What's the secret to crack climbing???

Stich wrote:Don't learn how to jam cracks in jagged, shallow, uneven, flared, megacrystalline granite. You will be frustrated by the pain and more than likely get discouraged before you pick up any technique muttering "why do people do this?!" Learn on smooth, uniform, deep cracks with a small crystalline structure from rapid cooling or sandstone comprised of very fine particles. It's easier to figure out what works, more comfy, and more enjoyable as you progress. Fake gym cracks are usually suitable for this. Once you learn the basics, then you can go back to the nasty cracks and they will seem much less nasty.

Ha, judging by your description it sounds like you've climbed at Enchanted Rock. Which incidentally is where I climb.

thin to win...

http://www.lackhead.org/jamming/

A little more reading on the subject:

widefetish.com/pages/how_to…

Find a crack that's manageable for you, but not a gimme. "Loaf" your way up it on toprope: make one move up, then stop and stand and take one hand off (out?). Stand there long enough to breathe once or twice, then move up again. Repeat all the way up the crack. Move up and rest; move up and rest. It'll force you onto your feet (in the crack and on the faces next to it), make you relax your hands and forearms once you've set the jams, and calm your mind for the process of placing gear. Climbing this slowly will probably torch your arms, so be diligent about maintaining good technique as you tire.

This next is a two-parter. Take your rack to some scrappy little cliff with a crack system that comes all the way to the ground. Spend a couple of hours calibrating your eye: stick your hand/finger/fist into the crack, then remove it and place all the gear that'll fit there. Then step off the ground - even a foot or two will do; the critical part is that you can't touch the ground - and practice placing gear, then removing it.

Don't know where you live, but if you're in the Denver area, specifically Westminster, the City Park rec center at 105th & Sheridan has a couple of stellar cracks in real live sandstone. A buddy and I practiced frequently there before a trip to Yosemite a number of years ago, and found the cracks in the Valley easy. There are all sizes there to jam; the sandstone is clean and smooth so pain is minimal; and the small features next to the cracks train your eye to look for such things. Climb up, climb down, lieback the left side, lieback the right side...a couple of hours will teach you much. And it's cheap!

1) Find desk drawer
2) Open drawer and insert hand
3) Slam repeatedly

4) Find workbench clamp
5) Insert foot
6) Tighten (preferably while going back over steps 1 through 3)

Behold, I give you the secrets from one of the masters himself:

supertopo.com/climbers-foru…

Years back, Dale Bard penned an article on crack climbing technique for a Chouinard Catalog (Black Diamond before it became Black Diamond for you youngsters). I read it as a teenager and it has served me well. From what I see, alot of people have really bad technique that they try to compensate for with tape and/or strength. Both of those are really bandaids. You need to learn the basic techniques of jamming each size of crack, just as with any other skill. Just the suggestion to drop your thumb into your palm when you handjam will save you tons of energy and skin. Happy reading.

Practice on the purest cracks you can find, especially those that are fine-grained or even smooth, splitter, with little to no face holds (like basalt). Paradise Forks, AZ is the best place I've ever found to practice crack-skills. The basalt is so smooth that tape gloves are never needed. Turkey Rocks, CO is also great, but kinda sharp.

Pat Ament recommends relaxing your hands or fingers before completing the jam, in order to properly set it. This really saves your skin and your pump.

Learn to accept toe pain. They'll eventually become used (numb) to it anyway.

Chris Miller wrote: Ha, judging by your description it sounds like you've climbed at Enchanted Rock. Which incidentally is where I climb.

Correct you are. E-Rock has proven to be a harsh place to learn jamming for both me and many other friends of mine who aspired to crack climb. I learned more about jamming that hand crack in a local gym than I ever gleaned on "Cave Crack" or "Sweat."

Ben F wrote:You won't actually want to climb with him until you're more comfortable on shitty sizes. Just ask Little D.

Ah, when Jedi Sender taught me, a young padawan, some of my more humbling lessons.

An old mentor of mine once told me "you know the jam is correct if you can lean back comfortably, without fear of falling backwards, and put your weight on your feet, where it's supposed to be". - Chuck Tolton

A good pair of tape goves is essential, at least until your technique improves. Don't waste time with the pre-fabbed rubber ones..... Those are for wankers. Gotta have the right tool for the job

A pair of tights and a lobotomy. Oh wait, that's wrestling.

Adam F. wrote:A pair of tights and a lobotomy. Oh wait, that's wrestling.

Isn't that a quote from The Breakfast Club?

Thanks again ya'll for the tips. I've had to read through the thread several times to really get it all. I have 9 days off from work coming up shortly so I'll put it to work.

Chris Miller wrote: I have 9 days off from work coming up shortly so I'll put it to work.

If that's the case then leave the sport rack at home and climb nothing but cracks for 9 days and you'll come out knowing a few more secrets.

AnnaT wrote:A good pair of tape goves is essential, at least until your technique improves. Don't waste time with the pre-fabbed rubber ones..... Those are for wankers. Gotta have the right tool for the job

I taped up once and found that not only was the crack much easier to climb, due to the friction the tape provides, but that it was much less fun. I haven't taped up since. Having something between the back of my hand and the rock inside the crack both reduces my ability to feel the rock and I think keeps one from learning the more subtle aspects of jamming.

I was glad to see Pat Ament's general advice mentioned above. Working a fully-relaxed hand into the crack as deep as possible both facilitates more secure jams and prevents many of the gobies that tapeless crack climbing is known for. It really works.

Save the tape for after you've developed technique.

I second the "save the tape" comment.

With Tape on your hands your don't feel a thing. Sort of condom like. :>)

Go to Y-Valley and only climb cracks for a few weeks.... works every time.

Wear socks.

Build a crack machine and use it.

well I have two pieces of advice,

#1 TAKE THE PAIN!!!

#2 Watch this video of Tim Toula that I made of him Taping for success in Moab for the CrackHouse, Learn how to make a good tape glove. Sorry the video is quite long and uncut, but its quite a funny process to watch Tim make the ultimate Gauntlet glove. But he backs it up with some serious sending if you watch the part III video. Impressive

vimeo.com/18191697
vimeo.com/18194332

Sorry for the poor video, it was shot from my phone.

Craig Luebben once said in an offwidth clinic, if it doesn't feel like 5.9 then your probably climbing it wrong. I think that applies for most cracks.

Corey Flynn wrote:Love the pain