Great Barrington, MA- Larry (V6)

  Two weeks ago I was given a tour of a less known climbing area in Great Barrington, MA that is known as "Sunny Side" to the local climbers.  I had always heard rumors about a stellar, highball problem; Larry (V6) at this area but I had no clue where it was or how to get there.  With the infamous Ken Murphy in my Jeep and en route to western Massachusetts, I knew that I would finally get an opportunity to see and try this elusive boulder problem.

  The current access to this area is a bit questionable and some future exploration for an alternative approach is probably in all climbers best interest.  I have an alternative approach in mind, one that would come in from the reservoir side (the current access location to the more popular Reservoir Rocks) but I will need to hike it this winter and assess the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach.  Hunting season is now officially open in this area and Murphy and I were strongly encouraged/warned by local homeowners in the immediate area to proceed with caution.

  Despite the "risky" approach, the boulder problem definitely lived up to its' hype.  It was an obvious line that started on an impressive quartz crystal band that was five to six feet in size and the problem continued up a tall, clean wall for a highball finish.  I had high hopes of flashing the problem but was still ecstatic with a second go send!  After quickly dispatching Larry (V6), I began working on the problems just to the right which were in order; Curly (V8), Moe (V8/9), and Stairway to Heaven (V9).  I was not able to complete any of the other problems but am very excited to get back there to continue trying once a better access route is established.  Until then I will be revisiting the Reservoir to pick back up where I left off in January!

Happy Climbing!

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