Green Mtn Natl. Forest

I live in southern VT, outside Brattleboro. Each time I venture to the Bennington area, I look in the hills along the roadside and think, "there's gotta be good bouldering in there somewhere!" Much of the land in that area is National forest. Any tips as Spring is only a coupla months away??

Get jazzed up on Caffeine at Mocha Joe's and drive anywhere else: MA, NH, or MA. Vermont is a beautiful state, but the region's best climbing is elsewhere.

"...the region's best climbing is elsewhere."

Not true. Drive north, and you'll find a wealth of good bouldering.

Then hook the brother up with some beta...but make sure he stops for good coffee. I miss that place.

Matt McIntosh wrote: Any tips as Spring is only a coupla months away??

Assuming no one comes forth and tells you where to go, my tip is:
1) Spend the winter pouring over images on Google Earth and Bing.
2) As soon as the snow melts, hike every minute you can with GPS in hand. Go off trail. Be sure to go around every ridgelet. Keep in mind that every little boulder may be uphill or downhill of a large boulder. When you find any rock outcroppings be sure to mark them on your gps.
3) Once you've found enough rock to keep you busy for a season, get your brushes out and start scrubbing. If you find a bunch, let freezeus and me know and we may drive south and give you a hand with the cleaning.

There is a bunch of rock on the MA border, just waiting to be discovered, cleaned, and climbed. It needs a local motivated enough to locate and develop it.

No one's telling you sh*t dude. Get a coffee and send Speed of Life at Farley, 30-40 minute drive.

If you're looking for v8-v10 I wouldn't mind showing you around the
Western Mass area but we don't have much for easier stuff. I haven't been but maybe you should check out the DEKD boulders in Killington. Beyond that I would suggest hiking around the "AT" or the M&M trail.

Hey roger, you guys have anything in the v11-v12 range up there?

hmmm...V9-V14+ nope I don't have any of that stashed away...nope no boulders here nor do I know anything about the 500+ uncleaned problems within minutes of my home or the 200 problems we've put up in central VT over the last 3 years ;)

Try here first...I've been itching to check this thing out and with the zero snowpack you should be able to hike right to it:
windmillhillpinnacle.org/pa…

Can't wait to check it out Jason, just saw those photos of sunny valley...amazing

josh villeneuve wrote:Hey roger, you guys have anything in the v11-v12 range up there?

Yes. Some 11 at Smuggs, some in the Bolton area. But I'm the wrong guy to give you beta on that level.

Check out the stuff right above the FS road by Mt. Tabor (right above where it switchbacks). Actually, I checked it out while passing through and it's all Cheshire Quartzite (an altogether unique and remarkable rock) and I am sure there is potential for some very difficult stuff there. I would recommend a triple layer of pads for this area. Mostly bouldering but there may be some short routeclimbing potential.

The area around Ball Mountain Dam and Ball Mountain itself in Jamaica is also very interesting, I'd be surprised if this hasn't been explored/partially developed. Not clear as to whether it is granite or high-grade schist.

Plenty of rock in Southern VT but it needs to be (re)cleaned/developed.

We've bouldered some of the Mt Tabor stuff...very unique...very slippery...super solid. There is also great stuff down in the river below the road since Irene.

Jamaica has a bunch of established bouldering and routes.

Join the facebook group southern vermont climbing coalition

There is stuff out there if you look for it. My suggestion, quit bouldering and go to Farley.

I traveled to jamacia once from the killington area. seems like a nice spot if you lived there but a bunch of short routs in the woods on typical soft VT shist. nothing that inspired me to repete the drive when the same ammount of driveing gets me to Rumny and almost cannon etc.

Liveing in Pitsfield Freezeus I would seriously suggest investing some time in Mt Horrid. Tons of new rt potentual there.

Mt Horrid..hmmm wink wink...I've never ever been there...probably choss ;)

Just needs a bit of tough love;)