the Whitney Gilman. It is a classic 5.8 wall climb, comparable to Nutcracker in Yosemite or to Guide's Wall in the Tetons. Until the final two pitches, the rock is as good as granite gets.
The Conn buttress borders the right side of the big wall section and Moby Grape climbs up the center of this buttress. Though the original first pitch climbed the left corner of the buttress, Reppy's Crack, a splitter in the truest sense of the word, has become the pitch of choice.
[Note: while given here in 7 pitches, many climbers will break up the pitches. There are several route descriptions in the COMMENTs section. R. Hall ]
Pitch 1, 120' (Reppy's Crack) 5.8: Climb the obvious splitter crack. This has been called the best hand crack in New Hampshire. Though more of a fist crack, Reppy's requires jamming skills because there are no face holds. Follow the crack up and right to easier rock, stopping at a bolted belay. (FA'd by Phil Nelson and Allen Wedgewood in '65) Note - The original first pitch climbed to the left of Reppy's, but has had significant rock fall, with injuries, and is still loose.
Pitch 2, (The Triangular Roof) 5.9: This is the technical crux of the route. Climb up to and over the prominent triangular roof using hand jams. This pitch ends at a good ledge. There's some loose choss up here, so make sure the rocks you build your belay in are solid.
[Historical note: the triangular roof is quite "geologically young", having formed about 1968-69 due to rockfall. Prior to that time the old ConnCourse route climbed an inside corner to a set of "rising steps" on a slab. R. Hall]
Pitch 3, 5.7: Move right around the corner on less than ideal rock. Belay near the base of the unmistakable Finger of Fate.
Pitch 4, (The Finger of Fate) 5.8 PG-13: Climb up to the flake. This flake looks dubiously connected to the cliff but is actually pretty solid. Either chimney up the left side of the flake or hand traverse (campus if you dare) along the right side. It's possible to get a very funky looking 0.1 X4 camalot (maybe it would hold, but probably best to not test it) from the stance on top of The Finger before committing to one or two slab moves that lead to a comfortable ledge. Walk left on the scruffy ledge and build a belay. It is possible to rappel from here with two ropes.
Pitch 5, 5.7: The climbing degrades into classic Cannon rockaneering. From the belay, walk left about 30 feet to a dike, make a tricky move and then climb easy ledges trending right to another long ledge. Belay near the left side of a huge fallen pillar.
Pitch 6, 5.7: Climb the fun corner in the left side of the pillar to a roof. Exit the corner on the right and build a belay in good rock.
Pitch 7, 5.8: Climb the exciting slab up to a good crack. Top out the cliff and build a belay in good rock.
Descent: The trail can be hard to find. Scramble right from the Pitch 7 belay. In the vicinity of a grassy, square foundation (helicopter pad), you'll find a trail leading downhill that trends climber's right (north). Following the trail, you'll find the cables and rods that failed to keep the Old Man on the mountain. Follow the waterslide (a cemented water diversion apparatus that obviously didn't work) downhill until you pick up an obvious, well-worn trail. The trail will return you to the northern trailhead parking lot.
Return to start of route: [From Krutz in the comment section] Walk down the descent trail about 30 minutes. Look for faint climbers trail that cuts hard right where the main trail hangs a left (about halfway down, where the steepness starts to ease off). Better to be too low than too high. You should emerge at the base of the slabs. From there, it's about 15 minutes walk back to the start of MG.
The Conn buttress borders the right side of the big wall section and Moby Grape climbs up the center of this buttress. Though the original first pitch climbed the left corner of the buttress, Reppy's Crack, a splitter in the truest sense of the word, has become the pitch of choice.
[Note: while given here in 7 pitches, many climbers will break up the pitches. There are several route descriptions in the COMMENTs section. R. Hall ]
Pitch 1, 120' (Reppy's Crack) 5.8: Climb the obvious splitter crack. This has been called the best hand crack in New Hampshire. Though more of a fist crack, Reppy's requires jamming skills because there are no face holds. Follow the crack up and right to easier rock, stopping at a bolted belay. (FA'd by Phil Nelson and Allen Wedgewood in '65) Note - The original first pitch climbed to the left of Reppy's, but has had significant rock fall, with injuries, and is still loose.
Pitch 2, (The Triangular Roof) 5.9: This is the technical crux of the route. Climb up to and over the prominent triangular roof using hand jams. This pitch ends at a good ledge. There's some loose choss up here, so make sure the rocks you build your belay in are solid.
[Historical note: the triangular roof is quite "geologically young", having formed about 1968-69 due to rockfall. Prior to that time the old ConnCourse route climbed an inside corner to a set of "rising steps" on a slab. R. Hall]
Pitch 3, 5.7: Move right around the corner on less than ideal rock. Belay near the base of the unmistakable Finger of Fate.
Pitch 4, (The Finger of Fate) 5.8 PG-13: Climb up to the flake. This flake looks dubiously connected to the cliff but is actually pretty solid. Either chimney up the left side of the flake or hand traverse (campus if you dare) along the right side. It's possible to get a very funky looking 0.1 X4 camalot (maybe it would hold, but probably best to not test it) from the stance on top of The Finger before committing to one or two slab moves that lead to a comfortable ledge. Walk left on the scruffy ledge and build a belay. It is possible to rappel from here with two ropes.
Pitch 5, 5.7: The climbing degrades into classic Cannon rockaneering. From the belay, walk left about 30 feet to a dike, make a tricky move and then climb easy ledges trending right to another long ledge. Belay near the left side of a huge fallen pillar.
Pitch 6, 5.7: Climb the fun corner in the left side of the pillar to a roof. Exit the corner on the right and build a belay in good rock.
Pitch 7, 5.8: Climb the exciting slab up to a good crack. Top out the cliff and build a belay in good rock.
Descent: The trail can be hard to find. Scramble right from the Pitch 7 belay. In the vicinity of a grassy, square foundation (helicopter pad), you'll find a trail leading downhill that trends climber's right (north). Following the trail, you'll find the cables and rods that failed to keep the Old Man on the mountain. Follow the waterslide (a cemented water diversion apparatus that obviously didn't work) downhill until you pick up an obvious, well-worn trail. The trail will return you to the northern trailhead parking lot.
Return to start of route: [From Krutz in the comment section] Walk down the descent trail about 30 minutes. Look for faint climbers trail that cuts hard right where the main trail hangs a left (about halfway down, where the steepness starts to ease off). Better to be too low than too high. You should emerge at the base of the slabs. From there, it's about 15 minutes walk back to the start of MG.
![8/2/15 The 2nd of the lowest party tackles the "Triangular Roof". Your submitter was one of the first climbers, if not the first, to climb this feature after the rockfall that changed "Conn Course". [Photo taken from Boise Rock]](https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/110849480_smallMed_1494355767.jpg)
![Arriving at the Finger of Fate [taken 8/2/15 from Boise Rock; if you are the party (last of 8 climbers on the route) I can send you copies]](https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/110849329_smallMed_1494355764.jpg)
![8/2/15 A crowded day on Moby Grape: 10 of the 12 climbers on the climb that day. The other two (of the 12) are lower. (see Finger of Fate telephoto) The "middle two" would exit up the left-facing dihedral (Kurt's Corner?) in the upper left of the photo. [Photo taken from Boise Rock]](https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/110849354_smallMed_1494355765.jpg)
nyc
great route. every pitch was interesting and it was climbing all the way to the top. double ropes are great on this route. Sep 8, 2007
goffstown, nh
i had heard that there was a scramble off to the north after the Finger pitch... i had done the normal finish a couple times so i tryed the scramble today... got a little lost (and found a few nice pitches) but no easy scramble to the right... anyone know if it exists or if i was just sand bagged? May 4, 2009
Manchester NH
Candia, NH
There was some fresh rockfall just left of Reppy's. Art Mooney told my partner that it came off the original start in the last few days and may have altered that pitch significantly. Aug 15, 2009
Golden, CO
Just do it! As my partner said to me yesterday at the top after finishing it, "Such a great finish lifts the entire quality of an already high quality climb." I heartily agreed! Aug 29, 2009
Grand Junction, CO
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Only thing to add is that I'm a 5.8 crag leader and this was a climb a bit over my head. I had to give almost all pitches to my stronger partner for the sake of speed. If this is your limit you might consider doing it in the summer when the days are longer. Oct 12, 2010
Thornton, NH
I love it.
It's wild. Conditions can change your experience drastically...
for example, last saturday my partner and I got caught behind two groups of 3. We showed up at 10:30 because it had rained the night before and the notch was socked in. The first group of 3 had arrived at 7:30 and we saw them on the 3rd pitch (at the triangle) on the approach. By the time we were at the end of the 3rd pitch we had caught up to them! The last of their group was at the anchor and the second group of 3 was waiting.
Long story short, we ended up climbing the last pitch (including the cruxy-run-out-soaking-wet slab) in the pitch dark.
So did the pair behind us. Good for looking at the stars, not as good for climbing and finding the trail down.
(should have climbed the corner but my route description didn't show that)
Here's a picture of the log jam before the last pitch:
goffstown, nh
Rumney, NH
Took a fall on pitch 5/6 (Jay, perhaps you could fix the description from "classic cannon rockaneering"... Jon Sykes' book gives a little better idea) at the fixed pink tricam before the weird move out of the cave and up over the bulge to the belay. Not knowing where the route led, I tried to follow some smudgy chalk lines that went up left from the cave up the dihedral slabby corner. My feet peeled, and I dropped down to the ledge 15 feet below, my left foot hitting the ledge and having just enough rope to absorb the impact of the rest of my body. I immediately got up and figured out the awkward exit out right of the cave. The final pitch and a half was nicer climbing than I anticipated.
Highly recommended, and definitely will repeat. Sep 12, 2011
We climbed the corner variation as described in the Northeast Select Climbs book by Lewis and Horowitz. The corner was good fun and I recommend it. Rather than heading right after the chimney/cave head straight up and set the belay just below a left facing corner. From here we headed up the corner and onto slabby terrain above.
Caution! I used all 70m of my rope and just barely got to a stance where I could put in a few marginal pieces and belay my partner up (right side of slab). I ran out probably 70ft of slab with only a dead tree as mental pro. Wet moss and slab made things even more spicy. Doing it again I would set a belay after the corner at the most convenient spot then do the run out on the slab. That would give enough rope to set a better belay.
Descent: If doing the corner variation you'll end up near some cables we thought were Old Man remnants. This turned out to be untrue. Walk more or less downhill and north. Aim for a rectangular foundation like structure you'll be able to see from where you topped out. There are some faint trails but you'll have to bushwhack a bit. In the process of heading towards this foundation structure you'll pick up on the well used standard descent trail and the waterslide which brings you to the actual Old Man remnants.
My partner and I split while on the descent trail so he could pick up our bags we left at the bottom. There was an obvious branch in the trail, but it dwindled quickly. To the right will bring you to the base of the cliff, but only after some easy 5th class downclimbing according to my partner. Sep 29, 2011
New Brunswick Canada
Bend
Asheville, NC
North Kingstown, RI
Salt Lake City, UT
While pulling our ropes, one got super stuck in the area of broken rock above the triangular roof. I yarded on it maybe a little too hard and dislodged a rock the size of a 60" flat screen TV which missed us by a few yards.
Rappelling this route should be done with EXTREME CAUTION. Jul 28, 2013
Regarding the Greene guide's advice to rap off, next time you go, disregard it entirely. The pitches above the Finger are for the most part high quality, provided you get the route finding right.
The boulder-problem pitch (next after the Finger) is OK, if not great, and certainly not a reason to retreat. It's actually pretty fun.
The pitch after the boulder problem is fantastic, with a great combination of delicate face and wild, steep stems and jams on excellent granite. The belay is spectacular as well.
That leaves you with the traditional finishing pitches up and right, which are quite good, or the outstanding Kurt's Corner variation finish which is arguably the best pitch of the entire route.
Go finish this sucker! Jul 29, 2013
We were a bit tired after the Finger pitch and took the beta about bailing off to the right up the Conn Dike. I'm not certain how this counts as bailing: over a hundred feet of scrambling up unprotectable and questionable rock, followed by a long, dirty pitch of actual 5.7/5.8 climbing (maybe I missed an easier line?). Point of all this is that, even when tired, it would have been better just to finish the actual route, which is becoming a recurring theme in these comments.
Also: there always seems to be an abandoned blue #3 Camalot in one of the main crack lines. The beta on this page calls Reppy's a #3 or #3.5 crack, but #2 seems to be much more appropriate. If you're a beginning leader, reach for a #2 before overcamming and offering up a #3 to the Moby Grape gods. Aug 22, 2013
Fort Collins, CO
A stellar route! Every pitch is good and the difficulty is remarkably consistent. If you have a weakness (crack, slab, layback, roof), this route will find it.
I read a lot of bitching about the MP beta so we compared it with Chauvin's as we climbed. Overall, Chauvin's 9 pitch version is better but gets confusing after Pitch 7 because of the options.
We did MG (Kurt's Corner variation) in 9 pitches with 60m doubles. MG can be done in 6 but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've climbed here before. Here are the most useful beta-bits I can offer:
P1: Smaller stuff fits at the start of the pitch but the main part of Reppy's Crack takes #2 (yellow) Camalots almost everywhere (bring multiples). A #3 will fit occasionally. A #4 fits at the pod. Move right around the corner after the top of the crack and up about 30 ft. to bolted anchors. This takes all of a 60m rope.
P2: Since it's hard to see the Triangular Roof from the P1 anchor, it's a good idea to add this 90? ft. pitch so you can watch the leader approach and pull the roof on P3. Chauvin says to move left on 4th class but we took a direct line through a wide crack/mini-chimney (5.7ish). Build a gear anchor or use the webbing around a chockstone below the Triangular Roof.
Warning: a party below us tried to pass on the far left at this point and knocked off a minifridge-size boulder. It bounced over the buttress and exploded on impact at the base. I saw shrapnel spray 100 feet into the talus field. Luckily, no one was down there at the time.
P3: The Triangular Roof may be the most difficult move on the route but protects well. The belay ledge just above has questionable blocks and some loose rock to avoid. The next pitch starts from the right end so we built our anchor there.
P4: From the right end of the ledge, diagonal up right. It's pretty obvious and no nasty surprises. Choose a belay that gives a good view of the Finger of Fate. 125 ft.
P5: Getting to the Finger of Fate (shark fin) is half the fun. First, you have to hand traverse The Sickle, a left-pointing, curved flake below the Finger. It was a lot easier to reach before the tip broke off. We went up the right side of the Finger. Easy but awkward. Consider pulling your pack behind you on a sling. Some thin slab moves above lead to the right side of a big sloping ledge.
Note: We had a lot of trouble hearing each other on P6-7. Plan accordingly.
P6: We moved our belay 40 ft. left and went up the crack. The first 5.8 moves off the ledge are tricky so a solid belay/spot is important. Choose whatever line appeals to you but aim for the base of the distinct left-facing cave/chimney ("huge fallen pillar" on P5 of MP beta). The pro is thin on the slabs leading to the Cave and it's sketchy when wet.
P7: Climb up into the "cave" and place a bomber piece to protect the spicy exit to the right. You'll probably want a piece below but consider back-cleaning it to avoid rope drag. Above the Cave, the traditional route goes right but we wanted the Kurt's Corner variation (the obvious left-facing corner directly above the Cave). To get there requires some zigzagging. It looks hard from below, but holds and pro appear when most needed. A couple of long slings reduce drag. We set our belay on two small ledges at the start of the Corner.
P8: Kurt's Corner is fun and fast (when dry)! Plenty of pro in the cracks on the right. Build your anchor at the top of the Corner or cross over to the left side of the slab above and belay in an alcove from some spongy trees.
P9: Run-out slab but easy (barely 4th class) where dry. You might be able to sling a tree or two. We avoided the mossy wet streaks by climbing into the turf at the top.
Descent to parking lot: Trail can be hard to find at top. Walk right (not uphill) closer to the cliff edge than feels comfortable, heading for the cliff-side of the square helipad. Do not get lured farther left (north)! Pass the cables and rods that did not keep the Old Man on the Mountain. Walk down the water chute and then the trail is easy to follow. You end up at the north end of Profile Lake. Walk south along west side of lake to lot.
Return to start of route: Walk down the descent trail about 30 minutes. Look for faint climbers trail that cuts hard right where the main trail hangs a left (about halfway down, where the steepness starts to ease off). Better to be too low than too high. You should emerge at the base of the slabs. From there, it's about 15 minutes walk back to the start of MG. Sep 10, 2013
Bath, NH
One can email daniel.rossi@chem.tamu.edu, or post back here.
Thanks,
Danny. Aug 16, 2014
Plymouth/ North Conway (NH)
From the 2 bolt belay climb through the 4th class ledges leading up to the triangle roof. Pull the roof and shortly after (5') step right onto a small foot ledge and build a bomber anchor in the crack that arches above you. From here climb through the right facing corner on pitch 3, to a belay below the finger of fate. The description here says that the triangle roof pitch ends at a good ledge. The ledge is large, but other than that complete shite, with loose rock hanging about and no solid rock for an anchor.
After the finger of fate this route description tells you to wander around some walls. the proper beta is to move about 40' to the left and surmount a very short boulder problem in a dike that breaks through the head wall. one can build and anchor some where in the grassy ledges above this, and continue up through the final boulder problem on the slab, through the roof on P8? to a great gear anchor above it. If you place minimal gear and extend at least two key pieces with 4 footers you can also just barely get to this gear anchor from the anchor above the finger of fate... Aug 19, 2014
I've done this a few times, since I had my shoes and water in a small pack, and the Finger of Fate move is a pain with a pack. Aug 22, 2014
a #.75 and one or two #1's fit the beginning of the crack.
it's #2's from there to the pod
a #3.5 protects the pod
#3's from the top of the pod to the end of the crack. (#2's suck here) Sep 1, 2014
SF Bay Area
I found 3 Camalot #3s to be helpful in protecting Reppy's Crack, but some people may be more comfortable running it out on this pitch. We brought 1 #4 Camalot and it wasn't really necessary. I placed it once during a pitch and used it in a belay anchor, but it definitely could have been left at the car. Oct 13, 2014
New Haven, CT
Intervale, N.H.
[Further comment by R. Hall - as far as I know, Reppy is still climbing, and "working". Low Temp. physics is his 'gig', plays around a lot with liquid Helium-3, even weirder than liquid Helium-4, the normal isotope! ] Apr 13, 2015
Phoenixville, PA
Anyone ever do this variation? Aug 16, 2015
Back in the old days, his drive up to Canon took about 10 hours (pre-interstate) and for whatever reason his trips to Canon often ended in snowstorms. His objectives were usually "big" routes rather than the single pitch crack that bears his name.
Long Beach, CA
"Descent to parking lot: Trail can be hard to find at top. Walk right (not uphill) closer to the cliff edge than feels comfortable, heading for the cliff-side of the square helipad. Do not get lured farther left (north)! Pass the cables and rods that did not keep the Old Man on the Mountain. Walk down the water chute and then the trail is easy to follow. You end up at the north end of Profile Lake. Walk south along west side of lake to lot."
The descent info is also at the end of the route description on this page.
Oct 13, 2015
Hooksett, New Hampshire
Also, in case you are wondering, the doubles in #1 and #2 cams are very handy throughout the entire route, not just on Reppys. I put my other #3 cam in my seconds' backpack after Reppy's and didn't regret it, but I could see it getting some use too. Nov 8, 2016
North Kingstown, RI
Despite frequent traffic the route has a few portions of fairly low rock quality, most notably the ledge/corner above and right of the triangle roof. This ledge is frequently cited as a good place to belay; from my experience most of the gear placements here are in loose blocks and there is plenty of loose rock above.
I have found it best to pitch out MG as follows (60m single rope, pitch lengths approximate):
P1: Reppy's (5.8), continue around corner to right (5.6) to the bolted rappel anchor (5.8, 50m)
P2: Straight up blocky and wide terrain to a small ledge ~40 feet directly below Triangle Roof (5.5, 40m)
P3: Follow easy ramp up left, then back right on a right-trending finger sized crack. Step up into the corner immediately below Triangle Roof (5.7). Pull the roof (5.8) and belay on a small ledge immediately above and right of the roof (5.8, 30m)
P4: Continue up the right trending crack, climb carefully around the loose corner to the right (5.6 PG-13), follow the corner to it's top then trend slightly left up cracks to a sloping ledge 15 feet below and left of The Sickle, 40 feet below and left of The Finger (5.6, 40m)
P5: Fun climbing through The Sickle (5.6), then chimney up the left side (5.6) or hand traverse up the right side (5.7) of The Finger, step up onto slab (5.6 R) and continue to a big grassy ledge. Throw a piece or two on the right side of the ledge to protect your follower on The Finger and walk left across the ledge to belay at the base of a thin dike (bomber nuts and C3s for anchor) (5.7, 40m)
P6: Bouldery moves up the dike with sub-par protection (5.8 PG-13), continue straight up slabs then trend right towards the cave (tricky routefinding, sometimes wet), belay at the base of the cave (5.8, 45m)
P7: Up and out of the cave (5.7), belay immediately above the cave (5.7, 10m) and continue right for the standard finish (might require another pitch due to rope-snagging cracks above the cave) or straight above for Kurt's Corner
P8: Standard finish: follow 4th/low-5th cracks and ledges to the right (almost straight right, just slightly upwards as you traverse, be mindful of protection for follower), aim for a ~15 foot tall chimney behind a large block, up the chimney, end of route (5.easy, 45m)
Kurt's Corner: Clearly visible from P7 belay, climb up slabs towards massive left facing corner (5.8 PG-13), then follow the beautiful corner to its top (5.7) and belay, end of route (5.8, 50m)
P7 and P8 can be combined with significant rope drag on P8 (not recommended, will not save you time as you will be fighting heinous rope drag)
Kurt's Corner is one of the best pitches on MG. More fun and easier routefinding than the standard finish. Unfortunately it's often wet but if you're climbing on a dry day you'd be sorry to miss this amazing pitch! May 22, 2017
New Hampshire
Tucson, AZ
However it is a Zen thing. You must discover the Truth for yourself. The Truth lies in North Conway.
Go there follow your Inner Self. Climb Cathedral. Consider it a spiritual journey more than a climb.
Eventually a monk or spirit will appear to you. Exactly which manifests itself will be up to you. You will know this entity is the source of the Truth since it will be soloing crack climbs with two biners of nuts and no rope.
Your Zen state and thus your chance of encountering the monk/spirit will be greatly enhanced by drinking a mug of warm Kool-Aid before ascending. If you are pure of spirit and have an open and accepting heart the monk/spirit will reveal to you the Truth you seek. Jun 30, 2017
Boulder Colorado
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_… Jun 30, 2017
Montpelier, VT
We did the original first pitch instead of Reppy's because my partner recently had a broken foot and didn't want to shove it into a crack for 100'.
The original first pitch is pretty stout for 5.8. I thought it was similar to Turner's Flake in style, but crumblier and harder. And no gear for a good long while after you leave the ground. Wouldn't recommend it unless someone's very comfortable at the grade and has a good reason not to do Reppy's. Sep 24, 2017
Reno, NV
Asheville, NC
Norfolk, VA
After pulling out of the cave, go straight up onto a narrow, right-rising ramp. Pull on face holds TO THE LEFT OF THE SMALL ROOF. The holds are tricky to spot (if you're short like me) but they're there. I initially went straight up to the roof and tried traversing under it before realizing I was on some 5.11-feeling slab. Then I finally spotted the nice face holds from above. Belay at a stance after pulling into the base of the corner.
Once in the corner, layback/walk up the slabby face to top out onto an even slabbier face. Protection runs out quick (5.easy slab though) and at this point I couldn't hear my belayer. I traversed right across the vegetation almost to where the original finish tops and used rope tugs to communicate and bring my partner up.
Despite all of this, I'd highly recommend it for a more fun and sustained finish which felt right around 5.8, maybe easier. Nov 19, 2017
Some thoughts:
1. Reppy's is excellent, though less steep than I thought it would be. Did not need the #4.
2. The triangle roof is fun, but I thought the moves up the thin, leaning crack to get positioned below the roof were more technical and cruxy than the roof itself. You can pull through the roof on hand jams, or you could layback it. Or a combo!
3. The finger is one of the wildest features I've ever seen. Do the hand traverse. Do it. It's ridiculous.
4. I don't know what "classic cannon rockaneering" is, but the fifth pitch was definitely out of character from the rest of MG. It was totally soaking wet when I did it, due to seepage from the grassy ledges above, which made the bouldery moves off the belay ledge a bit... exciting? And maybe I got off route somehow, but I thought the moves getting to the last ledge next to the fallen pillar (cave) were also bouldery and insecure, with a ledge below to break your ankles on if you blew the weird mantle/smear onto a sloping bulge.
5. There were a bunch of fixed rappel ropes all over the route for some reason. Lots of ropes left on rappel stations or even just jammed into cracks or behind flakes... Not sure if someone needed a rescue, or had an epic, and I didn't want to mess with someone's stuff if they're coming back for it, but the route looks a little grungy with bits of rope hanging all over it. May 13, 2018
Steamboat Springs, CO
Ben be cautious of Prophets from the West. They may speak the Truth but often times it is only half truths. If you did not find the Truth in North Conway consider a pilgrimage to Down East. Sit patiently by the shore and I believe a monk will appear to share the Truth with you. At least I hope he would. Unlike the North Conway monk I have not seen nor spoken with this monk myself. Jul 14, 2018
From the belay above the Finger, pitch #5 in the Mt Project description above.
Climb the face above the flake belay using 3 bolts and micro cam, brass nut protection to a bushy
ledge. 80 ft pitch. 5.9. Belay off bushes, or continue up for a longer pitch. Many good variations from here to the top. Good climbing excellent protection.
T.C. Aug 6, 2018
Hartford, CT
Plymouth, NH