New Hampshire Offwidths / Wide Crack Beta Request

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D Murph

climber

Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 15, 2012 - 11:48am PT

Heading up to NH and VT later this week and am looking to climb some wide.

Any favorites people can recommend?

More specifically: I'm an experienced trad climber who wants to improve fist and offwidth skills. I'm interested in leads 5.9 and below as well as topropes up to 5.10 .

Thanks in advance!

Seamstress

Trad climber

Yacolt, WA

Oct 15, 2012 - 12:26pm PT

The Barber Wall is calling your name. Nutcracker - tape up, it has a bite.

Can't tell you much about the off widths.

Brian

climber

California

Oct 15, 2012 - 12:34pm PT

Hardest thing I did back there was something called "Crowd Pleaser" or somesuch. I can't recall exactly. You rap in off the tourist overlook at Cathedral. Relatively short crux, but it certainly put me through the wringer.

Brian

EDIT: Quick seach online and I can't find the route. The old guidebook had some slanderous story about folks trying to peel the thing off with a car jack. There is a harder bolted route there as well if I recall correctly.

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Oct 15, 2012 - 01:15pm PT

Brian, Tourist Treat? Not wide or moderate.

Babushka

Trad climber

Oct 15, 2012 - 01:28pm PT

TR Peanut Gallery on Cathedral . It is around 5.11,not 5.10, but one of the best lines in NH. The wide part is not 5.11 i guess.

adrian korosec

climber

Tucson

Oct 15, 2012 - 01:28pm PT

Turner's Flake at Cathedral Ledge. Great pizza and beer in North Conway after.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Oct 15, 2012 - 02:15pm PT

On Cannon, Reppy's Crack has a long stretch of relatively easy wide fist/off-width---at least for my size hands, but the classic (still-existing) off-width on the crag is the Half-moon Crack on Vertigo. Whaleback Crack was another--though usually climbed as a layback/undercling, but it now lies in pieces at the bottom. There are other sections of off-width elsewhere on the crag but those two are the best. Over at Cathedral, the Black Crack on the right side of the upper tier is a good off-widtgh struggle, though likely to be wet and dirty. I've got a "mind-blank" on the name of the off-width flake below the tourist lookout (the "car jack flake")but it is a good, very easily top-roped workout. (Edit--saw the name on another response---Peanut Gallery).There are a few easier wide cracks on Cathedral (and a couple of harder ones as well)though they usually tend to be climbed more as stemming/layback cracks rather than as off-widths (Turnrer's Flake is an obvious example). Jerry Handren's new North Conway Rock Climbs guidebook also includes a scattering of other wide challenges in the region, but none that I have any personal experience with. New England surely doesn't offer a concentrated collection of wide cracks for an "off-width school", but by searching around you can at least get some experience of the "wyde".

Brian

climber

California

Oct 15, 2012 - 02:20pm PT

Brandon and Babushka,

Peanut Gallery, that's it!

You need some TCU's for the belay if you are going to pull the rope and lead (which isn't too bad), but it is top-ropeable.

Yes, the wide part is not 5.11 at all; it feels pretty good once you get in it.

Brian

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Oct 15, 2012 - 02:31pm PT

Taking the liberty of a little geographic thread drift, there are some truly awesome wide cracks in nearby states: Creation of the World on Moss Cliff in the Adirondacks (I have never done this - although a couple of us who lurk here participated in the first non-attempt on the route*) with miles of 10+ fist/OW and some harder stuff elsewhere on the climb. Then there is a ridiculously hard one, just one short pitch, on Farley Ledge in N-central Mass. I don't know what the current access situation is, but there is a facet near the top with two or three great cracks. If I recall correctly, the wide (and it is WIDE but not quite enough so to fit inside) finally went at 13 something. Not only do I have no clue how anyone got up this but even more so, no remote clue as to how you would pass your pro if you got any in.

Those are two that I know of that require actual wide crack climbing (vs. layback/undercling).

*Edit: plus there's Morgan who was on the FA! and, unlike some of us, is not a sandbagger so you can get the straight story on what it's like from him.

JubJubBird

Trad climber

Oct 15, 2012 - 03:35pm PT

Farley Ledge, MA has an overhanging 13a offwidth, complete with mandatory full inversion. Well protected and easy to get to. Bring an old-school 4.5 camalot. The new #4 is a bit small, #5 is too big.

steve shea

climber

Oct 15, 2012 - 03:40pm PT

Just to the left of Reppy's and the Conn Buttress, there is a 5.9, one pitch off size/flaring. There are others along the base of Cannon but I don't know the names. Lightning Crack 5.7 kind of wide in places.. There are some good one pitch routes on Cannon, cracks but all sizes. Wear your hardhat.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Oct 15, 2012 - 04:21pm PT

The 13 (or maybe 12c according to some) off-width at Farley is named Bulletproof----definitely classic but not exactly a "training" off-width.The next crack lreft on that 'facet" is also classic--Barndoor--10b--but fingers/hands not wide. The next crack left is a very short, and rarely done, fist crack. There are a couple of other wide cracks at Farley but also in the 12 and above range. There is a 5.8ish off-width nearby at Rose Ledge but it is not a particularly recommendable climb. As far as the Adirondacks is concerned, yes, Creation of the World is an amazing line of wide cracks, (Mongrel--were we togther up there BITD?), but there are also a number of other excellent wide cracks in that region---mostly also the work of the notorious Mr. Nichols. The best collection of wide cracks in the 'Dacks--and probably in the northeast--are on the Upper Tiers at Pokomoonshine, so that may be a good destination for your up-coming quest.

Seamstress

Trad climber

Yacolt, WA

Oct 15, 2012 - 04:41pm PT

The gentleman is looking for 9s to lead and 10s to toprope. 12 & 13 out of that league. Everything I can think of is very short or fingers to hands with the exception of Nutcracker and parts of Bird's Nest. If you have large paws, those wouldn't begin to qualify. I hadn't done Turner's....

franknfrank

Trad climber

US-east haven-ct

Oct 15, 2012 - 05:06pm PT

o.k . here goes-I spend a lot of time looking for the same heres what I found in nh--peanut gallery #1 tr problem exc chimney and ow action -3 bolts at top of the climb make it easy to tr.Black crack can be led or trd -full on ow grovel-on the top of cathedral are the work out cracks-short but full value ow and wide excersises.crack in the woods for just pure jam crack but 10d -if you can find it bring extra 1s and 2s.-on the upper tier of woodchuck ledge is an area that is short but has a good selection of ow and wide stuff and there is an easier crack on the approach to the top -8ish maybe that is a lot of fist-if you have a couple of big bros or feel good running 5.8 squeeze weisner route at humphreys is a good choice if it has been dry for a while-and if you happen to have a valley giant 9 or big bros of that size repentance has a great 2nd pitch ow then very enjoyable but a little run out chimneying up above -ive only done p 1+2 and 1 looks really manky from below but the climbing is much better than it looks-and the barber wall is excellent for just working on jamming--have fun---embrace the wide

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

Oct 15, 2012 - 05:11pm PT

Turners is Not off width. Turners is laybacking a flake that takes some wide gear and then no gear. The longest pure crack from hands to wide back to hands that I have done in the east is reppys. very short section of Wide though. Realy just a few moves but it does have that desert feel only not steep enough. . The chimny pitch of Recompense is good wide but much more featured inside than typical desert wide. Half moon pretty short but authentic. My guess is that Repentance and Remission both offer up some genuine wide but have never talked to anyone who has actually climbed either of them in the summer?

franknfrank

Trad climber

US-east haven-ct

Oct 15, 2012 - 05:12pm PT

oh yea forgot about vertigo on cannon-I think they give it a 5.9 but it feels much easier if your ow technique is at all dialed and can be protected with a smaller 7-8 inch or so big bro

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

Oct 15, 2012 - 05:17pm PT

My partner from Colorado who spends a lot of time in the desert though the Half moon was really short. We had the big green friend but it was too small. It would have been a scary lead for me but Alex thought it was tame.... All about perspective. I usually finish that one by the Cresant moon ;)

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Oct 15, 2012 - 05:34pm PT

Though I haven't done either in decades, my memory is that both Repetence and Remission are more chimney than off-width climbing. The crux of Repentence is off-width but some helpful horizontal jugs on the bulge allow one to mostly avoid a pure off-width grunt. I'd forgotten about Crack in the Woods, but isn't that more hands and fists than off-width? Bandit on Band-M (possibly currently off limits) is another one on the fist/off-width borderline depending on body part dimensions.

meclimber

Trad climber

Newmarket, NH

Oct 16, 2012 - 11:22am PT

Bandit is great, but Band M is closed for the time being.

Humphreys ledge has weissners on it. 2 great pitches of moderate chimney climbing .8

Catherdral for stuff in your grade; black crack .10a, the nostril .9+, repetence .10a/b (rap after 2), leafspring (shameless self promotional plug, .11cish),

Woodchuck has a great .9+ in the playground, short.

Pawtuckaway has a bunch, too many to name, all fairly hard.

Haystack; fear of ejection (haven't done this one, .11)

As tradman says, we don't have a ton of pure offwidth climbing. We get a lot of sections of offwidth/chimney. Good luck and have fun.

D Murph

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2012 - 11:40am PT

Thank you everyone for the beta!

dmurph

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Oct 16, 2012 - 12:06pm PT

Sounds like an oxymoron....best you check out your frequent flyer miles.

Seamstress

Trad climber

Yacolt, WA

Oct 16, 2012 - 02:10pm PT

Is Carck in the Woods big hands? I walked by it on a rainey day, but it looks fabulous and fist sized at least to me....

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Oct 16, 2012 - 02:10pm PT

Well, I'd be the first to admit memory gets fuzzy after a long enough time, but all this talk about Reppy's being OW is very puzzling. Seems to me I recall this crack (same one I think?) being bomber hands, not even wide hands, all the way up except for one small pod (??!?). People other than myself were known to solo up and down it, solid hands. Am I totally losing it, or is this yet another Cannon crack that is changing its category, soon to become squeeze chimney? Or more likely both??

Vertigo is a great climb if any of it is left up there on the mountain, but I wouldn't bother doing it for the purpose of the wide crack. It's a really easy tight chimney, 5.7 or 8 it used to get called (which is about right in the context of Yosemite pitches that are correctly graded at those numbers). And it is extremely short.

Yes, Alan, along with Ben Ailes who was the one who spied the climb and showed us photos, Rocky Keeler (RIP) who was ALWAYS a motivating force for an adventure and a fountain of endless good nature, and I believe Harding was along. Waded the river and hiked up there, thought the totally unprotected long face bit to gain the bottom of the crack looked suicidal (none of us knew how to place a bolt or had a drill to do it with). Then you and Long really developed the crag, as I recall it, but surprisingly didn't snag Creation. That and a couple of routes on Pok-O still make me want to get back there in good enough shape to tick them.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Oct 16, 2012 - 03:30pm PT

Mongrel, thought that was you. Please contact me off list---it's been too long. And, yeah, Reppy's is mostly wide hands/fists in its upper 1/2 but is close to off-width for those of us with small hands. Alan

steveA

Trad climber

bedford,massachusetts

Oct 16, 2012 - 04:03pm PT

Just got back from Yosemite yesterday, and wish I was still there rather than COLD N.H., even thou I got pretty worked on the cracks.

Nutcracker, on Cathedral, is one of my favorite climbs. There is NO off-width climbing on it, nor on Turners Flake.

Repentance is slimy, and wet all the time.

I did Browns Fist a month ago on Cathedral. It is pretty wild, if you stay in the roof crack, and don't cheat by stemming, it's closer to 5.11, and turns into a real off-width, after you pass the roof. I was dangling on one fist jam under the roof, and it got even wider over the roof.
I did it with 2 guys who climb 5.12 trad. and they thought it was solid 5.11; not the sandbag grade of 5.9.

Black Crack is probably your best bet. Bring a few big cams, which we didn't have BITD.

Andrew Barnes

Ice climber

Albany, NY

Oct 16, 2012 - 05:39pm PT

One of the hardman testpieces at Cathedral Ledge in the realm of wide cracks is The Bridge of Khazad Dum (5.11d). I know it's not in the 5.9 to 5.10 range that you requested, but this is the real thing. It sits at the top of the "wall" section of the crag (you have to climb several pitches to get to it). The other option is to rap in from the top of the cliff, though you have to locate the rapping point first. Among other delicacies, it offers a huge roof traverse. Perhaps Mark Hudon or other hardmen on this site have done it and can offer their thoughts.

Edge

Trad climber

New Durham, NH

Oct 16, 2012 - 05:52pm PT

The Bridge is off-width size, but being in a horizontal roof/corner it doesn't climb like one; your feet always stay on the face below. Amazing pitch though.

franknfrank

Trad climber

US-east haven-ct

Oct 16, 2012 - 08:10pm PT

just thought of another really good one ---diedre direct 9+ and when you top out you can tr piss easy 9+++ or 10d??

Guangzhou

Trad climber

Asia, Indonesia, East Java

Oct 17, 2012 - 02:55am PT

Toe Crack 5.7 May have used a number 3 cam on it. (Face, to finger to Hands/fist)

Pine Tree Eliminate 5.8 (hands maybe fist) start on a ledge three+ pitched up. Vertical, excellent passive pro.

Turner's Flake is wide, but more of a lay-back. 5.7 but feels like 5.8 to many.

Black Lung 5.8 hands maybe fist, long time ago.

Nut Cracker 5.9+ Can't go wrong with this. Want to full effect, leave the cams on the ground and use nuts and hexes. Hands, fist, good workout for sure. If you're not solid with jams, tape up.

Diedre 5.10- The third pitch is hands and fist. (might be fourth because one pitch was very short. A spectacular pitch for sure. Small lip near the top to keep you honest.

While you're on Barber Wall, check out Double Vee 5.9+ thin fingers.

Jack the Ripper is 5.11, but if yo find a partner who can elad it, it's a wonderful route. Starts as vertical face, thin finger, hands, fist, and wider. Wonderful, but often wet.

Hope that helps.

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

Oct 17, 2012 - 07:05am PT

All good climbs but most of them have more features that the cracks in the desert.

slabbo

Trad climber

fort garland, colo

Oct 17, 2012 - 11:42am PT

Murph-

Fear of Ejection out at Bartlett Haystack is fun
Diedre direct finish
Black Crack
These are all 5.10

Most of the good wire in NH is harder variety or more chimney affairs

OlympicMtnBoy

climber

Seattle

Oct 17, 2012 - 11:50am PT

Why are there no pictures in this thread???

Todd Eastman

climber

Bellingham, WA

Oct 17, 2012 - 02:42pm PT

There are no photos because the blackflies are so thick you can barely see the climbs...

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Oct 17, 2012 - 02:47pm PT

There are no photos because the blackflies are so thick you can barely see the climbs...

Lies! The black flies are only around for a couple of weeks in early summer. Once you get off the ground even the skeeters go away.

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

Oct 17, 2012 - 06:53pm PT

Because mostly no one climbes these with the exception of the half moon crack on vertigo and Reppys.....

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber

Out Of Bed

Sep 11, 2018 - 12:18am PT

A cry for the WHYDE!

While you say, "a bit light on details", here is the E.E. Appreciation thread

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2551655/Erik-Erikson-Appreciation-Thread

That you were asking about,

( here is an example of a full 'Reader's comprehension fail),
so that it is clear, I said something along the lines of,
"What, You need a guide book?"

of course you found it,

concerns ?

oh

never- mind

by the way,

hello,

you should post more.

& pictures,
this place is bone dry without pictures.

D Murph
Gnome isn't it always more fun without a guidebook? ;)

I miss the Gunks but man gotta say my one or two excursions at the Palisades might as well have been low altitude Pakistan. Latok is in Jersey, right?

kunlun_shan

Mountain climber
SF, CA

Sep 11, 2018 - 12:48am PT
Pics, please!

just in case all this now goes away

yeah,
we who know what,
know what, without a guide book,
oh my gosh!
I'm sorry if that seemed snarky

(I was sleepless & tooling around in the way back archives)
as for the request for pictures?
yes , Murph,
add some pictures....

oh

...(!?)

What is more weird - is that I find you & D Murph, both, on a post, that I have dreams/ nightmares of.

I haven't run since 1994, but in my dreams I settle that score
With help from posts of yours & the like;

Mar 21, 2013 - 10:20pm PT
Interesting and well written story about Kilian. He's finally starting to become known in the US.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/magazine/creating-the-all-terrain-human.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

originally from a 2012 thread ;

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1942681&msg=1942681#msg1942681

Jornet Mont Blanc Speed Solo

D Murph, climber

Original Post - Oct 1, 2012 - 10:56pm PT

http://trailrunnermag.com/people/culture/433-kilian-jornet-solos-innominata

Which, I think needs to be linked to here;

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=3117002&tn=80

`
kunlun_shan,
how are you doing?
Sincerely, I'm always sorry that you got swept up in that -R -R_
stuff, My apologies

[Click to View YouTube Video]

D Murph

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 11, 2018 - 12:41am PT

Gnome isn't it always more fun without a guidebook? ;)

I miss the Gunks but man gotta say my one or two excursions at the Palisades might as well have been low altitude Pakistan. Latok is in Jersey, right?