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sourceful and on-task.
So where do you learn these skills

and how do you practice them?
Usually with others who have the
experience, and that is what makes guid-
ing services an attractive option. For a fee,
trained and certified professionals will
show you the areas and teach you the skills

you need at a pace that’s suitable for you.
Short of that, climbing gyms have
message boards where you can find climb-
ing partners or simply a carpool to the
local crag. Websites like meetup.com or
Facebook can connect you with the climb-

ing community in your area.
“It’s important to go with someone,”
says Conroy. “Whether it’s a guide or a
knowledgeable friend. Maybe not someone
who says they know what they’re doing,

but someone who can be recommended (as
knowledgeable) and is patient.”
TRAD
LIGHTLY
WHERE TO GO?
One of climbing’s biggest challenges is
finding good rock faces to climb, and

most experienced climbers will admit
Vermont isn’t exactly a climbing Mecca.
Spots exist, but like so many other sports,
it’s a matter of knowing where to go.
While the White Mountains in New
Hampshire and the Adirondacks and Sha-
ASELF-PROFESSEDGYMRAT’SPURSUITOFOUTDOORROCK
wangunks in New York are widely known ByEvanJohnson
hotspots for Northeast climbing, closer
options exist.
Evan Johnson practices ascending a rope to a stranded climber on the crags of Sherburne Pass. Photo by Matthew Conroy.
Deer’s Leap, where Conroy and I
were practicing, is a good place for be-
ginners and is within driving distance of KILLINGTON, Vt. — On a late May secured from falls by a belaying partner them — and reaching them. The “real
Monday morning, my legs are going above them, “trad” climbing involves set- deal” isn’t always as convenient or pre-
Rutland, Killington, Woodstock, Ludlow, numb in my harness while I cling to a ting your own protection in the rock as dictable as the gym.
Pittsfield, Brandon or Middlebury. There cliff jutting 100 feet above the highway you climb higher and higher until you The point: Your gym climbing can
are also a few 70-80-foot cliffs near Lake at Sherburne Pass. The wind buffets me eventually “top out” at the top of the cliff give you the strength and the technique,
Dunmore in the Moosalamoo National in the face while I search the jagged schist or mountain summit.
but when you want to climb rock, you’ll
Recreation Area. In northern Vermont,
with my fingertips for the next handhold.
For this adventure, I joined up with need to go practice and expect to find a
Bolton hosts a fair number of accessible The rock face is cold and sharp to Quechee and Rutland-based Vermont significant difference. A 5.8 climb in the
climbs in the area and is located just half the touch as I grip with pointer and index Adventure Tours – one of a handful of gym, for example, is not the same as a 5.8
an hour or less from Burlington, Stowe, fingers trying to find a more secure posi- outfitters in the state that will lead guided route outdoors and when I made the first
Waterbury or Montpelier.
tion. Far below me, the cars on Route 4 climbing tours to areas in Vermont.
move on the day’s first climb, I realized I
In the southern part of the state, Ja- look like toys and directly over my shoul- I was excited at the opportunity, and had a long way to go. And that’s doubly
maica State park has some climbing routes
der, the slopes of Pico Mountain still have a earlier that Monday, I threw my climbing true for climbers expecting to be able to
with easy walk-around access while the few patches of late-spring snow. My ankle shoes and lunch in a backpack and drove lead a multi-pitch climb.
Northeast Kingdom has trad and harder begins to shake with “sewing machine- to the trailhead to learn the basics.
sport climbing around Mount Wheeler effect,” so I adjust, finding a flake just large NEW SKILL SETS
and the Marshfield Ledge. The quarry enough for my toe. I reach behind my hip CHECK YOUR TECHNIQUE
All climbing demands sound decision mak-
area near Barre has sport and mixed
climbs with some top rope options. Smug- for my chalk bag to secure my grip.
I’ve been a casual climber for at least six ing and specific technical skills, including
Fifteen feet above me, my guide, years, during which I can count on one route planning, mitigating risk, organizing
glers’ Notch, connecting Jeffersonville Matthew Conroy, pokes his head over the hand the number of times I’ve climbed on and properly using equipment. Instead of
and Stowe, has opportunities for boulder- edge. The wind whips at his shaggy hair real rock, relying instead on the friendly going up multiple pitches on our day of
ing and multi-pitch climbing, including as he yells down:
plastic holds at my local climbing gym. It’s climbing, learning as we went, we spent
some tough roofs and overhangs.
“You’re supposed to be uncon- a pastime that keeps me in shape and with the day working on the skills that would be
Unlike climbing in an artificial en-
scious, don’t move so much.”
decent climbing form.
brought to the bigger walls.
vironment, your presence has an impact “Sorry.”
That said, I admit that when I That includes:
on the area so pay attention to all posted I resume my dangling, putting my showed up at the parking lot I might have Anchor selection and construction
signs, check for climbing bans due to nest- full weight on the rope and feel my legs been a little too confident. I was halfway Belaying and rappelling from a variety of
ing Peregrines, be considerate of where start to go numb again. Meanwhile, over up the first pitch of the day when Conroy positions
you park your car and, as always, pack- the cliff edge above me, Matt works with noticed how hard I was breathing.
Ascending/descending
out what you pack-in.
another client to retrieve me. The rope “On a basic level, indoor and out- Rescue skills, such as escaping a belay or
jerks and slowly hauls me upward.
door climbing aren’t really any different ascending a rope to a distressed climber
WHAT TO BRING
I’m playing the role of “crash test as far as the way ropes are set up or what To be able to do each of these tasks
Gear is necessary, and new, top-of-the- dummy” while we practice rescue tech- you’re physically doing,” he says. “But the quickly and with confidence requires fre-
line cams or bolts are expensive. So before niques for multi-pitch, or “trad,” climb- major difference is that route climbing is quent practice and constant vigilance.
you go out and spend hundreds on some ing. The cliff I’m currently hanging from different from the gym in that the tape isn’t “You should be able to tie your knots
slick hardware, focus on the basics like
is better suited to the top-rope climbing there (to show you the holds) and the holds behind your back and with your eyes
shoes, harness, helmet and chalk. If you I’m used to, but for our purposes today, are in-cut instead of projecting, which is closed in the dark,” Conroy says.
have a climbing partner, you can coordi- these crags above the Inn at the Long Trail what indoor climbers are used to.”
He’s not joking – in a real environ-
nate your purchases to prevent too much are a great place to practice skills needed Depending on the kind of rock ment hundreds of feet above the ground,
“overlap” (just be sure to work out an ar- for much bigger walls.
you’re climbing, the handholds and foot- with darkness, weather and your own
rangement for what to do if a piece gets
broken, lost, or stuck in a crack, as this
Unlike climbing with a top-rope, holds found outside the gym offer an in- fatigue affecting your movement and
in which the climbing partner is always
finite variety, but the problem is spotting
judgment, you need to stay alert, re-

8 VTSPORTS.COM
JUNE 2014