Summary
Commercial groups are required to provide proof of liability insurance in order to climb on state land, explains Nick Caputo, a ranger supervisor who oversees the area that includes Smugglers' Notch for the ANR. Groups must also demonstrate their potential impact, and may be required to pay a fee, Caputo says. "As for recreational climbing, rock and ice climbing have been happening in Vermont and in the Notch area for years. Our agency is the steward of the land for use by Vermonters, and climbers make up a group of Vermonters."
[Travis Peckham] asked if the group felt that a "chalk-scrubbing day" might be in order. The consensus was no - new marks would just spring up the following day, and that rain washes the marks away. "I guess if any place gets bad weather," Peckham said, "it's the Notch." No arguments there."I've been climbing here for 20 or 25 years," says member Paul Hansen. "And some of my favorite climbing areas are closed. They were on private land, and someone bought them and built houses. In some cases, they didn't even know that people had been climbing back there for years."See the full content of this document
Extract
Cliff Notes
The Green Mountains offer some prime locations for scrambling up and rapelling down rocks. Unfortunately, good climbing topography and property boundaries don't always go hand in handhold. Some of the best spots for climbing are often privately owned, and those that are on public land risk being loved to death.
One climbing area th...See the full content of this document
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