Boone, North Carolina is home to some of the Southeast’s finest bouldering and I was lucky enough to spend 7 years climbing there. I compiled a list of the hardest boulders in Boone a few years back. With inspiration from Jamie Emerson and his “Hard Boulders in Colorado” list I have decided to post the Boone “List”. I’m sure this will piss off someone for some reason since the secret of Boone is not out yet or something like that… But here is it none the less.
I have only listed the main areas that are frequented by the masses and the list does not include countless problems that are either on private property, I don’t know about, or seemed like they were not really considered to be in the Boone area. This list is a work in progress and if you know of a problem that is missing from the collection please leave a comment and I will update it! Also, if there is a grade that you feel is off or a name that is wrong please let me know, I don’t claim to know everything about the area, just enough to write a bit about it.
The video above features a handful of the harder lines at Lost Cove to give you an idea about what it up there…
Here is a graph of the problems by difficulty and I have also starred problems relating to quality:
** One of the best for the grade in the area. Fantastic boulder
* Great Boulder and shouldn’t be overlooked
By Grade
Projects
* Face climb left of Temporal Analog of Paradise (V11?) – Area E
** Engine Block Project (V13?) – Grandmother
Atomic Melvin Sit (V13/14?) – Lost Cove
Right Start to Instinct (V13?) – M1 (221 Boulder)
Sit to Vortex (V13/14?) – Sassafras
* Project just below Downward Dog (V10? Highball) – Upper Lost Cove
* James Litz Viaduct Project (V13?) – Viaduct
Low Start to Green Dragon (V12?) – 221 Boulders (The Dungeon)
V14
New Rig (V13/14?) – Grandmother – James Litz FA (Unrepeated)
V13
Big Black Crack – Blowing Rock
Funny Bone (AKA Flagyl Left) – Blowing Rock – James Litz FA (Unrepeated)
** Kratos (V12/13) – Lost Cove
V12
Jason Lives Sit Start – The Dump (Unrepeated Jon Glassberg FA?)
** Senderella Sit Start – The Dump
Morphine – The Dump
V11
** Sunday Service – Grandmother
* Full Throttle – Grandmother
* The Grudge Match (Third Rail Crack Exit) – Grandmother
Sittin’ Sidewayz – Grandmother
The last of the Mohicans – Grandmother
Random Man – Hound Ears
Beasley’s Face Sit – Lost Cove
** Don Johnson – M1 (221 Boulder)
* On Any Sunday Sit – Sassafras
** Mike Stam’s Viaduct Jump Start – Viaduct
V10
Kaleidapuss – Area E
** Sledgehammer – Blowing Rock
Room with an Arête – Blowing Rock
* Room with a View – Blowing Rock
*Movement on Stone – Blowing Rock
** Preferential Treatment – Blowing Rock
Squeezejob – Blowing Rock
** Flagyl – Blowing Rock
** The Masochist – Grandmother
Eye Candy (Direct Finish) – Grandmother
* Teamwork – Grandmother
Nudging it – Hound Ears
** The Crusher – Hound Ears
Pimp Trick Gangsta Click – Hound Ears
The Blunted (Extended Start) – Hound Ears
Oral Resume – Hound Ears
** Great Big Bertha – Lost Cove
Downward Dog – Upper Lost Cove
Black 45 – Upper Lost Cove
*Love Johnson – M1 (221 Boulder)
** Instinctual – M1 (221 Boulder)
* Big Booty Judy – Sassafras
* On any Sunday – Sassafras
** Twice upon a Time – Sassafras
Twice Upon a Time (right version) – Sassafras
** Vortex – Sassafras
The Fern – Sassafras
Project Prow Share – The Dump
* California Potato Chip – The Dump
V9
The Tosser – Area E
Guinnes – Area E
** Temporal Analogs of Paradise – Area E
* Cutting Edge – Blowing Rock
Portobello – Blowing Rock
Blunt Mentality – Blowing Rock
Raw Teeth Sit – Grandmother
Pulling Meat – Grandmother
War Machine – Grandmother
* Third Rail – Grandmother
All Jazzed Up (Full) – Grandmother
Eye Candy – Grandmother
Tweakules – Grandmother
Pit Bull – Hound Ears
Brady Problem – Hound Ears
* Living Spree – Hound Ears
* Mr. Thick – Hound Ears
Wet Dream – Hound Ears
The Tourist – Hound Ears
** Fuc Yo – Hound Ears
Rapid Fire – Hound Ears
* Stupid Human Tricks – Hound Ears
On Borrowed Time – Lost Cove
Ch 13 Sit Start – Lost Cove
Invisible Man – Lost Cove
Two Pop – Lost Cove
Atomic Melvin – Lost Cove
The Librarian – Lost Cove
** Bertha – Lost Cove
** Its Not My Problem – Lost Cove
** Instinct – M1 (221 Boulder)
Omnibus – Ominous Roof (221 Boulder)
** Ominous Roof – Ominous Roof (221 Boulder)
Lever 2000 – The Cube (221 Boulder)
* The Breakup – The Dump
* Jason Lives – The Dump
** Green Dragon – The Dungeon (221 Boulder)
Litz Problem – Viaduct
Jugs on a Slab – Viaduct
By Area:
Area E
Face climb left of Temporal Analogs of Paradise – V11?
Kaleidapuss – V10
The Tosser – V9
Guinnes – V9
Temporal Analogs of Paradise – V9
Blowing Rock
Big Black Crack – V13?
Funny Bone – V12/13?
Sledgehammer – V10
Room with an Arête – V10
Room with a View – V10
Movement on Stone – V10
Preferential Treatment – V10
Squeezejob – V10
Flagyl – V10
Cutting Edge – V9
Portobello – V9
Blunt Mentality – V9
Grandmother
Engine Block Project – V13?
New Rig – V13/14?
Sunday Service – V11
Full Throttle – V11
The Grudge Match – V11
Sittin’ Sidewayz – V11
The last of the Mohicans – V11
The Masochist – V10
Eye Candy (Direct Finish) – V10
Teamwork – V10
Tweakules – V9
Raw Teeth Sit – V9
Pulling Meat – V9
War Machine – V9
Third Rail – V9
All Jazzed Up (Full) – V9
Eye Candy – V9
Hound Ears
Random Man – V11
Nudging it – V10
The Crusher – V10
Pimp Trick Gangsta Click – V10
The Blunted (Extended Start) – V10
Oral Resume – V10
Pit Bull – V9
Brady Problem – V9
Living Spree – V9
Mr. Thick – V9
Wet Dream – V9
The Tourist – V9
Fuc Yo – V9
Rapid Fire – V9
Stupid Human Tricks – V9
Lost Cove
Atomic Melvin Sit – V13/14?
Kratos – V12/13
Project just below Downward Dog – V10?
Beasley’s Face Sit – V11
Great Big Bertha – V10
Downward Dog – V10
Black 45 – V10
On Borrowed Time – V9
Atomic Melvin – V9
Two Pop – V9
Ch 13 Sit Start – V9
Invisible Man – V9
The Librarian – V9
Bertha – V9
Its Not My Problem – V9
221 Boulders (Assorted)
M1
Right Start to Instinct – V13?
Don Johnson – V11
Love Johnson – V10
Instinctual – V10
Instinct – V9
Ominous Roof
Omnibus – V9
Ominous Roof – V9
The Cube
Lever 2000 – V9
The Dungeon
Green Dragon Sit Start – V12?
Green Dragon – V9
The Dump
Jason Lives Sit Start – V12
Senderella Sit Start – V12
Morphine – V12
Project Prow Share – V10
California Potato Chip – V10
The Breakup – V9
Jason Lives – V9
The Viaduct
James Litz Viaduct Project – V13?
Mike Stam’s Viaduct Jump Start – V11
Litz Problem – V9
Jugs on a Slab – V9
Sassafras
Sit to Vortex – V13/14?
On any Sunday sit – V10/11
Big Booty Judy – V10
On any Sunday – V10
Twice upon a Time – V10
Twice Upon a Time (right version) – V10
Vortex – V10
The Fern – V10
There is a staggering amount of potential in the area and I am looking forward to hearing about new additions to the list. The projects that are listed above are the ones that I thought were doable and hopefully this will encourage people to visit Boone and try these hard boulders.
Hopefully stronger climbers will travel to Boone knowing what is there and I’m Looking forward to traveling back to the Boone area to try and finish off a few of those projects myself.
