Doing Good in Your Backyard: Western Mass Climbers’ Coalition

Climb More, Climb Better: The Power of Consistency in Climbing

In the last Doing Good in Your Backyard blog, we dove into the Rumney Climbers Association to kick off this series. These blogs are a place where we shine a light on different local climbing organizations (LCOs) and the work they do to keep our favorite crags open and the climbing community thriving. Today, we shift the spotlight to highlight the Western Mass Climbers’ Coalition (WMCC)—a dedicated group of climbers working hard to keep climbing areas open and accessible for everyone throughout Western Massachusetts.

Who They Are

The Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition (WMCC) is a volunteer-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) that has been around since 2000. The organization formed when local climbers saw access issues starting to stack up—crags getting closed, tensions with landowners, and no real system in place to handle it all. So, they stepped in, bringing together climbers, landowners, public agencies, and conservation groups to keep climbing sustainable and accessible.

The WMCC's core mission is to protect and preserve access to the amazing climbing in the Western Mass area while being inclusive of climbers from all backgrounds. They work hard to build long-term relationships that support not just climbing access but also environmental stewardship, community education, and the broader outdoor community.

What They Do

WMCC manages or supports access to fourteen popular crags in Western Mass, including Stevens Boulders, Chapel Ledge, The Dark Side, Farley Ledges, Flag Rock, Hanging Mountain, Happy Valley & Hideaway, and Mormon Hollow. Each of these crags comes with its own unique history, rock type, and access situation, so WMCC’s work varies from place to place. Sometimes it’s negotiating with private landowners, other times it’s trail building, habitat protection, or simply making sure there’s enough parking or bathrooms to support growing crowds of climbers.

To help climbers understand where they can (and can’t) go, the WMCC has developed a color-coded system to indicate access status:

Green means access is secure. Although these areas might be “green,” these crags still require proper crag etiquette, such as Leaving No Trace and following any seasonal closures, like falcon nesting closures.
Yellow areas are open to climbing but not protected. Climbers should stay informed as there is no official agreement in place. Parking areas and trails might not be developed and could close based on the land manager's decision.
Red means closed. These areas are off-limits to climbers. It can take years of work to re-open a red-zone crag, and violating a red closure can set back efforts.

Hanging Mountain Victory

One of WMCC’s biggest success stories is Hanging Mountain—a green status southeast-facing cliffs in the town of Sandisfield, near the Connecticut border. This was once a closed, privately-owned area. But thanks to the effort between WMCC, the Ragged Mountain Foundation (RMF), and the Access Fund, they bought 14 acres of it in 2019. Today, it’s the only climber-owned crag in Southern New England.

WMCC and RMF built access trails, established parking, and set over 70 routes across several walls. Their goal goes beyond opening more climbing access to climbers—they also aim to create an inclusive, welcoming space for all climbers, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and everyone in between.

Recognition and How to Get Involved

All their hard work did not go unnoticed. In 2023, WMCC received a Land Conservation Award from the Access Fund for their efforts at Hanging Mountain and their commitment to preserving climbing areas.

If you are looking to get involved and support their mission, you can:

Become a member: Membership fees go directly toward keeping crags open, maintained, and protected.
Donate or volunteer: Consider signing up for trail days, cleanups, and other community events.
Climb responsibly: By keeping crags clean and following closures and rules, we can ensure the open climbing areas stay open to climbers.

If you’re looking for more ways to support, head over to their website or give them a follow on Instagram to keep up with events and updates. Most importantly, get out there and enjoy this beautiful Western Mass terrain we’re lucky to climb on.

Featured Climbing Training Gear

Maverick: The on-the-go, bring it anywhere hangboard. On a family road trip to keep your fingers in shape. We like to bring this to the crag with us to keep our fingers warm—without losing skin on mediocre warm-ups—at that steep, thuggy sport crag.

Pinch Blocks: Don't let pinch strength stop you from sending! Use it while hanging, lifting, and even for one arm hangs; featuring various widths for pinching, a 20 mm edge, and a jug.

The Rock-Stah: Our handcrafted version of a traditional hangboard, with curving crimp rails to help alleviate unnecessary strain on your pulleys. Because ain’t no one got time for a finger injury…

The Rocket Wall: Available in 6’ and 8’ widths, it’s been tough for us to keep up with the demand for this innovative home climbing wall solution. Slightly overhanging, the Rocket Wall is big enough to set routes on, or to build a systems board.