First Outside Bouldering Day!!

I went outdoor climbing for the first time this weekend. Bouldering, technically. I went with my friend and neighbor Andy to climb some of the rocks that have fallen off Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, VT in Smuggler's Notch. An hour drive, some mistaken turns (my fault for not trusting Andy for once...), and one bouldering pad later we were scrambling up some ascents we found just below the apex of the pass.

There are a lot of climbing spots to choose from, but we started at the first one we found along the road. The routes were pretty chalky when we got there, so there is clearly an established group of people who climb these rocks.  The one dry face of the boulder we were working on was probably a V1. It wasn't a difficult ascent and both of us got it after about 3 tries.  I couldn't nail the start, but then again we were in a rush to beat the rain that was starting. We then moved on and practice heal hooks on a rail climb.  It was a route easy enough to just do pull ups on while dangling our feet, but we both wanted to practice our hooks. We also fell a few times.  Our last stop for climbing was at a great rock with about 4 different routes to choose from. We had just given up on the last rock due to rain but this rock was sheltered. Still, topping out proved nearly impossible because of the damp and drizzle, I lost my grip and took an unanticipated fall, but besides that the routes were fun and a bit of a challenge. V2-V3 range.  We did find a boulder outside of our ability (probably V4-5) but we still messed about on it before moving on to the last rock.

If you're in Vermont for the weekend or live here and are looking for a great place to boulder this summer (for free!), the Notch has some great spots and boulders. Just bring a pad, because the local shops that rent bikes, roller blades, and other gear don't have any bouldering pads for sale/rent.  Outdoor climbing wasn't too different from gym climbing, which shouldn't surprise me as much as it did, but it was definitely more fun. Climbing is great.

PS. If any of my terminology is confusing or wrong, I'm a new climber and still don't know what most holds are called. I have my words to describe, but they may not mean the same to another climber.