Black Tourmaline

A wonderful climb on rock with a unique patina, and some fun crack climbing at the grade (and a lot of fun face climbing). Pitch 1 and 3 are very fun, but P2 is a little bit dirty, but worth it for pitch 3. This route was found in Jon Sykes book The Notches (which I recommend you get because it has a lot more detail, pictures and adventures in it), and I think it is a fun route which needs a little bit of love to clean it up and make it classic.

P1 (5.7+): Climb up "past 2 right-facing flakes, then past a bolt", go up and to your left into an alcove with a tree (it wouldn't be New England without some tree action), climb out of the alcove and follow a crack with some beautiful patina up and to the right, face climb to a "right-facing corner" and finish at a 2-bolt belay. Spectacular, has a little bit of a Red Rocks, NV feel to it.

P2 (5.6 PG-13?): [According to Rob Albert P2 and P3 are inaccessible] From the P1 belay go up and left through the trees to get you to a slab. Go up the run out slab and traverse left at a logical point and climb up to a 2 bolt-anchor. This pitch is a bit a bit dirty, and a little bit run out.

P3 (5.7): Climb up the to the arching corner system, clipping a bolt (spooky). Continue up the slab past 3 more bolts to a golden left-facing dihedral (if the corner crack were a little cleaner this would be as good as P1). Belay at a 2-bolt anchor.

Descent: Rap with 2 60m ropes to the base of Russian Arena OR according to Sykes "Rappel with one 60-meter rope down into the Russian Arena in 2 rappels"

On Lower Patina wall to the left of Patina, starts a few feet left of the boulder.

Standard Rack

1 Bolt on the first pitch, 3-4 bolts on the last pitch

All 3 belays are bolted