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Suggestions for adaptive climbing friendly sites near Boston?

Original Post
Arthur Torrey · · North Billerica MA · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 46

Hello,

First post, and hoping I can get some advice...

Personal Intro:

I am a wheelchair using Paraplegic, and have been doing adaptive climbing for about 2 years - I started when the Brooklyn Boulders - Somerville MA gym opened up. Primarily I climb at the gym with the 'Adaptive Climbing Group' Boston chapter. I'm also a member of Paradox Sports and have gone on the last two of their Fall trips to the Gunks. I do 'tentacle' climbing, which is an adaptive variation on aid climbing, and am working towards getting my Lead Climber certification at BKBS - as far as I know, when I get it that will make me only the third paraplegic in the world that can lead climb. (Sean O'Neill (who was one of the folks that got me hooked on climbing) and Marc Wellman are the other two)

The Adaptive Climbing Group was started at the original Brooklyn Boulders in NYC, and has started chapters in other locations, including each of the locations that BKB has expanded into. Our motto is that 'Anyone can Climb' and pretty much regardless of handicap, we will get anyone that appears up the wall using whatever abilities they have, and whatever help they need...

In the past, we have had climbers with a wide range of disabilities, including amputees, visual impairment, neurological problems, and varying levels of paralysis. Most of our current regular climbers are wheelchair users however.

While we mostly climb in the gym, we also try to do a few trips a year to outdoor locations, so folks can try playing on real rocks...

The challenge is trying to find a location that works reasonably well...

We would like a site that is relatively close to the Metro Boston area, has a tolerably easy access to the crags, and offers a decent climbing experience for both people like me that want to place gear and climb on it, and the larger number of our folks that 'campus around' - and definitely need a top rope.

So far we have tried Crow Hill out near Fitchburg, which was a great crag, but the access was a big issue with at least 4 climbers that needed to be carried over that boulder scramble. (Mother Nature is not ADA compliant, but we can't sue because she is 'grandfathered' as prior construction....)

OTOH, Quincy Quarry, which was nice and close, and had really easy access, was a fail because in addition to being generally slimy, didn't really have good climbing....

So after this lengthy post, what I'm basically looking for is something that 'splits the difference' - better climbing than QQ and less of an access challenge than Crow Hill, and hopefully within an hour or two of Boston

ART

Kevin Neville · · Oconomowoc, WI · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 15

Hammond Pond?

Louis Eubank · · Portland, ME · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 181

Rumney certainly has some spots, and Pawtuckaway has several areas that are definitely wheelchair accessable. Another option to consider could be Cathedral ledge - it's a bit farther than you're looking for, but the right side is very close the to road and you could easily drive to the top and rappel down other routes, which could give the flavor of multipitch climbing to individuals for whom bottom to top isn't a viable option. And the last pitches of the Prow and Recompense are just gorgeous, go at 5.9+, and are very amenable to hauling. Good luck!

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090
Louis Eubank wrote:Rumney certainly has some spots..
I can't think of anything at Rumney that I would call easy to get to on a wheel chair, though the 5.8 crag and the left side of the meadows shouldn't be too bad, a good wide flat graded path to ~100 ft of moderately steep trail, but you wouldn't have to cross any particularly rough sections or scree. All the rest are longer and rougher to get to and would probably require carries I would think or at least probably be an arduous adventure I am not sure if the climbing in those two small spots would be suitable or not to be worth the longer drive. The left side of the meadows is mostly a cheese grater like rough slab. The 5.8 crag is mostly quite thin, fingery and technical face climbs in the 10 to 11 range. The easier ones are either rough slabs or nasty and covered with moss.

It sound like what you are looking for is something a little overhanging and either with good enough holds to campus or features for aiding, correct?
Max Forbes · · Colorado · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 108

I'm from the Boston area and can only think of two good spots. Hammond pond would be the most obvious in my mind. The walk in is only about a minute down a dirt road and up a small incline. It would be pretty easy to access with minimal effort and hosts some fun climbing that can be top-roped or led on gear. Unfortunately the climbing isn't much better than the quarry but it's pretty cool pudding stone. Quincy quarry is the other most obvious. I'm thinking you may have better luck in NH. Rapping into cathedral would be pretty easy, and the meadows at Rumney would be okay also.

Pway as mentioned definitely has some accessible spots also. Red rocks in Gloucester is a longer trek in but is mostly open trails with a flat base and wouldn't be too hard I'd imagine. Definitely worth visiting with great views of the ocean.

If you ever make it to Vermont, the short approach to lower west Bolton would be worth the struggle uphill and has incredible climbing compared to stuff in mass. I would be thrilled to show you around if you ever made it this far north.

I think it's pretty incredible what you are doing and it really does inspire me to believe that climbing is truly a sport for everyone. If you do end up climbing in these places I would definitely love to see some photos. Keep it up.

djh860 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 110

Hammond pond easy leading and top roping very good access

chris21 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 125

Not a lot of routes but College Rock in Hopkinton has pretty easy access and good quality rock.

Joe M · · MA and NH · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 11,725

There is a short cliff at the 9C picnic area at Lincoln Woods that might work for you. It isn't wilderness climbing as it has lots of graffiti but you can drive right up to the base of the wall (gate is open until October), there's a nice picnic area at the base, and there are a half dozen routes that you can top rope (not really sure there is anything to lead).

As just said above, another option might be College Rock in Hopkinton, the approach is short and there are a bunch of good 10s and 11s to toprope.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

The place you want is Rattlesnake Rocks in Blue Hills. A chair could get in along the pipeline path and i bet the local authorities would allow a parking exemption for you.

Nice local, no crowds and a variety of climbs..from 5.3 to very overhanging stuff. mostly Tr, but a few routes that can be led.

Good luck

Arthur Torrey · · North Billerica MA · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 46

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions - I will definitely be passing them on to the folks in charge of the group to consider.

They will also possibly want to bounce the suggestions off the folks that do guiding with us, as I'm sure they will also have input..

I'm thinking that while totally flat access is nice, a little bit of carrying isn't that bad. There is a big difference between a few feet of carry, or needing help over an occasional bump, and the quarter-mile or so of boulder scramble that I needed a 6-man carry to get me over... (I'm not THAT heavy, but there was a lot of passing hand to hand...)

As an example, when I've been on the Paradox sponsored trips to the Gunks, it was possible to roll all but the last couple hundred feet of the approach, get a bit of help for the next hundredfifty or so, and only need a carry for the last 30 or 40 feet, which isn't that bad for either me or the volunteers...

ART

Arthur Torrey · · North Billerica MA · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 46
M Sprague wrote: It sound like what you are looking for is something a little overhanging and either with good enough holds to campus or features for aiding, correct?
That is just about a perfect description. Everyone else in the group either campus climbs, or some form of regular climbing with extra support / progress capture from the belay line. We also sometimes have folks that just use an ascender bar, with or without mechanical advantage setups, though we try (if possible) to get them into doing something that has more interaction with the wall as just doing an ascender is kind of boring...

For that sort of climbing, it is nice to have enough overhang that you aren't dragging your body over the rocks, but not so much that you are dangling...

I like to do a sort of 'tripod' with my knees against the wall for stability, and the piece I'm hanging on for support. (In the gym I want a seriously loose belay once I'm far enough up that decking is unlikely...) Again a slight overhang is nice for that as it makes it easier to slide my knees up the wall...

I also need a lot of aid-friendly features, as I have to put in pro every 8-12" since that is as high as I can reach when I am at the top of my tentacles (I'd love to figure out a way to get higher) The instructor I've been working with most has suggested that I could do higher placements with cam-hooks and a reacher stick, but that might get folks upset as supposedly it is hard on the rock (I definitely understand and want to use 'clean' practices, so I'd want to be sure it was a non-damaging approach) This is what I was doing on the Gunks trips, and cleaning as I climbed to recycle the gear as I moved up...

I didn't enjoy the climb at Quincy Quarries, because the crack I was on didn't work for putting in pro - it was to shallow and the wrong shape. There was only a spot that could be used every 6-10 feet, so I ended up with the guides sticking in a piece for me, clipping my tentacle to it for me, and repeat as I hauled up - about as much challenge as an ascender bar...

ART
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northeastern States
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