Swansea Dam/ Abrams Rock

Don't want to blow this up if its someone's secret spot...

I went out this weekend and climbed in the Mt. Tom Area (RI). First time outdoors on rock. Then we went on sunday to swansea dam, my mtb spot, hoping to find something. Girlfriend was skeptical, i knew there was rock but didn't think we would find anchors to setup TR's due to no trees/ cracks on top. and then, voila, we find bolt hangers above the climbs. It appears there is at least 5 bolted climbs out here maybe more. All the bolts were in pristine condition, no rust. However one's nut was loose and another was missing a hanger.

So does anyone have any more beta on this area? Climb there? Suggestions?

If you don't know anything about the spot, but live nearby hit me up and would love to get out and show you. Great nearby, beginner - short - TR, for anyone in the east bay area.

Lastly, a question I was going to touch on in another post I am going to make immediately after this. It appears these routes are bolted in a manner so as one bolt for each climb. We were able to equalize one pair, and make a bolt/ extended stopper placement equalized anchor in another. Was this the intention of the bolting? Does anyone TR on single bolts? Why not a pair for each?

You shouldn't TR off of one bolt, that seems odd that someone would setup the climbs that way.

Are there any boulders out there? The images on Bing.com show a bunch of rock...

I've been climbing there for 10+ years. The bolts were added a few years ago but I don't use them. I really don't trust bolts in puddingstone.

Abrams Rock has a 5.5-5.6 up the 50' side, a 5.9 on the overhanging block to the right, and a 5.7 on the far side.

The other rock (Wolf Rock?) has some bouldering or short TR climbs.

Your profile says Bristol. Do you know about the huge boulder north of town beach?

Joe, there are rocks all over the place. I was going to scope it more about before i posted specifics in nature. Seems the puddingstone, at the mercy of erosion, often has to rounded of forms, aka not the best bouldering problems. But I suspect one could find a lot to boulder around there, be it starting from a sit on smaller rocks, or at the base of some of the more prominent features. The front of wildcat rock would be an excellent spot to bring in a crash pad.

Wildcat is the farthest in, and most prominent feature out there, although the grade comes up to the backside.

Jonathan, do you just climb w.out a rope? I've been trying to rope up and then push myself for some harder routes on the rock, ie not grabbing the easiest features. This weekend we were planning to get out either to hemlock ledges or back to swansea to climb wildcat. Do you have any suggestions for a TR setup on wildcat? The two bolts will work for the stemming climb on the front, but I want to try something up the nose.

On Abram's, we were top roping the overhang and a line ~5' left of it on sunday. Great fun for a local spot. Where are you located?

And about the boulder you mentioned, do you mean this thing?

North of Town Beach, Bristol RI

I've walked by that thing a hundred times and never thought of climbing it, I guess I've never had the bouldering mindset. Tips?

I have never set anything on wildcat because it's so small, just a pad once several years ago.

That is the beach boulder. I remember a V1 that goes from the water side, around to the right and follows the crack all the way to the far end.
Also a harder one on the north side crack with the painted flag.

Wild Cat does have a tree about 50 feet to the right( facing the cliff.) towards the back . It might make your anchors to wide. There are also roughly five good sized boulders back there.

Hi all, just wanted to keep this going.... We got back and climbed a few more times at both Swansea Dam and the Bristol Boulder.

Swansea definitely has boulder problems all over the place, I took the main trail (old tractor path) in this last time instead of the cemetery trail, and there are a bunch of problems to check out, they just pop up on your left and right as you walk in, clearly visible from the trail. We did TR the front of Wildcat, the left climb, where a face of rock has sheared off and left a chimney. The chimney was fun but super easy maybe ~5.7, then the nose is like ~5.9 maybe 5.10 if you can stay completely on the west face.

I've been really getting a kick out of the Bristol Boulder. Trying to make a linkup of the entire rock, circumvent the whole boulder w.out topping out. The southeast and northwest area are clearly the hardest. The northwest (where the flag is) looks quite plausible for someone who's a stronger climber than I, but the paint also reduces your friction on the rock. There is great access here via a "RI Public Right of Way" only several hundred feet north of here.

Anyone local should definitely check these out.

How tall is the Bristol Boulder?

It is a tiny little thing, I can take a picture tonight. I'm guessing around 9' maybe 10' max. I can waste about an hour there without getting too bored. ADDITIONALLY - You must go in 6 hr time period surrounding low tide 3 hrs before or after is max.

The southwest corner is easiest with about 10 moves, then comes a smooth patch of rock with potential for slopers up high and maybe questionable foot placements.

Then the northeast corner has some fingery moves with poor -> ok -> good foot placements coming around the north. The southmost move here i can do a pullup on but no strength to hold my weight while grabbing the next move. Its a double shoulder length armspread with (2) half-knuckle placements to support each side of you. Moving north from there maybe 12 moves will get you to the side which is defined by only crack which you cant even get a finger pad into, not sure about there.

Last I check i'm bouldering like v2-v3 in the gym so if you are really getting it, you might be bored to check out this little stone. But its a nice after-work spot for me to bring my dog, and good practice to get some finger-strengthening when i cant get out elsewhere.

I guess I started this thread to inquire... and maybe inspire... about the bolting at swansea, hesitant to post photos of these little known locations. But I can put photos for these climbs that way people reading this can choose to get out and access.

I've been climbing flag rock since about 2000. I set up a few routes on that boulder (v1/2 on the east side beginning from a sit start; v0+ on the north side; and V1 the south side)and one (v1ish) on the small boulder closer to town beach. I recall passing someone on the bike path with my pad around 2007 and then shortly after started seeing chalk on the boulder- was that one of you guys? Small world if so!
I'm interested in the Swansea boulders- that conglomerate looks funky but could be fun. Is the best bouldering potential on the walk in past the cemetery along the dirt road?

I'm not sure how you sit start on the east side. West I get. My big project is trying to circumvent the whole thing. Not sure I'll ever get past the flag.

Bristol Boulder

Bristol Boulder

I started climbing in 2012 so was not me. What I really need is someone to go out with and move the pad that way I have a spot for moving around the thing.

As for Swansea, I've not explored bouldering there too much. the crumbly rock is a huge turn off. There are two spots I like:

1) walk in past cemetery, continue straight past mud pit as the road bends right. the rock shows up on your right with the prominent overhang facing south-southwest

2) continue past #1 you get to the split for abrams rock, marked by a trail breaking off left/uphill, the trail breaking right with footbridges (to abrams), and a mud-pit/depression (sometimes swampy) ahead. Continue past this around 1,000 feet. The trail bends right and then back around left and the land to the left leads slightly rolling uphill. If you break off bushwhacking there leading straight-straightleft where the trail would bend right you will eventually find a 8-10' rockband that faces due west. There are 3-4 good routes on this. We call it The Bat Wall. There's also a potentially easier ways to get here if you take that first left/uphill that I mentioned, and trend toward the northern terminus of the Roots Trail which is the first trail east of the main swamp separating the woods from the soccer field area. You would at some point see that cliffband offtrail on your right. Good luck finding those!

Hey Tom- circumnavigation of the boulder sounds like a fun challenge, count me in sometime. I live in Providence, but visit my grandma in Bristol weekly and it's a short walk down the bike path to the boulder. I think I've confused the conversation using east/west. I meant a sit start on the side of the boulder facing away from the water. If I remember correctly there is a ledge about half way up and a couple flakes for feet on the underside of the boulder. Anyways- I'll look for you out there next time I go.

No I think you had it right. With the sun setting so early I can no longer get there on a weekday in daylight. But if the tide ends up right on a weekend I'm in town, or right on a day that is particularly warm for a night session, i'd be in.