Jason Reynolds on Atrophy (5.11b)
Some of the earliest Foster Falls rock climbing activity dates back to the mid-80s to a handful of now forgotten or retrobolted routes established by a crew of traditional climbers including Chattanooga locals and visiting climbers like Rob Robinson, Steve Goins, and Hidetaka Suzuki. Limited by the amount of ground-up features and paths present within the largely overhung and blocky cliff, these climbers soon moved on to cliffs more palatable to their preferred style.
Jay Perry on Thieves (5.12a)
This fact left Foster Falls wide open for the wide-scale sport climbing development that was soon to follow in the early 90s. Led by the efforts of Eddie Whittemore, a bulk of the hardest and best routes at Fosters quickly fell to a committed group of climbers including Southern notables like Doug Reed, Porter Jarrard, and Chris Chestnutt. Other climbers like Paul Sloan, Steve Deweese, Louie Rumanes, and Chris Watford added to the route inventory throughout the mid-90s, while hardmen like Jerry Roberts established new high-end lines in the steep Bunkers.
Mike Moore on Super Saturated (5.10c)
Meanwhile, the largely unsung hero of Foster Falls moderates, Steve Jones, began bolting some of the most popular routes at Fosters dating back to the early days of development and continued to do so right up until the recent past. His efforts have led to the growing popularity of far-end moderate walls that are still being filled out by Nashville locals like Mike Moore and Darryl Bornhop. With the exception of a few obscure areas, the walls at Foster Falls are largely tapped out and are home to some of the most well-traveled and well-loved routes in the Chattanooga region. Of special note, with the help of the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, the cliff we climb on (once privately owned), has been secured and turned over to be managed by the South Cumberland State Park guaranteeing future access to this valuable climbing resource.
Richard Parks on Bear Mountain Picnic (5.8)
Foster Falls rock climbing is located in the hills of Jasper Tn, After leaving I-24, go north on 28 and get off at the Jasper exit (sign for Foster Falls), and head left off the exit ramp onto Main Street (West 72). After passing through the town of Jasper, take a right at signs reading TN150/US41 north toward Tracy City. Stay on TN150/ US41 North as it splits left and heads up the mountain. The entrance to Foster Falls (marked by a sign) is on your left 6.5 miles up the mountain from this split.
