RRC Archives

My friends and I from Va. Tech put up 4 new routes in the
White Rocks at Cumberland Gap in the mid-60s. They were exciting, very steep, pretty good clean quartz sandstone, nice cracks and eerie little perches. The routes were 4 medium pitches long. They were the longest climbs in Va. that I was aware of at the time, and nobody seemed to know they were there. Somebody young ought to follow up on that place. Definitely worth the trip.

Ray Womack

Go to g maps and find the location then post the gps coords by your closest estimate.

ray womack wrote:My friends and I from Va. Tech put up 4 new routes in the White Rocks at Cumberland Gap in the mid-60s.

The first climb we did there we called B&B, because in those days we thought it required a high balls to brains ratio. Whatever. It was maybe 5.8 with a few little aid moves. It proceeded up the highest part of the wall beginning on a steep right-facing ramp that curved left onto a ledge. Straight up through an overhang on good holds and a long beautiful hand jam and face climb that ended on a small projecting nose (chert nodules) that one person could sit on with feet dangling over all that space. One more ramp and a steep headwall corner to the top. Other routes were similar, with some outstanding dihedrals on the final pitch of each one. We thought the rock was really good, and multi-pitch in southwestern Viginia we had not seen before. I think this stuff is generally not as steep as Red Rock, but much longer routes and the scenery is excellent.

Where is it??

ray womack wrote:The first climb we did there we called B&B.

White Rocks
Location: 36.653465°, -83.438469°

Good question. I haven't seen the air photo before. I don't remember climbing through any brush or big ledges, so I think our first route was perhaps to the left of the big buttress that generates the shadow on the left side. I'm pretty sure one or two of the later routes went up just to the right of that. I have a photo of one of us standing on the top of that feature; at least I think that's what it is. You can see how the rock dips off the northwest, so you're climbing the outcrop slope and it makes a lot of nice grips. I recall good protection and sweet dihedrals. I left the state a year later and never got back there. I'm surprised it hasn't been climbed a lot. Good hunting!

Ray W.

any access issues?

No. There's a trail that goes straight up from the bottom. The National Monument maps show it.

Please let me know how you do, pictures and all that.

Climbing is not allowed in this area. Climbing magazine mentioned this area several issues back. Currently the powers at be are reviewing the issue and the no climbing statis may change. Normally i would say go for it, this is a romote area with good climbing and locals who do not care about climbing. However, with a review pending it might be best to try another area. I would suggest the Breaks Interstate Park. There are many established route and remove for more backcountry mulit-pitch. Fixed anchors must be hand drilled.