Offwidth in the northeast?

I don't know how to climb offwidth but I really want to fix that. I only know of a few splitter OWs in these parts. There is a small section on Esthesia at the Spider's Web, but it's only about 6 feet. There is a 5.13 at Farley Ledge, but it's 5.13. There is the 3rd pitch of Vertigo at Cannon, but it's nigh-unprotectable. I recall seeing a wide crack at Barkeater in the Dacks, but also that it was pretty blocky. Might not be a good crack to learn on.

Anyone else know of anything?

Could go to Ragged Mt? (I have only been once so I haven't climbed these suggestions, but there are wide cracks there)
5.6 offwidth: mountainproject.com/v/hemlo…
5.7 offwidth (based on the comments): mountainproject.com/v/tower…
have wide cracks, not sure when considered offwidth: mountainproject.com/v/decep…
mountainproject.com/v/carey…
mountainproject.com/v/wishb…
perhaps a CT local could chime in if there is more there...

Plenty of wide stuff in the Gunks: Baby, Keyhole, Boston, Yellow Ridge, Proctoscope, Layback, Belly Roll, even Betty just to name few. Being it the Gunks of course, not many people use the true OW technique on most of them...

There's tons of offwidth in the Daks, but it's often corners instead of splitter, and it's never climbed so it's often filthy. I've heard good things about Phase III at Poke-O, but never climbed it myself - I'm sure there's more OW lurking at that crag.

Gunks is similar, although shorter and cleaner, with the added caveat that much of it is just as easy with non-OW technique. If you're looking to bone up on technique the Trapps wouldn't be bad for number of OWs you can hit in a day - start at Keyhole, it's burly, great intro to stacked jams.

dolgio wrote:Plenty of wide stuff in the Gunks: Baby, Keyhole, Boston, Yellow Ridge, Proctoscope, Layback, Belly Roll, even Betty just to name few. Being it the Gunks of course, not many people use the true OW technique on most of them...

Some read ahead material for you. There are a lot of good OW articles on the how-to page.

widefetish.com/pages/how_to…

Gunkiemike wrote: Dolgio, you forgot one: 5.8 wide crack To the OP - the first step in learning to love wide cracks is to load up on wide gear.

Gunkiemike wrote: Dolgio, you forgot one: 5.8 wide crack To the OP - the first step in learning to love wide cracks is to load up on wide gear.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Looks like the Gunks are the place to go. May have to purposely avoid face holds on a lot of them, but hey I'm just trying to learn.

And yes on denim. I saw that .13 at Farley a couple weeks ago and had to come back and try it, but forgot to bring pants and long sleeves! It didn't end that well, in terms of skin or upward progress. Beater (but still sticky) shoes don't hurt either.

Yeah, I found that link to Wide Fetish. Great resource.

Repentance and Black Crack are 5.10 at Cathedral. The big flake atop the Prow is 11b but the wide is easier and can be tr'd. Also Piss Easy and Diedre Direct.
Lot's more wide around NH

john strand wrote:Repentance and Black Crack are 5.10 at Cathedral. The big flake atop the Prow is 11b but the wide is easier and can be tr'd. Also Piss Easy and Diedre Direct. Lot's more wide around NH

this one is a short but sweet roof in to a vertical chimney... perfect for practicing upside-down foot camming with good pro (#6)...

mountainproject.com/v/walki…

Holy crap, how have I missed that climb every time I walked through Triple Corners?! I guess I just didn't have OW in mind while at Rumney.

Phase Three at Poke-O is pretty good and quite strenuous. It requires a few wide cams. There is some really good wide crack climbing on the third pitch of "It don't come easy". The crack starts out as fingers and gradually widens to really hard fist jams and a body size finish. "Route of Oppressive Power" in the Wilmington Notch is excellent as well.

CT local here... Hemlock groove is a definate OW. However, the last 20 ft is unprotectable(maybe, dont have bigger then a #3 C4). There was a bolt but it was chopped awhile back.

In NH.....

In southern NH pawtuckaway state park has lots of offwidths, chimneys, fat fisted flares and burly cracks in general. The first outcrop on your right when walking from the horse farm to round pond/boulder natural has 3-4 chimney/offwidths ranging from 5.5 to thick fists and stacks around a low roof at 5.11. The upper cliff has the ULTRA classic "climbers corner" at a very traditonal 5.10- offwidth. the whole upper cliff is littered with wide cracks/chimneys.

In the white mountains there are plenty of options for wide routes, a great moderate is the "weissner chimney" on Humphrey's Ledge. Its three pitches of that two are squeeze chimneys that go at a surprising 5.8 !
Cathedral has some great offwidths in the 5.10 range, Black Crack is excellent, well protected and the true offwidth section is somewhat short. Two variations to Diedre, Piss Easy and Diedre Direct are both hard physical cracks.

My Two favs from New York state were Creation of the World 5.11 at moss cliff, and the directish finisht to Fastest Gun at Poke o moonshine.