Ticking the offwidth list... 12/3/06 TR

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spyork

Social climber

Land of Green Stretchy People

Dec 12, 2006 - 06:02pm PT

After climbing on Gary's Machine, and doing a hard chimney, I was thinking of making a chimney machine, on the same principle as Gary's, but it's just wider, but you climb between the all thread, instead of climbing on the front side. I should make some drawings...

Steve

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 12, 2006 - 06:32pm PT

John - touche (I should be working, but somehow got distracted)

In the old days, I would find a mentor to drag me up all these sorts of climbs, determine my ability level, and push me out on the sharp end when I was ready... but the situation has changed:

1) the concept of mentor, at age 52, seems a bit of a stretch (I am probably too crotchety to be a mentee, and I've always been a bit of a wise ass anyway, too much to put up with).

2) to get up long free routes in the Valley it is important to have more than a passing familiarity with wide stuff.

3) there isn't anyone doing the short wide climbs... perhaps these are inelegant, they are certainly out of fashion. There is no SuperTopo select climb that features offwidth... or chimney... why?

4) I suck on offwidth, having a list takes the choice out of the situation, e.g.
partner: "what are we going to do today?"
me: "I don't know, what's on the list?"

and there you are...

My ability to climb slab is my most advanced skill...

Wide crack is no longer my least...
...and grovel fests are a part of the badge of honor (if you look at my ankles, the "red badge").

Finally, my license plate is "510 OW" and Gary keeps reminding me that I can't quite claim consistency at the level... he's into honesty...

but really, it's just keeping the climbing fresh... always something to get better at...

Largo

Sport climber

Venice, Ca

Dec 12, 2006 - 09:40pm PT

Largo,

I beleive you are thinking of the route Free Press.

Ken

Youre right, Ken. And as I remember Free Press was rated 5.9 and wasn't. That bush had me going there for awhile. Too old.

JL

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 12, 2006 - 11:32pm PT

John,
Free Press 5.10a FA 1971 by Gallen Rowell and Sibylle Hechtel (right next to Fish Crack 5.12b Henry Barber et al. 1975) had the 10a rating in the original (Green) Meyers' Guide, and all the guides thereafter that I know about.

It's not in the Roper guide (at least the one I have © 1971)... maybe you were sandbagged?

By the way Free Press does show up on one of my lists (of course!)

steelmnkey

climber

Vision man...ya gotta have vision...

Dec 13, 2006 - 08:57am PT

If ya make it over to Phoenix one of these days, Ed, we can get some groveling in...pic is of Y-Crack (5.9), but there's also a nice 10"-er at Pinnacle Peak called Hades (10b). Did it a bunch of years ago on TR and it was.

And then there's always Jump Back Jack...

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Dec 13, 2006 - 09:14am PT

Don't forget, Deliverence!

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2006 - 10:12am PT

Tell me the red on the back of that tee-shirt is blood...
it seems that offwidth has a way of telling you when you screwed up, and it is in the cutting of flesh and the bleeding... maybe I am perverted(!?) but it's nice to have the immediate and unmistakable feedback on climbing.

But I have this vision of learning to do it well enough to make it look less like grovelling and more like climbing. The "Offwidth Angel" certainly made quick and "easy" work of Generator Crack (GC) when she floated it. The mystery to unlock is just slowing it all down, the key to which is finding the rests.

In the end, if I merely achieve the ability just to climb OW like everything else I will be happy.

leinosaur

Trad climber

burns flat, ok

Dec 13, 2006 - 10:20am PT

Hey you OW crack-machine dudes, what angle are you working with? My buddy set his up straight horizontal, which seems a bit much for learning good OW tech.

Reminds me of Clinton McKinzie's latest Antonio Burns mystery, though.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2006 - 10:24am PT

dead vertical is a good start...

climber

The Eye of the Snail

Dec 13, 2006 - 10:39am PT

Hartouni told me to post on this thread a second time.

bwahahaha

Roger Breedlove

climber

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Dec 13, 2006 - 10:51am PT

"Tell me the red on the back of that tee-shirt is blood..."

Actually ow is an ancient self mutilation for spiritual enlightenment.

In which case, Ed, getting good at it sort of misses the point.

‘Floating off width angel?’—maybe you are being led astray.

Happy holidays.

Buzz

Bruce Morris

Social climber

Belmont, California

Dec 13, 2006 - 01:13pm PT

An OW that belongs on your grovel list is "Secret Storm" (5.10a) at the base of Middle Brother behind Camp 4. Remember doing it for "practice" the day before Doug Rodhe and I did Steck-Salathe in July 1973 and remember that it was certainly worse than anything we encountered the next day on Sentinel. Lots of hard breathing . . . right-side in. "Edge of Night" is also nearby, but it's 5.10c OW.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2006 - 03:32pm PT

it's there... here is the list we're (at least I am) currently working from, all are 10a in the Yellow Meyers' guide:

Banana Dreams
Cookie, Left
This and That
Nothing Special (Mongolian Clusterf*#k)
Chingando
Reed's Pinnacle, Left
Bong's Away, Center
Hourglass, Right
Gollum, Left
Orange Juice Avenue
Secret Storm
Doggie Do
Geek Towers, Center
Geek Towers, Right
Worst Error, Right
Crack of Doom
Crack of Dispair

Largo

Sport climber

Venice, Ca

Dec 13, 2006 - 04:19pm PT

Secret Storm is harder than 10a and Crack of Despair is more of a squeeze than a true off-width and the pro ain't great neither. A lot of those ratings depend on body size as well. Bad Ass Momma for instance is absolutely horrendous as an arm barring exercise if your leg and knee are too big to get it inside. It's dynamic arm barring all the way. On some of the wider stuff, however, burly physiques might help a bit. But again on certain things, bigness can really torch you. Edge of Night, as I said, is rated 5.10c but if you can't get inside of it somewhat it's way harder than many .11 ofwidths.

Ed, that list looks horrendous.

JL

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2006 - 08:12pm PT

so it is with obsession, John, your affirmation of the list be horrendous makes it all the more attractive... as I said, I am truely sick. Of course if George hadn't put the list in the back of the Yellow Guide to enable my sickness I'd be sick on some other list.

Anyway, I'll be Trip Reporting throughout the winter and spring on progress. I don't have partners lined up for all the climbs ('cause some of my partners aren't as sick as I), and some of them are better in the fall than the spring so I probably won't tick the entire list, but there it is...

...by the end of it, I'll have grovelled up some of the infamous YV grovells... fodder for the Forum.