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This 500 foot granite wall towers over North Conway and is equally popular both with climbers and tourists. There is something unique about topping out on your climb to the cheers of tourists who are safely protected behind the fence that runs along the lip of the cliff. Just be ready for lots of questions, like how long did it take, and how did you do it. It's ok if you want to share our secrets, like the use of grappling hooks and those bolt guns like Stallone had in Cliff Hanger – they all know this is how we do it anyway.
Perhaps the most distinctive thing about Cathedral Ledge is the rock quality. The white granite is similar to Yosemite and indeed many climbers use this area specifically to train for the big walls found in the west. The only difference is that New Hampshire granite is usually more featured than Yosemite granite, meaning there are more holds to choose from.
The one thing you won’t find at Cathedral Ledge is loose rock. In more than 20 years I’ve never seen a spontaneous rockfall at this cliff (though I have once seen a tourist throw a rock off the top – he was lucky I didn’t catch him). Cathedral Ledge faces east and depending on the time of year it will get sun first thing in the morning and then go into the shade somewhere between 1-2pm. The wall has several different areas you can explore, such as the Barber Wall, The Prow, Airation Buttress, The Thin Air Face, the Mordor Wall, the Cathedral Roof, The Diedre Area and the North End. Between these different areas you can find everything from multi-pitch 5.5s to overhanging single pitch 5.13+. In other words, Cathedral has a little something for every climber, regardless of ability. Here’s a quick list of some of the classic routes you might climb if you sign up for some instruction from Synnott Mountain Guides:
Upper Refuse (5.5)
Child's Play (5.5)
Thin Air (5.6)
Fun House (5.7)
Kidde Crack (5.7)
Still in Saigon (5.8)
Bombardment (5.8)
Black Lung (5.8)
Recompense (5.9)
Diedre (5.9)
They Died Laughing (5.9)
Bird’s Nest (5.9)
Chicken Delight (5.9)
Nutcracker (5.9+)
Intimidation (5.10)
The Slot (5.10)
Missing Link (5.10)
Other Rock Climbing Courses:
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