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Lower Refuse

5.8, Trad,  Avg: 2.2 from 29 votes
FA: J Turner and R Wilmot, may 1960
New Hampshire > Cathedral Ledge > Beast Alcove & Refuse…

Description

So you want to climb off-widths huh? Well here is a start anyway. There are 2 OW sections on this climb. Neither is very difficult, but both give you a look down that very long tunnel leading to hard off-width climbing. Just a look...

Pitch 1: (5.7) You start just right of Brown's Fist and climb up and right around the corner into a chimney with a bunch of jam cracks of different sizes and shapes in it. I found this section to be really fun. At a good stance the climbing changes to a short 5.7 off-width. Work your way up this to a ledge with a thread anchor.

Pitch 2: Climb the intimidating wide crack above. Though it looks like an off-width, no true off-width technique is needed. Grunt your way through and up on to the tree ledge at the base of the Book of Solemnity (5.10a).

There used to be a tree that could be climbed to get around the crux of pitch two, but all good things must come to an end. Now you are forced to climb the rocks.

Location

To the right of Browns Fist and left of the Beast Alcove.

Protection

Regular rack, and a few big cams if you are dying to put some scratches on them. I didn't use any and didn't miss them.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Just finishing up the grovel.
[Hide Photo] Just finishing up the grovel.
Pitch 2 of Lower Refuse
[Hide Photo] Pitch 2 of Lower Refuse
The start of P1 on Lower Refuse
[Hide Photo] The start of P1 on Lower Refuse
Convenient rapell station at the top of the 2nd pitch of Lower Refuse
[Hide Photo] Convenient rapell station at the top of the 2nd pitch of Lower Refuse
Pitch 1 of Lower Refuse, after doing the easy traverse start from the left
[Hide Photo] Pitch 1 of Lower Refuse, after doing the easy traverse start from the left

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Daniel Anderson
Cambridge, MA
 
[Hide Comment] #5 works great as a pusher piece to protect the short, but steep OW guarding the topout of P1 (Can also escape out left if you're not feeling it). P2 is a little dirty but is great in it's own right with an exciting extraction and reinsertion required to get around a chockstone. Sep 28, 2020
Nick Grant
Tamworth, NH
  5.8
[Hide Comment] On both pitches, except for your left foot, I think it's more pleasant to avoid putting your body into those manky offwidths. Easier to stem a bit instead. Aug 23, 2025
Jon Nicolodi
Jackson, NH
 
[Hide Comment] Pretty fun climbing. If you manage drag well, you can do it in one pitch, redirect off a smaller dead tree a little past the obvious big one at the top, and head left 5 feet to the bolted rap station. I lowered off this, and then my second tr-ed it - this barely worked with a 70m, and was a fun way to crag it out. Aug 23, 2025