Weissner's Rib

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Geography

Routes in Connecticut

Parents

Sleeping Giant

Routes

Head, Chin & Throat

Weissner's Rib

Page Type: Route

Location: Connecticut, United States, North America

Route Type: Technical Rock Climb

Time Required: Less than two hours

Difficulty: 5.6

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Page By: Keith Hoek

Created/Edited: Nov 4, 2003 / Nov 5, 2003

Object ID: 159290

Hits: 730

Page Score: 85.07% - 1 Votes

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Table of Contents

Approach

Walk along the white trail from the northern end of the "loop" road (which serves all the picnic tables), takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Pretty soon you see the cliff line of the "chin" developing on your left. Walk until you meet the main trail (cant miss it, you could drive a truck up the main trail) then head up the talus directissima.

POISON IVY can be a problem along the base ... however I have only once been afflicted there, and that was halfway up the wall ! Try not to climb through suspicious looking green stuff !

The climb is located on (and under) the prominent "rib" running halfway down from the top somewhere right of the center of the cliff. This is a bit tough to spot.

I include (below) a not so great picture of the route.

Route Description

This is tough but I'll give it a shot ... here is a blow-by-blow of the main features of the route (written for a trip report of mine). Keep in mind that the first ascent is attributed to Fritz Weissner himself, possibly done back in the 1930s and probably done with hemp rope.

Start from the ledge about 15 feet above the actual base (you can scramble up and across to this easily enough). A tricky first crack with difficult to find footholds and an unhelpful right wall. The sweet but committing little friction traverse to the right above that. This takes you to a decently-sized pocket. The marvelously demanding, yet mercifully short, layback dihedral which is up and just right of the pocket. The lightning-bolt finger crack which leads you left and out over the void and up to a big fat belay ledge. This ledge is HUGE and is an excellent place for a belay.

Step right off the ledge over the never-never, great handholds and then your around the bottom of the "rib" and looking up at cracks and ledges. Keep the body away from the rock, give your feet room, mantle here, mantle there. Up to a pocket decorated with the rusty and ragged remains of the worlds oldest pin (I bet it is one of Weissner�s). Protect, pause and then push off left. Finally I can do this without too much pause. Swing around the arete and then go straight up.

Essential Gear

You CAN do this in one pitch with a 50 m rope (a REAL rope, not your fathers towline), but do it in two (stopping on the big ledge) and you'll have more fun. Take a full set of wired nuts, a couple of medium sized hexes, some camalots up to size 3 (max) and all the aliens you can lay your hands on.

Also, the 5.6 rating comes from the CT method of rating ... 5.6 is the EASIEST KNOWN WAY rating ... when you do it the first time it can seem much harder.

Miscellaneous Info

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