Ben Townsend > Comments

Jul 8, 2026 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's C… > Equinox (5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a) anchors at the top ● Never a bad question to ask, but in this case the anchor location was specifically chosen as the most solid… View Comment
Oct 27, 2025 -Camden Hills > 09. Guide's Wall Alpine Spring 5.7 ● Alpine Spring was a seasonal beer that was part of a Sam Adams variety pack. View Comment
Aug 19, 2025 NH Ice & Mixed > Mt Washington > Huntington Ravine - W… Damnation Buttress 5.6 WI3- M3- ● No, that goes up the blunt buttress between North and Damnation. View Comment
Aug 18, 2025 j. The Maine Highland… Over the Hills and Far Away ● Yes, Armadillo approach ledge. The very exposed step-around boulder is directly ahead of the climber. View Comment
Dec 21, 2024 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Jack-in-the-Pulpit 5.7 ● Sadly, the tree is now gone. View Comment
Sep 2, 2024 j. The Maine Hi… > Katahdin > 02. N Basin > Hanta Yo (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13) Topo of Hanta Yo, spots where we belayed marked with purple dots. ● The route shown on the topo joins Hanta Yo at the top, but the first two-thirds or so is much farther left… View Comment
Jun 3, 2024 -Camden Hills > 12. The Rampart > Out of Gas (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c) Left half of rope with gear from lead; didnt see anchor for route so used Arete's... ● Same anchor as Treerock. View Comment
Jun 2, 2024 -Camden Hills > 12. The Rampart > Out of Gas (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c) Left half of rope with gear from lead; didnt see anchor for route so used Arete's... ● Looks like the rope is through the Arete anchor. Out of Gas has its own anchor on the big ledge directly ab… View Comment
Jan 23, 2024 Adirondacks > Adirondack Ice… > Keene Valley &… > Hurricane Crag Old Route M3 ● Climb the right wall, trending a bit right to exit just left of the outer chockstone. It looks pretty unlik… View Comment
Sep 10, 2023 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Goat Yoga 5.9 ● Tritium Witch is the most direct fourth pitch finish to Goat Yoga. It was first climbed several years earli… View Comment
Mar 23, 2023 j. The Maine Hi… > Katahdin > 02. N Basin North Basin from Blueberry Knoll - Route lines are approximate! ● The part of "J" below the big vegetated ledge is the direct start to Hanta Yo, which then goes straight up… View Comment
Jan 31, 2023 -Camden Hills > Ragged Mountain. > Cave Crag. Stupid climber tricks. 5.10a R ● Cameron -- No worries! Look under "Cave Crag," page 39 in the yellow guidebook. Bob -- I'm not really co… View Comment
Jan 29, 2023 -Camden Hills > Ragged Mountain. > Cave Crag. Stupid climber tricks. 5.10a R ● I think this route may be in the guidebook as Stupid Climber Tricks. FA by Alan Rees and Dorcas Miller (I b… View Comment
Jun 12, 2022 -Camden Hills > 11. Fireman's Ladder… Every Second Counts 5.9 ● Also, Peter did the FA without the crux protection bolt (nasty ledge-fall potential). After repeating the r… View Comment
May 19, 2022 j. The Maine Hi… > Katahdin > 02. N Basin Summit Magazine, May-June, 1983, Volume 29, No. 3. Article Katahdin Renaissance by Ben Townsend. Page 16. Ben, Paul Abrams, and myself made the first ascent together of Cold Mountain, 5.9+ up the Taber Wall 1979. ● Speaking as the author, I am fine with it. View Comment
Jul 4, 2021 -Clifton Crags > Parks Pond Bluff > c. Main Face > Twist & Shout (5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R) Twist and Shout ● Twist and Shout follows fairly nebulous features left of the yellow line on the photo. View Comment
May 22, 2021 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Wherever You Go, There You Are 5.8+ ● On the crux headwall, take care not to block crucial jams with gear. Tape or crack gloves are nice for the… View Comment
May 16, 2021 -Clifton Crags > Parks Pond Bluff > e. Mountaineers Wall Living in the Past 5.6 PG13 ● FA Ben Townsend and Dorcas Miller, early 90s. View Comment
Feb 8, 2021 a. Western Moun… > Ten Degree Wall > Ten Degree Wall Ice Angel Falls WI2 ● Bolted belay-rappel anchor in a cave at the top (climber's right). One-rope rap with a 60m. View Comment
Oct 10, 2020 -Camden Hills 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff ● There's a separate approach trail for the climbs on the lower right side (Summertime Blues to Together Thro… View Comment
Oct 8, 2020 -Camden Hills > 12. The Rampart Puissance 5.14a ● Very impressive! Strong climbers have tried to free the headwall since the 1990s. I believe it was original… View Comment
Sep 21, 2020 -Camden Hills > 12. The Rampart Treerock 5.5 ● The big oak tree had a large boulder wedged in its branches until some time in the late 1980s or so, and th… View Comment
Jan 28, 2020 a. Western Moun… > Tumbledown Mtn… > A.M.C. Route (5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b) AMC New Route Report from Appalachia 1953 [NOTE- the routes shown in the photo are both well right of the route described in MtnPrjct's text] ● Interestingly, neither of the marked routes is the current "AMC Route," which is on the clean buttress form… View Comment
Nov 13, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Cake Rock Microcosm 5.5 ● Fun climb, still a bit licheny in the water groove. Rings or chains on the top bolts might prevent the top-… View Comment
Nov 13, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Upper Shaman Wall Briar Patch 5.3 ● Easy even for 5.3, but a fun romp on alligator-skin friction. Could be worth another star if the protection… View Comment
Sep 29, 2019 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Jack-in-the-Pulpit 5.7 ● This climb could easily be considered a nice 5.5 that can be made 5.8 by taking the most direct line. View Comment
Sep 23, 2019 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Fourth of July (mid-cliff START) 5.8+ R ● The face to the left is the route Skidmarks. It's in the guidebook; I just added a description to MP. View Comment
Sep 22, 2019 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Jack-in-the-Pulpit 5.7 ● If you chimney against the yellow birch to get past the bulge, the entire pitch is a very enjoyable 5.5. View Comment
Jul 28, 2019 -Camden Hills > 04. Barrett's Cove Cliff Throne of the Mountain King 5.6 ● The corner is a drainage, so it's likely to get dirty again pretty regularly -- we almost named the route "… View Comment
Apr 22, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Flowering Hominid Wall Girdle Traverse 5.5 ● This route must have been done before, so if anyone has a better name and description, let me know and I'll… View Comment
Apr 18, 2019 1. Southern Mou… > Cedar Rock > Stone Knob Cedar View 5.7+ PG13 ● The crux step seems pretty bold, as the gear is below your feet. Via stick-clip shenanigans, I managed to c… View Comment
Apr 15, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Flowering Hominid Wall Flowering Hominid (aka Lily) 5.4 ● For unknown reasons, there is a second anchor at the bushy ledge about 50' above the first anchor -- pretty… View Comment
Apr 15, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Flowering Hominid Wall Nose Over Your Toes (aka Lucy) 5.6 ● Only one bolt before the roof. View Comment
Apr 15, 2019 Big Rock Mountain > Flowering Hominid Wall How Do You Want Your Eggs 5.6 ● The move past the first bolt is a bit exciting, but after that it's just pure fun all the way. Didn't find… View Comment
Apr 15, 2019 Big Rock Mountain Flowering Hominid Wall ● Bone dry the morning after a major downpour. View Comment
Apr 11, 2019 1. Southern Mou… > Rumbling Bald Hickory Nutcracker Area ● The slope along the base is quite steep and loose, and the trail is pretty vague. View Comment

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Ben Townsend > Comments

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