Rumney Classics or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Moderates

There are a lot of reasons to climb at Rumney.  Having spent innumerable days there in the fall of my senior year at Holderness, I tend to have a sort of protective, loving feeling toward this schist paradise.  During those crisp fall days, my small group often found solitude at the popular cliffs that feature short approaches and lots of 5.7-5.10 routes.  We frequented Meadows, Parking Lot Wall, and 5.8 Crag.  When we had more time, we ventured to Darth Vader, Jimmy Cliff and Triple Corners.  Those cliffs are special to me, and house several Rumney classics.

I've had the good fortune to bring a handful of people to Rumney early in their climbing careers, and there are 7 or 8 routes that are my absolute favorites.  They're all 5.10a or easier.  You can probably guess what they are.  Here are the top 6:  Lies and Propaganda (5.9) and Hippos on Parade (5.9) at Meadows, Yoda (5.9) and Oby-won Ryobi (5.9) at Vader, and my two all time favorite Rumney routes: Junco (5.8+) and Lonesome Dove (5.10a) at Jimmy Cliff.  Phew, lots of links! Three stellar cliffs, six amazing routes.  If you haven't done one of these, get to it the next time you visit.


The Jimmy Cliff Classics:

Now to the meat of the post.  I truly enjoy each of these routes every time I do them, and I've probably done each one 10 times (more for Junco...).  I don't always climb them well, and I forget the beta to Lies every time, but whenever I clip the anchors on any of them, I'm glad I took the time to rope up and do it.  Sometimes I may be reluctant (like this past weekend and was feeling too weak for Lonesome Dove and too cold for Oby-won), but if I actually do tie in and send, it feels awesome.  They all feature cool, varied movement and perfect rock.  I'd be happy to do all six in a day, then come back the next day and do them again.  Alright, alright, enough already about stupid Junco, you may be thinking.  That thing is like 5.easy, why don't you get strong and send something cool?  I hear you loud and clear, but any hating on moderates within my earshot is wasted breath.


Mileage is what I'm after, and where this rambling post should have led by now.  But don't click away, I'm finally at my point.  While there is certain satisfaction in hangdogging up some 5.badass route, for me, not falling and getting a bunch of 5.8-5.10's done in an afternoon is far more enjoyable.  And in this way, that is climbing a bunch of moderates, I find that I can get stronger and more consistent in my technique very quickly.  Yesterday I felt confident in my climbing (even though I hung the steep part of Yoda) and had a really great afternoon.  Dan and I only climbed three routes, and my fingers felt like wood halfway through each pitch (it was pretty damn cold), but I felt satisfied at the end of the day.  Had I attempted Waimea (5.10d) (I might have, had it not been soaking wet), I probably would have taken a bunch of falls, gotten really tired, and walked away sort of bummed on climbing, as I am sometimes known to do.  


Someone random on Waimea (another, albeit harder, classic)

Instead, I succeeded on some super fun routes, and walked away wanting more (too bad it was freezing and about pour rain).  So my point is this: don't shy from moderates because they're often quite easy; instead embrace them for the sense of triumph you get after cruising up them, the confidence they give you, and daily mileage they allow.  There is a time and place for swinging all over a 5.12 or flailing on a V9 heel hook for three hours while your belayer/spotter starts to cramp up, but that's usually not what I'm after.


Disclaimer: This post is not meant to put down anyone for trying hard routes.  I'm simply stating what entices me more when I think about a day on the rock.  In my case, I have very little chance of making it up anything harder than .10d, so it's much less fun for me to try harder routes.