Kayte Knower making the clip at the start of the c...
Description
New Hampshire is the Granite State. The state moto is "Live Free or Die." Need more be said?
Actually though, the rock in this state comes in many forms, from the rounded boulders of Pawtuckaway in the South to the clean fractured granite of Cannon Cliff in the North. We even have a world class sport climbing area, though the cliffs at Rumney are mostly schist. On the other side of the mountains, North Conway has its own scene and two of the best trad cliffs around. Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges are just minutes from town. All of this within a state that is small enough to fit into some of your National Parks out West.
Whether you consider yourself a hard core traditionalist or a sport climbing wunderkind, there is a wealth of climbing to be found in this small state. Plus, there's some die-hard Libertarian blood around here, so don't expect to pay any taxes. And fall around these parts can be pretty close to heaven.
Getting There
Despite its diminutive size, New Hampshire should be found on most maps of the U.S.
Manchester hosts a major regional airport. The Boston airport is less than a three hour drive from most points in the state.
Peregrines
Please note that seasonal peregrine closures affect many cliffs in the state. Please check the information kiosks for more information. The closures are usually clearly marked.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for New Hampshire:
A solid, powerful problem with technical feet that would be classic if it didn't fly under the radar. Sit start the left side of the slightly bulging face at a jug in the crack with your ass on the low boulder behind you. Follow a seam to the right for a couple of moves, then using a right hand sidepull and a left hand crimp/sloper, dyno to a better hold up and right (crux). Match the hold, then top out straight up....[more]Browse More Classics in NH
By Ladd Raine Administrator From: Plymouth, NH May 10, 2007
For a sampling of New Hampshire climbing check out the film Uncommon Ground
By Jay Knower Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Feb 1, 2008
All of New Hampshire's ice and alpine climbs have been moved so that they can be found under a single heading. If you are looking for (or planning on adding to) the ice routes in the database, then click on "NH Ice and Alpine Climbing" above.
I do not climb in the area anymore since I live in southern colo now, but I would really like to contribute some routes and/or comments. I have about 25 years climbing in NH as well as the rest of New England including about 50 F/A,s
Big question- most of my photos are slides, can these be scanned and put on the site ?\\
Hi John, I'd love to see some of your photos on this site. It would be great to have some contributions / stories from your days around NE. I know your slides can be scanned but you need a slide scanner which might be expensive, I don't know. Maybe you know someone with one?
John, I'll look forward to seeing your photos and contributions.
I love that photo in Webster's guidebook of you on Unwanted Guests. I've rapped past those non-existent footholds, and have always wondered what the hell you were standing on in that photo.
I have a question, I hiked Rattlesnake Mountain in Holderness NH this is the mountain that looks over Squam Lake, not the one in Rumney, while doing this I walked down infront of the slabs there and found three short sport routes four or five bolts a piece, does anybody know anyting about these routes, before I get on them? Also does anybody know Trad routes that are there.
I am curious if anyone else thinks putting up indoor gyms on this site would be a good idea. I believe it would be because it would provided places for people to train and for people to go on bad outdoor days, also it will benefit the climbing community by developing newer climbers and it will benefit the gyms by bringing in new customers.
There would have to be regulations for this such as not posting routes it would just be a way to get the gyms more known and develop the climbing community.
What are your thoughts...
By Ladd Raine Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Jan 14, 2009
jakob and i climbed cathedral, whitehorse, and cannon cliff within 17 hrs the other day (and night)... The idea was to do what we see as the 3 proudest cliffs in a day or so... now that we see how fun and easy it was taking the moderate routes we are thinking of doing some harder routes in the same style... here is a video of the adventure:
By Jay Knower Administrator From: Plymouth, NH May 1, 2009
Nice video Lee. I especially like the Cannon footage. Wind blowing, getting lost. It really captures the Cannon experience.
I heard a rumor of a multipitch slab climb in Crawford Notch (Willey Slide area?). The description I recieved was three maybe four pitches of 5.6ish slab climbing anyone know anything about this?
TONS of climbing in Crawford notch. Mt Webster slabs has old and new routes some documented (bore tide, lost in the sun), some not. Mt willard has a ton of classics. Lots of slab climbing with a traditional bolting ethic.
Yeah, Lost in the Sun (5.5) and Bore Tide (5.6). Each is 6-8 pitches or so. You park at the Willey Slide turn out, cross the river and wander up to the Slabs on Mt. Webster. You can find directions and a topo at NEClimbs.
I climbed Lost in the Sun in October '07 as my first decent multipitch trad climb. It was a good experience, and with more efficiency than I had at the time you could bag both routes in a day easily. All the belays are bolted and you'll only need a light rack. You will need two ropes to rap, as the routes don't top out. I'd reccomend going during a dry spell, lots of the protection bolts were under running water and I had to trailblaze on easy runout ground a little.
I was going to add some routes on sundown's outback cliff, but I didn't think that they really belong in the same section. It would be like lumping painted walls and rainbow slab together. Actually those cliffs are closer together than sundown main cliff and the outback cliff. Any thoughts?
By Jay Knower Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Aug 18, 2009
I combined all of the crags off the Kanc into the Kancamagus Crags area. This includes Sundown, Woodchuck, Painted Walls, etc.
I also added Sundown's Outback Cliff under that area. Having never climbed there, I don't know much about it. Nhclimber, it would be great if you would add routes/info to that cliff.
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