December rock in Vermont!

All of us at MMG are eager for the ice to come in, and thankfully, it looks like this weekend it will. Still, we’re not above squeezing in a last day on the rock when the opportunity presents itself, and recently, it did! Dennis and I headed out to Vermont’s 82 Crag and were treated to perfect conditions. Warm, crisp and dry rock in the December sunshine! The “82” is one of New England’s best kept secrets, featuring a selection of exceptionally high quality 2 pitch face routes, as well as some of the best hard sport climbs in the region.

It's quite a pretty spot as well.

Here, Dennis focuses on the devious 5.10 crux of Crimp Chimp’s second pitch. This tricky sequence is simply a joy to puzzle out: Perfect rock, great position, and aesthetic movement!

Dennis is pscyched with his send as we head back down for our next route!

The stiff uphill approach tends to keep traffic down, and on this perfect afternoon, there was only one other party at the cliff.

We finished off our day with an ascent of the super classic Year of the Dog. It was gorgeous on the cliff top, belaying Dennis in the evening light. What an afternoon. Now let’s SWING SOME ICE TOOLS!

Derek Doucet, MMG