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Magic Beans

5.10c, Trad, 75 ft (23 m),  Avg: 3 from 11 votes
FA: Andy Casler, Sept. 8, 2018
New Hampshire > WM: Kancamagus… > Greens Cliff > Northeastern Crags

Description

A fun crack and face climb. Makes you get out on lead in the crux.

Start at the offwidth crack that's just left of The Beanstalk Crack. Decide between climbing up easy, but questionable, basalt edges in the back of the crack -- or stack your hands and make a few offwidth moves. The offwidth quickly constrains into a short fist/hand crack and leads to a small ledge ...Or just start on Jack Crack, which dries quicker.

Climb above the ledge using flaring cracks and reach a few more gear placements (funky looking 0.75 cam, but maybe a big stopper or offset stopper would fit well here.) Continue up the flaring cracks, clipping two bolts in the crux, and then mantle onto a ledge. From here follow easy crack up to a bolted anchor.

Location

Ten feet left of Beanstalk Crack.

Protection

Single rack to No. 4 camalot. A No. 5 camalot would be nice at the start but it is not necessary.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The rope follows the general line of Magic Beans. X marks the bolts.
[Hide Photo] The rope follows the general line of Magic Beans. X marks the bolts.
Protection before the crux. The top cam is an offset 1/2 mastercam.
[Hide Photo] Protection before the crux. The top cam is an offset 1/2 mastercam.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

M Sprague
New England
 
[Hide Comment] Nice to see some elbow grease going in. Looking forward to climbing this when I get back out. Is the road fixed or something? A lot more people seem to be getting out there this year than I expected. Sep 11, 2018
Andy Casler
Northfield, NH
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] Hey, Mark! Yep, the road just re-opened. The place is awesome - thanks for all of your hard work to make it what it is! Sep 11, 2018
M Sprague
New England
 
[Hide Comment] Thx, I'll fix the access note. Grr, now that I am all involved with working on my house & obligations for this season. I am going to have to get out there somehow now. Getting nervous about my projects on the right side of the wall, lol Sep 11, 2018
Andy Casler
Northfield, NH
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] Your fixed line is still up so I doubt anyone is climbing on them yet! About what grades do you think they'll get? Sep 11, 2018
M Sprague
New England
 
[Hide Comment] Probably both 11s. The left one possibly a little harder. It has a devious slab crux, and then it is a little pumpy through the headwall. I have TRed them both while cleaning and bolting, but it was taking for ever to clean the crumbly stuff from the band at the top and I've basically had to clean 3 routes at once to figure out how they all fit. Not sure on how the easier arete just to the left will finish, joining the middle route, or having it end earlier so one could then do a cool traversing crack from it as a second pitch. I think they will be worth the wait though. I'll try to get out as soon as I can.

Did you try climbing that scoopy corner between Beanstalk and Magic Beans while you had a rope up? It is probably too squeezed to bolt, but I thought it would be a cool, probably much harder TR alternative start to Magic Beans. Sep 11, 2018
[Hide Comment] That's has gotta be the biggest- all time- total B.S.- quotes I have ever heard!
Here it is folks:
"I've basically "HAD" to clean 3 routes at once to figure out how they all fit in"
now that's alot of red tagging... Sep 20, 2018
M Sprague
New England
 
[Hide Comment] You are welcome to your opinion Ray, but you weren’t the one cleaning them for days on end and figuring the bolt placements. I tagged the 2 lines that are next to each other that are 90% clean, & linked on tr. I didn’t red tag or bolt the 3rd line at all. As you know I open plenty of lines after tons of cleaning & paying for the bolts as open projects for everybody. Isn’t it funny how even though there are tons of great lines to put up, everybody wants to jump on the ones I have already gotten almost ready to go.

We’ve had this conversation before. I had scattered projects from before when hardly anyone else was going out there and I was working with conditions, available partners and what they wanted to get on, and yes sometimes strategic planning on how future routes will interact. Probably at least half of the routes you guys have FAed out there I had previously put a bunch of work into and wasn’t possessive and red tagged. I think my 2 beanstalk projects are the only ones I have tags on, possibly one at the alcove that ended up being wet a lot that people can go for if they want( may need one more bolt) I don’t know why some of you guys are so pushy when there are so many great lines to do out there. Sep 21, 2018
Sean M
Victor, MT
  5.10c
[Hide Comment] Another fun one! Well protected... the comment in the description about "getting out on lead" made me nervous, knowing N Conway locals, but its totally safe and reasonable. A little loose/crumbly rock up top, though that seems common at the top of this cliff. I broke off a little sidepull in the crack, but for the most part very solid rock.

Edit: and I agree that if you're comfortable with 5.8/5.9 offwidth then a #5 is not necessary, I went up it with just up to #4, and you have to wait until 15-20 feet up until they are useful, but its not too hard before then. Aug 26, 2019
Russ Keane
Salt Lake
5.10c
[Hide Comment] This route is pretty sweet. It was a very engaging lead. Must have been a ton of work to clean the crack. Thanks FA'er, it was worth it. Aug 1, 2020