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With 4 inches of snow on the ground in New Hampshire, Brian and I decided our best bet for today was Lincoln Woods in Rhode Island. Many New Englanders have told us that it is not really worth a visit, however, I was psyched on the history of the area and psyched to try and climb a V10 in Rhode Island. It seemed that Pawtuckaway and Rumney were probably snowed in.
The first area we went to was the Pond Cave, which has many steep, hard lines. We spent the first part of our day there.

Brian Capps sends the Pond Cave Traverse V4

I managed to climb the two V10s (Hueco Nightmares and Gravity Hits) in the roof and finish up with the short but fun Who Needs Hueco V8. I also did a low and long traverse into Gravity Hits called Under the Big Top V11. It was a nice way to start out the day.

Brian was happy to hike up the hill and check out Whitey’s Hard One V9. This problem is mentioned in John Sherman’s Stone Crusade. Its a hard move off of two small crimps. Brian and I both did this quickly as well, and then we both fired the sit-start Corner the Market V10 in a few tries.
Here is a quick video of a couple problems from the Woods.

One final stop was made at Try Again V5. I think this problem is a classic Lincoln Woods testpiece and Brian and I both flashed it. “I kept my foot on”

We had a great day today and it was really fun running around and just enjoying the freedom one has being on the road. It never got above freezing, but we laughed and joked and pulled down hard. An awesome day and while the lines weren’t spectacular and the problems weren’t amazing, today’s stop was worth our time.
For more info, check out Tim Kemple’s Bouldering Guide to New England or http://www.lincolnwoodsbouldering.com

Here is a quick video of our sending on Sunday. Two rest days and tomorrow we head to Lincoln Woods as it is the only dry area in the region. Enjoy!

Brian and I arrived in New Hampshire last Monday in a driving rain storm. Tuesday everthing was soaking wet, but we hiked around and saw some really nice things. Pawtuckaway is the largest bouldering area in New England and it is very pretty. There are two main areas, Boulder Natural, where the rock is plentiful but sharp, and Blair Woods, where the boulders are smaller but the granite is immaculate. Erratics are scattered everywhere, leading one to think that next best thing must be lurking in the forest.

Boulder Natural

We decided to meet our friend Max Zolotuhkin on Wed. I felt exceptionally flat and climbed really poorly. I did manage all the moves on a classic V11 called Halycon.

Max on Halcyon V11

Our skin was trashed and we rested on Thursday.
Friday the weather was sunny and cold. We headed back to Halycon and I coudn’t seem to put it together. I felt very tired and it always seems to take me a few days to get used to a new environment. I tried a bunch of problems in an attempt to regain fitness from the time off over Thanksgiving but only climbed a couple of dumpy V8s.
Friday we decided to head up the road and check out Rumney. The high on Friday was 16 degrees and I’m not sure Brian and I sersiously considered climbing. Rumney is world reknown for its roped climbing but there are some classic boulders at the base of the cliff. We literally ran down the road with our pads in an effort to warm up. It was the coldest conditions I had ever climbed in, and Brian agreed. I can’t emphasize how bone chilling it really was. We just starting trying Satan’s Choice V11 and I sent it after a few tries.

Satan’s Choice V11, Rumney

This was a really fun problem and I was psyched to send. The rock in Rumney is very similar to the rock in RMNP in many respects and this problem was no different. A nice pocket and a small intermediate lead to a big move to a good edge.

The next day was much warmer (25 degrees) and we went back to Pawtuckaway, this time to the Blair Woods. I was psyched to try Child of the Storm but a split tip on my right hand would need to heel for that to happen. Sit and Deliver V12 is on the same boulder and a classic line. I did the moves very quickly and started trying from the start. Two mess up burns followed and I rested for a bit. Conditions were perfect! The next go I did the first move and went to the top. This is one of the best problems I have climbed in a while and I was really psyched to do it so quickly. Brian did the stand start Stand and Deliver V11 soon afterwords.

Brian Capps about to Stand and Deliver

It has an obvious start, a flat landing, its a nice size, outstanding rock and classic moves. I got the send on video and if things go well, I should have that up in a few days.
Psyched from the energy of the sends I ran a lap on The Rose V7, another classic problem on the same boulder. I then conviced Brian we should head back to Boulder Natural so I could try Halycon again. This time it went down first try from the start. A classic boulder as well. With energy to spare we hiked into the woods and both did the short roof Dome Piece V10 on our second attempts from the start. I finished off the day by climbing Stegasaurus V9. It was good to finally feel strong again, especially on my 3rd day on, and I am looking forward to seeing what else New England has to offer. Unfortunately, this morning we woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground with more on the way.