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Weenis
Trad climber
Tel Aviv
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Tom & Roger,
That is exactly why I worked out and trained on offwidths and chimneys. The fact of the matter is that if you do something enough you will shortly find out if it is a matter of practice or that you're just not cut out for it. After a while it became apparent that on these climbs you had way more body contact and friction. Sure, you could grind yourself up and down but you learned or went back to thin cracks and face. think about how much contact to the rock you have on a thin finger crack. It's more a matter of technique than fighting it.
My perception of wide cracks has always been that they are another type of free pitch and not some esoteric scarefest. By starting on easier ones and learning the basics it became fun to get the leads. Again, pretty much every wall route has some wide crack that seems scary but isn't that hard. The Valley is filled with 'em, it's a Yosemite Standard; get training and don't be light.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Weenis, you keep giving it away like that and you're out of the club!
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Weenis
Trad climber
Tel Aviv
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Yo Jaybro,
We shouldn't worry about giving away secrets. I'm trying to lure all the Noob's onto/into Entrance Exam. 95% of them will be scared just looking at it and go over to Ranger Mountain. Remember that the Harding Slot is only 5.7.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Good plan!
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Roger Breedlove
Trad climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Off width must be the most un-natural thing in climbing to learn. I have had world class climbers--long ago world class climbers, mind you--ask me to show them how the hell you climb off width. Once you showed them, they cruised--hell, they were world class before they asked. Like a Formula One driver asking "how do you start this thing?"
I know that I have commented way too much on off width in the past--makes it seem like I was really good at them. But here are a few essential observations.
Off width uses way to many body parts to be elegant. But, if done right it has its own rhythm.
With all those body parts in play, it is really hard not to exert too much energy.
Pure off width can be climbed with your eyes closed.
Pure off width starts at 5.10--up until then, it is a matter of finding the hidden holds inside the crack and stemming.
Good protection?
Deciding on the rating is totally dependent on the amount of fire wood.
It's a club without tape.
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Sir Run-it-out
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Re: that nice picture of Dan on Ahab.
Dan is an amazing o/w climber. He styled Ahab that day, hardly putting in any pro at all. Given, he did view it on rap after doing Moby Dick, but it's still quite an accomplishment. I've heard it said that he's soloed Steck-Salathe a number of times.
Here's another great picture of him soloing some heinous o/w somewhere in Tuolumne. In his tennis shoes. And he's smiling!
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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"I have had world class climbers--long ago world class climbers, mind you--ask me to show them how the hell you climb off width."
Reminds me of the ABC route where I heard that Moffat would climb the face of the book (at 5.11 something) rather than doing the 5.8 squeeze.
"Deciding on the rating is totally dependent on the amount of fire wood."
And that is why we now have the Mojave desert, and still no decision.
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scuffy b
climber
Chalet Neva-Care
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Tom's statement seems pretty powerful--in the old days the
only way to get up the wide was to free climb because aid
was impossible.
Also Roger on Pure Offwidth beginning at 5.10. I think
the key on most of the easier offwidth is figuring out how
to avoid the offwidth moves with other trickery.
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shortguy
Gym climber
berkeley
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I've seen that Offwidth Dan guy cruising the wide stuff in the valley a few times. He's got the wide skills, but mostly he's pretty bold and willing to hang on when running it out above his pro and that's the main skill I think. I guess when he was younger, he lived in Eastern Europe, climbing in czechoslovakia, hungary, and slovenia where good pro is nonexistant and climbers are bold. After awhile, you learn that strength and technique are the best protection.
p.s. If you see him, ask him about his rope solo of the Harding Route on Conness, gives me chills just thinking about it.
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Yep - that's "DanDan the OffWidth Man"
True enough, he was born on a small island called Kerkira. Raised in Macedonia. Climbed all over eastern europe.
I was around the ditch one day and saw him stumbling back to camp in shorts and a tank top - bloodied shins, ankles and elbows.
had sent bad-ass momma and t-zone before I'd had my morning beer.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Finally tried to figure out exactly what John J. Glime's tiny personal photo on Mountain Project was - turns out to be an off-width picture...
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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sling the rat for pro?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Dec 22, 2011 - 12:37am PT
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ahoy there bump
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Dec 22, 2011 - 11:58am PT
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skating on stilts
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Oct 15, 2014 - 09:12am PT
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Just did this on Sunday for the first time in 40 years or so. Now that it's fresh, 5.10a seems about right.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Oct 15, 2014 - 10:05am PT
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Ahab is not 10b, it's not even Ahab. It is a section of rock architecture currently given the name Ahab and the grade 10b. The rock architecture will be there long after the given name and grade have disappeared.
If you are able to lead, what is now called Ahab, consider yourself a decent trad climber and don't concern yourself with the arbitrary number attached to it.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Oct 15, 2014 - 10:27am PT
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Facing out, I thought 5.10+. Facing in, I though mid 5.10. Either way, full value. I think larger people have a slightly easier time in this one.
Getting some in the late 90s? or thereabouts:
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Oct 15, 2014 - 10:47am PT
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I did Ahab a bunch of times. Even took Ament up it, he reminds us.
I think it is 10b, certainly not less and not likely to be any harder for my body type then. The hardest moves were the first two at start, as it is bell-shaped down there, you can't heel-and-toe and foot-stacking is not possible right there either for that first foot or two, if I remember. So it was highly flared and unlikely toe smear and other foot's heel on the bell walls for maybe two power moves. Unusual actually. A hard S-chimney, in other words, with a very short bombay feature just a the start. The rest of the climb of course is easier and more conventional, even though it looks scary from the ground. The second part, the flare is truly fun and offers total rests.
Others have mentioned that somewhat thicker types might find the initial off width a bit easier for them. One might experience more security at that point being thicker, but then you also have a ton more friction upwards, as well. And part of the essential challenge is to stay efficient. So I don't think it is that plain what's best. Most people on it want to make moves that are too big and think they are blowing it by moving a half-inch at a time. so then the inevitable friction is their undoing.
On a climb such as this one, I always wore half-length ace bandages under my pants. I would not wear a harness on it today, even. I would have one or two-loop 1" tubular webbing that the rope is tied into and can rotate out of the way. I would wear a stiff full-upper type of shoe that could offer a powerful heel-and-toe and not merely fold up like kitchen gloves. I would wear a turtleneck with the neck split as if a collar. I would wear docker-type pants that slide really well but offer some protection, even a bit of friction as they wear a bit and if you really press hard with them.
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skitch
climber
East of Heaven
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Oct 15, 2014 - 11:09am PT
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And I would wear a shirt made from one way rubber tha slid easily up an stuck like glue when pulled down, and I would wear a squishy helmet that I could jam into the crack so I couldn't slide down, and I would wear a couple helium balloons, and I would put tape on my hands sticky side out, and I would wear a chalk bag as a necklace to keep it out of the crack and I would. . . Climb it with clothes and gear totally different than normally used for climbing then tell everyone it is only 10a.
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