Nodes in Rumbling Bald

With all the breakfast-sounding names associated with Rumbling Bald (Hickory Nut Gorge, Cereal Buttress, Frosted Flake), you might think the place was a theme park dreamed up by General Mills. In fact, Rumbling Bald is an excellent winter climbing destination in North Carolina, featuring a mix of granite/gneiss crack and friction climbs, trad and sport styles.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

A really pant-dependent boulder problem

Up a low angle boulder, left of Shredded Wheat. Very featured and easy climbing, but no real gear to speak of for most of the route. Bring a #4, it might protect up high. Also, watch those flakes up high, they are very hollow.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Small balancy moves starting on the bolted line 10 feet left of Comatose

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Very runout between bolts

1st pitch: Slabby and balance heavy with a high first bolt. 6 bolts.

2nd pitch: Delicate movement along thin crimps and footers. Crux comes around second to last bolt. 6 bolts.

Descent: Rap off anchors up and 10' right of last bolt. Make easy swing back left to 1st pitch belay.

This is a great slab climb and is run out enough to keep you focused.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

This is a great - however small - single pitch area with classics such as 'Shreaded Wheat' and 'Frosted Flake'.

An easy start up a flake, easy slab traversing left under the roof. Use some runners and get ready for it - fire up the long, left arching hand crack. Layback or Jam - its up to you, either way its great!. A 4 inch piece is handy at the top.

Good beginner granite crack. Don't take it for granted, requires solid jamming skills to tame the grade down to 5.7 and has some thin feet. If you know what your doing though this is an excellent warmup with a nice chimney as second pitch option which is only done by every second party or so. Chimney protects with midrange cams in a series of horizontal cracks to emerge onto a short face climb to reach the anchors. The crack pitch is ice but this gets stars only if you also do the Chimney pitch.

An incredibly aesthetic line as the finger crack cuts across the striped granite. But to get there... thin face climbing on the slab leads up to an undercling with good gear, however the fall would be a nasty ankle breaking ride down in front of the bottom flake. Best to be solid at 5.8 before jumping on this one.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Absolutely stellar line of pure finger crack brilliance. Starts easy and the crack slowly becomes narrower and more... perfect... and hard... little fingers help, but the finish is easy. The climb is kind of hidden, look up, you need to boulder up to a ledge to begin. 20 yards left of Granola.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

At right side of Cereal Buttress, 30 right and uphill of Frankenberry. Climb the obvious, newly excavated dihedral to a roof. Follow the crack around the right side of roof and then up to a tree. Rap from tree OR, climb up and slightly left to the Frankenberry anchors, OR, climb up to the right until under the large roof above. Climb up a short but fun crack then traverse left under the roof. This variation, "Obamanation Continuation" was put up by Shannon Millsaps and Sean Cobourn on December 6, 2009. Lots of trundling of loose blocks involved. Downclimb to Frankenberry anchors which are at the pine below you.

Interesting face climb on crimps.. Shares anchors with Frosted Flake and can be top roped after climbing FF or raping down from the second pitch of Fruit loops.

Climb awkward off width, pull past a chocksto day to acquire a hand/toe crack to the top.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Probably not the most popular area at Rumbling Bald, but the Comatose area offers a good selection of all types of climbing. From the classic arching crack of Comatose, to the thin edged face climbing of Rusty Redneck, with a few hard bolted routes and some longer gear routes all mixed in together. Although the number of climbs in this area isn't large, there is enough action to keep one busy for a day.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Climb horizontal cracks and flakes to a single bolt and on up to the Rusty Redneck anchor bolts.

Bolted line on the face left of Comatose. Follow four bolts then long slab runout to Comatose anchors.

Lie back the crack with feet on the face until the crack widens protect wide part with a #4 or 5 and then a green c3 in the seam between the roof and the crack. Find jug on top of the crack and step up over the roof to exit the crack. Follow the another 30ft of runout easy climbing. Protection is in a horizontal eyebrow probably with a tricam or a small cam.

Starts on the face to the right of the Comatose crack system. Midway up at the obvious narrowing of the crack, step over and surmount the roof above and to the left of the crack. Follow the face keeping the crack just to your right. Continue to the Comatose anchors.

Follow bolt line to the right of Comatose. Pull the roof at the apex of the Comatose crack, then finish on runout slab to the Comatose anchors.

Starts in thin finger crack, to a bolt. Move right on krimps and slap to second bolt under a small bulge. Can move to anchors by going either right or left around mossy patch, but left is more fun. 90ft. Second pitch follows well protected crack to flake with up jugs to anchors, 120ft.

Start on slab after gully to the right of conception. Clip te first bolt. Climb to an arete leading to a runout face with a single bolt. Ends on bolted anchors for Ressurection ramp.

Climb easy ramp to roof with two parallel horizontal cracks resembling elongated eyebrows. Clip the bolt above the roof then use the cracks to pull the roof. Slide into an off width ramp and follow a flake system higher on the ramp. Exit to the right onto a face and climb up to two bolts. Rap from here or do the second pitch of Ressurection Ramp.

Start on highest ramp above Ressurection, drop down into a flacke system and protect in a crack. Emerge onto a runout but easy face leading to a bolt, then to bolted anchors, same as for Arete Ride. Second pitch is Egg Hunt.

Nice hand size splitter jam crack, starts with off width feet. Slings at the top. Crack is 5.8+ or 5.9 due to off width moves. would give it three stars if it was longer.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Right below Comotose area.

Climb vertical and horizontal cracks to an eroded ledge with a tree. Build anchor on tree.

Difficult Slabby start elevates the grade to 5.7+/5.8. Easy, fun climbing after the first bolt.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Flakeview is a popular area, with a number of good moderate routes as well as some hard bolted lines. It features both face climbs and good slab climbing

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.

Everything goes here, there are bolted routes, traditional routes, mixed routes and bouldering.