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And you know it's true

(Yes, it's still raining cats & dogs here )

Because who doesn't love ripping flesh from the back of their hands?

Wait. Is this a trick question?

Because crack climbers are scared to run it out more than 2 feet while slab climbers will glady run out 40 feet on a 00 offset nut.

Well at least I wish I was brave enough and good enough to do that.

Rob you are dead wrong on that one.

I disagree also...but maybe that's because I don't have any crack technique/skills.

I gotta man up and try it

I hate cracks - they hurt my ankles and wreck my hands.

lisae wrote:I hate cracks - they hurt my ankles and wreck my hands.

That simply means you need more practice Lisa

One of my regular gym partners has started working on her crack technique -- she's really starting to get it too .. she'll be cruising hand cracks soon

I'm curious - is it possible to crack climb regularly and not tape? If so, what do your hands look like?

a) Like they always did - my zen-like technique allows me to jam in coarse granite, hold a dead weight of 200lbs or more and never bleed or feel pain.

b) Like the bottom of my feet with thick calluses, front and back. I'm never allowed to delicately touch another human being with them.

c) Torn and bleeding all the time. What's the big deal?

Don't you have to do both? Run a crack as far as it goes and then face? Seems that way here in the East. Otherwise, you'd find yourself traversing a lot.

As far as taping, I don't like it. Three days, my hands are wrecked and I go home to heal.

What's your angle, Rob?

I'm so bad at crack climbing. One of my climbing buddies is an excellent crack climber, and overall stronger than me, yet we're pretty much the same in face climbing, I might be a little better even. I can struggle up the easiest crack in the gym, the "5.7 Perfect Hands", but anything harder or outdoors, forget it. I can usually get a pretty good hand jam, but I never know what to do with my feet! I shove my footsies in there and wedge em good, but it never seems to be solid or supportive at all. It's rather frustrating.

Bob Burd wrote:I'm curious - is it possible to crack climb regularly and not tape? If so, what do your hands look like?

The key is to place your hands and then apply pressure. Take the time to find a good jam and leave it there. Reach high and repeat. Most people cram their hands, not jam them, hence the bloody mess.

BTW, I am a pretty good crack climber but would hesitate to say that I like it better than face. You get me on some sweet face up on the Sunshine Face (Suicide) or in the Meadows, especially those knobs or orange glacial polish, and it doesn't get much better than that.

squishy wrote:I grew up on crack

Interesting

McCannster wrote:What's your angle, Rob?

I'm so bad at crack climbing. One of my climbing buddies is an excellent crack climber, and overall stronger than me, yet we're pretty much the same in face climbing, I might be a little better even. I can struggle up the easiest crack in the gym, the "5.7 Perfect Hands", but anything harder or outdoors, forget it. I can usually get a pretty good hand jam, but I never know what to do with my feet! I shove my footsies in there and wedge em good, but it never seems to be solid or supportive at all. It's rather frustrating.

I never said I was actually good at crack climbing I like a challenge and working on getting good at something.

I'm pretty solid at hand cracks though .. still working on steep finger cracks and various wider / offwidths.

Takes lots of practice .. months of work. And watching skilled people & copying them Holler the next time you're at PG Sunnyvale.

What is really fun is taking a gym climber outdoors
1. Gym climber’s approach to a fingercrack (eg, Exorcist at Josh) – lieback it & whimper

2. Gym climber’s approach to slabby face – whimper & whimper

Good times!