The Ragged Mountain Foundation had another positive year. I am impressed with what this team of volunteers continues to accomplish. Thanks to all the efforts of our climbing community, the important relationships with landowners and the dedicated crag stewards, it’s been another successful year for the foundation on many fronts.

Celebrating team success in purchasing Pinnacle
Photo by Scott Sampietro

Access and Advocacy

Access has always been a big focus for the RMF. In the past 10 years the RMF has been extremely successful in acquiring and gaining access to different climbing areas. Some of our recent successes include purchasing the North End of Ragged, jointly purchasing Hanging Mountain, opening up climbing in the City of Meriden, and this year purchasing Pinnacle Cliff. It seems like landowners are more willing to grant access or sell property as climbing continues to grow in popularity within mainstream media and having more climbers in positions of power to influence decisions. I believe we are on the brink of some major future acquisitions and access wins within the next decade.

Pinnacle

Acquiring Pinnacle was the major focus of 2025. This multi-decade process started when the October 24th company who previously owned the land graciously allowed people to climb there. Since Tilcon took ownership of Pinnacle Cliff and the majority of land from the October 24th company several years ago, the RMF took the initiative and found the right contacts in both the Town of Plainville and at Tilcon to open a conversation about a possible purchase. Our negotiations eventually led to the acquisition of 3 acres of land within Plainville. These 3 acres consist of the majority of the quality climbing at Pinnacle Cliff.

This purchase comes at a time in Plainville’s history where land protection for passive recreation is critical. Many of the challenges to acquire Pinnacle cliff were overcome because of the partnerships that the RMF forged over the past year. Both the Friends of Metacomet and Plainville Speaks groups showed their strong support for our work during the variance process which was necessary to purchase the cliff itself from Tilcon. Thank you again to both of these groups and to the CLCC for awarding the RMF a TAG grant to conduct the needed survey of the property for this purchase.

Pinnacle Cliff is not only a great beginner crag but it truly does have something for everyone. The low angle cracks are great for climbers learning to place traditional gear and the center section of the cliff has a lot of adventure for those seeking the challenges of hard to protect spicy trad climbing.

Board members Jen Chimel and Daniel Bates getting ready for a meeting with New Britain City officials

Bradley

This is still one of the major focuses of the RMF and we anticipate it continuing to be a long fight. In July, the RMF made some positive strides and was invited to speak to key stakeholders at New Britain City Hall. A small group consisting of Jen Chimel, Dan Bates, and Kevin Johnson presented persuasive arguments addressing key concerns of liability and management of the area. With new leadership in the mayor's office we hope to reconnect with key officials and continue advocating for access to this gem of central Connecticut. The letter writing campaign conducted in 2023-2024 helped get us to where we are now. Thank you to all who have participated in this effort so far. Please remember that access takes a long time, especially in sensitive areas where climbing has never officially been allowed. The best way to get involved is to climb elsewhere and remember that Bradley Boulders is off-limits. Please do not jeopardize all the work the community and the RMF have already put into negotiating access.

The new retention wall at the Main Cliff of Ragged

Conservation and Stewardship efforts

The RMF also completed several trail and cliff improvements throughout the year. During a series of trail days several crews helped build a retention wall underneath the popular Carey Corner and Vanishing Point area of the Main Cliff. We also continued the multi-stage project of installing anchors at the top of the cliff along various spots where traditional or natural gear is harder to find. This mulit-phase/multi-year project has brought the total number of fixed anchors at the main cliff up to 24. 22 of these anchors are among the 30 that are allotted in the provision given to the RMF in 2024 by the BLT.

At Pinnacle the RMF ran two larger scale clean up projects with dedicated volunteers from the Quinnipiac Climbing team and the Trinity College Quest program. In an effort to reduce the amount of glass and trash which always seems to accumulate from the ongoing parties that Pinnacle tends to see, the site is a bit cleaner than it was earlier this summer. Now that the RMF owns Pinnacle, be on the lookout for additional work parties to improve specific areas along the cliff that will help better the overall climbing experience for all.

Quest Leaders of Trinity College with a haul of garbage after a clean up day

Upcoming events include:

Annual meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 10th 6:30pm - 9:00pm location: Counterweight Brewing Company: join the RMF to celebrate the purchase of Pinnacle, the full year in review and to hear about what is planned for 2026.
Sunday, March 29th: trail day; Pinnacle Cliff trail and belay area improvements
Sunday, April 19th: Earth Day celebration trail day event; project and location TBD

A look back at 2025

RMF Secures Pinnacle Cliff