This slab line was climbed as a TR many years ago but was recently bolted. Climb over a low bulge on crimps and smears to a rest and some 5.10 climbing. Then engage the slopey crux through the horizontals up high.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Climb the slab using classic, gneiss, slopey horizontals, and move left past the giant crack to clip the anchors.

Delaney Memorial Route

Start as for Power Dive, then climb left out the full length of the roof, through Tunnel Vision, and finish as for Excessive Force. This is an obvious linkup that adds another fun, challenging route to the cave.

Excessive Tunnel Power

19. This is the 5.7 sport warm-up. Follow four bolts up a clean slab to an anchor above the roof. A small cam (green Alien) between the 3rd and 4th bolts makes it less runout. Beware of rope drag and a swing factor when lowering.

The Ramp aka Cursed Slab

Use the same start as Phony Maroni, but at the first bolt, head right to finish on the nice slab.  The slab can be climbed along the arete or along the right-facing corner.  It is not as run out as it looks from the ground.  Optional piece of gear on the left side of the slab before the anchors.

Powerful burly moves up the sharp arrete of the Africa Buttress, hanging over the built-up staircase.  

  Used to have some gnarly falls but has been rebolted recently and seems to have less potential for injury.

Arrhythmia

Start up the crack in the middle of the cave. Follow juggy rails straight out the roof to a wild blind dyno to a huge, jug slot. Finish straight up the moderate slab to a 2 bolt anchor, and top out. This is a very fun bouldery route.

Tunnel Vision

Climb up a low angle slab a to a small bulge and make big moves on jugs weaving back and forth through the bolt line.This route was recently re-bolted after being chopped many years ago and is a nice addition to the crag. If anyone knows the name or FA, please add the information.

Hang Ten

This is possibly the best 5.7 range trad route in the area. It is #18 on the Mormon Hollow general page, but it deserves a name and description! It follows a stunning crack system through a wide variety of holds, from slopers to finger cracks to pocket side-pulls. It is definitely worth climbing. The crux is near the birch tree 2/3rds of the way up.

 This ascends the crack to the right of Methodical Madness.

Pulchritudinous Panda (aka Methodical Right)

Cardiac Bypass Direct is the deceptively easy looking but hard slab climb on the clean face just right of Cardiac Arete.

Cardiac Bypass Direct

This climbs goes the left of the Africa Arete, up the bulges and onto the horizontal megaflake.

Triple Bypass

Starting with your hands on a nice ledge, mantel up, and spend the next 50 feet making big moves between horizontals and praying you hit the 1 ok/good spot in each horizontal. You sort of dance back and fourth on either side of the blunt arete, ending up topping out left where this meets the top of Second Diagonal. It would probably be much harder for someone short.

 Out of the few routes I did, this is one of my more favorites in Mormon Hollow.

 Hints (aka beta): tick marks would greatly decrease this routes difficulty, as the hard part is finding the good spots. A bad foot in the right locations is often better than a good foot in the wrong location. The crux is a big reach maybe 1/2 way up.

'The Buttress' or 'Delaney Arete'

Start on the sharp crimps to a solid jug, and mantel to a great rest. Go left over the roof feature to a long slab section. There are tons of horizontal, slopey holds to choose from all the way to the chains. 

  This is a great addition to the area and likely the tallest route at Mormon Hollow.

Bird Battle

Start over the small cave, establish onto the to slab by doing some funkiness over the first bulge. dance your way up to the 2nd bulge and pray to friction to get to the anchors. For an easier finish go right to the sharp crystals.

Pinch the Polish

Climb up a low angle slab a to a small bulge. A hand traverse above the bulge to a layback gets you to the anchors. This route was recently rebolted after being chopped many years ago and is a nice addition to the crag. If anyone knows the name or FA, please add the information.

Tidal Wave (route  2)

A bouldery start off a cheat stone (crux) will put you at a stance with several gear options. Cruise to a bolt (long sling) and head left around the right-facing corner to another slab (good gear on the face of the corner and on slab after pulling the corner). Clip a bolt and place one more piece to anchors.  There is great exposure on easy climbing around the corner (mental crux), good holds, and good gear just when you need them.  After pulling the corner, make one or two additional moves up prior to placing for the best eyebrow below the bolt.

Phony Maroni

This is the easiest sport route at this crag.  Climb a dirty, right- facing corner to dirty slab climbing above.

13. (Central Buttress Far Left Slab Route)

This is route #6 in the description for Mormon Hollow. It is the wide, zigzag crack just left of The Chimney.

Zizag Crack

Start at the toe of the buttress in the shallow, right-facing corner. Work your way up the prominent crack system through a series of ledges with good natural pro. Continue up the left-facing dihedral splitting the upper headwall. Jam and stem until the angle eases off, and you can exit right to a bolted anchor.

Unknown Hand/Fist

Start between Phony Maroni and the tree route on a small ramp.  Climb up through gneiss style eyebrows to reach the slab finish of Phony Maroni.  This is quality climbing on great rock.  It is a great TR after leading Phony Maroni.

The Janitor’s Cadillac

Start in the crack as for Tunnel Vision. Climb to the first bolt, then tread left out the roof following big, physical moves on big jugs. Surmount the lip, and then balance your way through the slopey, redpoint crux slab.

Excessive Force

Climb straight up underneath a 2-bolt anchor at the center and top of this wall.

 Navigate through the crystal-filled crack start, then follow horizontals that usually hide good or good-enough slimps (slopey crimps) to get you to the top. It sort of gets easier as you go up, but also the pump-o-meter rises too. This is harder if you don't (know to) grab the correct spots in the horizontals.

Hollywood and Vine

Climb the obvious wide crack up the front of the Central Buttress.  Getting off the ground requires tricky footwork or a tree stem before getting to fun laybacking and hand jams over a bulge.  Continue up the wide crack, protecting in small horizontals, to just below the tree.  Bust left around the corner to a bolted anchor (runout, but easy) or climb past the tree (funky gear here) and over the top.  Belay off a good tree about 30' back from the lip.

Tree Crack

This seems to start a few feet right of the large, diagonal crack. The only thing I know about the route is this photo, from the WMCC's website. I have no idea what line the route actually follows.

Casio Electric Piano

Climb up into the cave, and follow the angled crack (and conveniently parallel foot rail) up as it slowly transitions from offwidth to fingers, then top out to find the anchors.

 The crux is probably almost halfway up, as the footholds get a little more spreadout and the crack becomes a tad awkward for a bit.

 Without jamming or laybacking skills, this might feel harder, but with both, it flows pretty nicely.

 Also, there is great pro wherever you want it, albeit it may be a tad strenuous for the budding 5.9 leader to place those no-lookers.

21 - Second Diagonal (?)

This is the tight chimney, not quite a squeeze, that is situated about 50' left of the stone staircase on the left side of Africa Buttress.  Climb inside the chimney from the base or face climb the outside for the lower half, get in the belly of the beast, and shimmy and thrutch your way to the top.  An unusual route for the area and a must do.

The Chimney

Per Al Rubin: this was originally climbed as a mixed route by Chris Smith in the '90s and subsequently chopped by You Know Who--actually it was one of the last routes to be chopped. It subsequently became over-grown and neglected until recently being rehabilitated as a sport route in spring of 2020.Scamper up some low quality rock for two bolts. Get established under the roof, and make a long reach to a jug over the lip. Lock off, and clip a bolt before engaging in some strenuous and gymnastic moves on good holds. Once over the lip, breath and relax, while collecting yourself clip a bolt, and contemplate the crux sequence while trying to find the holds. The slab holds the real crux and feels exposed while being safely protected. After a short section of climbing that is harder that it feels like it should be, you can relax. Clip one more bolt before the anchor. Some chalk on this one really helps as the upper crux section tends to attract pine needles. This has superb rock quality on the upper section.

Smitty's Roof

Start up the face on the far right side of the cave. Climb out the roof through sequential slot jugs and crimps to the crux, a tough lip encounter. Grab a big jug over the lip to rest. The redpoint crux is the technical slab following the rest. Top out.

Power Dive

Follow this bolted line up the slab, directly under an arete. Work up the arete, and pull over a strenuous bulge into a stance.  Continue to the anchors.

The Mormon Experience

Start same as #18, but take the left crack. The climb gets harder towards the top with some tricky horizontals under the chains.

Methodical Madness

A pair of routes are the first on the buttress immediately to the right of the stone staircase. I started on the mossy ramp. The bolting is odd here - there might be a start variation. Use the juggy slots to go up, and put in a couple cams before the anchors.

Unknown

Per Al Rubin: this was originally toproped by Cam Sanders in 2004, who named it Holy Braille, and, to my understanding, it was trad led by John LaValley (very bold as usual) soon after. They started a bit right and avoided using the ramp on O.S., and I think they felt the route was 11d/12a; however, it appears that the base area has been somewhat altered (either by erosion or direct human action) as the starting hold seems out of reach for most folks. From appearances, the direct start looks to be even harder, but I understand that some are using the O.S. ramp to start. The first bolt is very high, basically above the crux section - a long stickclip is required. It was bolted in the spring of 2020.

Holy Braille

Stay to the left, there is another route to the right. You can get good finger-sized gear in at the chalked up horizontal a couple moves up.

23(?)

Climb large, slopey jug ledges separated by crimps.  Save energy for the difficult and somewhat desperate move to the anchor clipping jugs.  This is a hidden gem of northeast climbing!

Priapism

Start on the left side of the arete, and work your way to the right following the line of bolts to the crimpy finish. If anyone knows the original name or FA info, please post up.

Cardiac Arete (aka route  8)

This excellent face climb is on the first buttress to the right of the stone staircase. It is best identified by a lone bolt (the "original sin" at the Hollow) about 15' up. Saunter up a right trending ramp (easier) or boulder in from the right (harder) to the bolt. Climb the face above past a punchy crux into fun reaches between horizontals (gear in each horizontal crack). Continue to the bolted rap station at the top.

Original Sin

Starting under the low roof on the right, follow the diagonal crack up past many horizontals, and traverse back left before you hit the lichen on top. There is mild TR swing potential if TR'ing off the center anchors, but we didn't see a good way to finish this one straight up or an anchor, unless you like lichen climbing.

 This is rather pumpy.

You Picked a Vine Climb to leave me, Lucille

Home to some classic climbs on excellent gneiss, Mormon Hollow is a fine complement to other nearby popular crags (Farley and Rose Ledges) of western Massachusetts. There is a nice smattering of moderate routes, good cracks, and a handful of steep, hard sport climbs. All of the routes here can be top roped off trees or bolted anchors, except those on the central boulder which requires a short boulder problem to reach the anchors. Access the top of the main cliff is via a stone staircase in the middle of the cliff.

 The cliffs face southwest and get sun from late morning until sunset, though trees obscure the sun during the summer months.

Wave Wall

1. 5.10a Hang Ten - A slab and face climb that pulls a roof on the far left of the crag. 2. 5.10b  Tidal Wave - the next route right 2a. Pinch the Polish 10+ 3. Excessive Force 5.13a - These three sport routes all pull the 15' roof. 4. Tunnel Vision 12d 5. Power Dive 12+ 6. 5.6 Trad/TR -- The wide zigzag crack just left of the Chimney.

Cardiac (aka Africa) Buttress This formation features the righthand of the two huge roofs and slightly resembles the outline of Africa. 7. The Chimney -- 5.7 Trad -- the clean cut chimney 8. 5.10+ Cardiac Arete The obvious rounded arete on the rightside of the Africa Buttress roof. One start up this and finish on #9 to make a 5.11a TR (Cardiac Bypass). 9. 5.11 TR Pacemaker -  The deceptively easy looking, but hard slab climb on the clean face just left of the staircase. 10. 5.12a sport  Arrythmia -- This overhanging arete leans over the staircase.

Original Sin Buttress 11. Original Sin -- 5.10a trad 12. 5.11- -- a thin line just right of Original Sin

Janitors Buttress This buttress lies just above a rotting tree lying on the ground. 13, 14, 15. Three 5.8 climbs ascending a face with a right facing corner system. Top rope or runout leads. 16. 5.8 First Diagonal (aka. Tree Crack) 16a. 5.11+ - Delaney Memorial Route 16b.5.12 - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 17. 5.9+ trad/TR, Methodical Madness -- A fun thin crack with a pumpy crux at the end. 18. 5.8 trad/TR, Pulchritudinous Panda (aka Methodical Right) -- Start up #17, but move right at the top following a crack to a separate anchor.

Priaprism Buttress 19. 5.7 sport -- The Ramp. Follow four bolts up a clean slab to an anchor above the roof. A small cam (green alien) between the 3rd and 4th bolts makes it less runout. 20. Priapism 5.12a -- A beautifully steep sport route. Do it. 21. 5.9 trad,  Second Diagonal -- The obvious crack just right of Priaprism. 22. 5.10 Trad, Third Diagonal -- The next crack to the right that leads to a bird's nest. At 2/3 height one can go left up a Y crack or through a handcrack in the roof past the nest.

Far Right End 23, 24, 25. 5.8/9 -- Three top ropes on the next boulder to the right.

Wayne's World (Entry Boulder) The first rock encountered when walking up to Mormon. Reach the top by bouldering up the backside to bolted anchors. 26. 5.13R/X or TR, Dark Star -- This route faces the approach trail on the left side of the overhanging face. 27. ?? TR -- The left arete of the big boulder.

Upper Tier Just above the stone staircase lie these routes. 28. Boulder traverse on the left about 50' above the top of the Africa Buttress. 29. 5.11+ -- follow the trail straight up to find this sport climb. 30. ?? -- another set of TR anchors.

The Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition (WMCC) is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer climbers’ organization that works to build inclusive relationships with diverse advocacy groups, state and local governments, landowners, and conservation groups to keep climbing areas open and accessible to climbers from all backgrounds, and to conserve the climbing environment in Western Massachusetts.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Mormon Hollow