This October, a tiny town in the Massachusetts Berkshires became the site of a climbing access victory that benefits all parties involved. After 2 years of development, Hanging Mountain is officially open to the public.
Access negotiations between private landowners and climbing groups don’t always pan out. Property owners tend toward skepticism when regarding climbers, and for good reason — it’s inherently dangerous, and those who do it can be a little rowdy.
But that’s not the case at Hanging Mountain, Massachusetts’ newest crag. So far, amity has prevailed between previous owner Dana Ehninger and the cliff’s new owners, a collaborative group including local climbers and the Access Fund. The cliff, in the rural municipality of Sandisfield, Mass., opened for climbing on Oct. 2.
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Ehninger, who still lives on 9 acres of property she retained near the crag, told the Berkshire Eagle that the development work — and the people performing it — had impressed her.
“Have you met them?” she asked. “These guys are great.”
Hanging Mountain Routes, Rules
Those guys include local climbers Russ Allen, Christopher Beauchamp, and Jeff Squire. The three know they’ve got something special at Hanging Mountain; the resource is significant in its size and quality, especially in the context of its location.
![The_Berkshires_near_North_Adams_MAd Hanging Mountain in the Berkshires, western MA](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2021/10/The_Berkshires_near_North_Adams_MAd.jpg)
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Acquisition Details
![barbed wire trespassing hanging mountain climbing access](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2021/10/shutterstock_2364663dd.jpg)