Climbing History of Farley Ledge

The earliest hard evidence of rock climbing dates back to the 1960's. Alan Rubin first visited the cliff in 1968, and noted that fixed pitons were visible at that time. Before clean climbing, pitons were the primary mode of protection, and most climbs were ascended using direct aid. It is likely that old bolt ladders such as the one to the right of the Jones Crack on the upper tier date from this time.

The early 70's saw visits from Hampshire College climbers Dave Roberts and John Krakauer, together with the switch to clean climbing that helped the free climbing explosion that swept the nation. A bit later, Greg Newth and Ed Ward were also active at the ledges. Greg climbed many of the classic cracks on the upper tier, including Peapod Crack (5.10c) and Barndoor Crack (5.10c), but modestly insists that these routes had been free climbed earlier.

The late 70's saw an influx of talented free climbers. Brian Delaney, Kim Smith, Steve Jones, and Corey Jones were some of the strongest, if unheralded, climbers in New England at the time. Routes such as Delaney's The Brown Streak (5.11c) not only pushed the limits of difficulty, but also ventured onto faces rather than cracks and featured the crag's first rappel-placed bolts. The most significant route of this era was the Jones Crack (5.12b), which was the most difficult route at Farley for more than 15 years, and is still seldom led given the difficult protection.

The early 80's brought other talented climbers, particularly Eric Sutton and Mike Heintz, to join the action. Many of the routes on the Pot Ledge Buttress date from this era.

In the late 1980's, Boston climber Tom Addison began visiting the cliff and picking unclimbed trad lines. Two of Addison's hardest were Boys from Boston and Travels with Farley, both 5.11d. Addison was active in making climbers aware of Farley's potential, distributing a small, hand drawn topo guide to the cliffs.

The next significant development occurred in the early 1990's, with the advent of sport climbing. Ward Smith, Chris Smith, Steve Johnson, and others developed dozens of high quality routes on both the lower and upper tier. In addition, old trad lines were re-cleaned, and sling anchors were placed on trees atop the routes to prevent erosion and damage of the vegetation. Moderate routes such as Eye Opener (5.9) became instant classics, while the difficulty level surpassed that of the late 1970's with Afterburn (5.12c), Amino Acid Bath (5.12d), and Digitizer (5.13a).

The bouldering explosion that was swept the country in the late 90's found a gold mine in Farley. Although many had bouldered here before, it had never been an end in itself, and the jumbled talus at the base of the cliff did not make for reasonable landings before the advent of crash pads. However, the same good gneiss that is found on the cliffs is scattered in huge blocks along the base of the cliff, and provides outstanding bouldering. Pete Ward, Ken Majka, John LaValley, and others added numerous classic boulder problems up to V12 in difficulty. John also continued to be active on the cliffs, doing the first lead of Bullet Proof (5.13), an eye-catching off width that had been first attempted by Henry Barber in the 1970's.

Farley has an unequalled mixture of southern New England's best traditional cracks, sport climbing, and bouldering. Much history remains to be written regarding the area. The Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition (WMCC) has formed and is working hard to preserve access to this valuable climbing resource. Preservation efforts by the WMCC have received support from town officials, area residents, outdoor recreation groups, and other important organizations. The time is right for the climbing community to rally behind the efforts of the WMCC and support the preservation goals for Farley Ledge. By raising awareness about this incredibly rich and valuable resource, Farley could potentially become one of the leading climbing destinations in New England.

Farley History    Farley Q&A    Join the WMCC    Contact the WMCC