Easy(ish) offwidths at the Red (partners?)

Up here in the Northeast there is a terrible dearth of OW. I tried the 5.13 crack at Farley Ledge and... well that didn't really go.

What are the best offwidths at the Red for a dude to get started on? I've grunted through 2 sections of real OW in my life, and really want to get better.

Speaking of which, anyone gonna be there 10/11 - 10/15 who would want to be my sensei? I have a BD #5 and #6, might be able to scrum up more.

Dicey at Best
Muscle Shoals
Rocket Man
Upstream Swimmer
Yuk
The Lorax Tree
Rock Rash
Jungle Beat

www.redriverclimbing.com

Thanks. I guess what I meant to say was, "I'm too lazy to look through a guidebook or site looking for them all."

:)

If you want OW at the Red then go to Muscle Beach Crag. Several Classic OW climbs at this one crag. Youll leave there an offwidth champ!

James Beissel wrote:Dicey at Best Muscle Shoals Rocket Man Upstream Swimmer Yuk The Lorax Tree Rock Rash Jungle Beat redriverclimbing.com

Jungle Beat isn't OW, but it does have a short section of 4" crack and is an absolutely fabulous climb... "5.9+", eh... "+ what" is what I hear most sport climbers asking... "+1 or +2?"

If you are up doing Yuk at Longwall (actually, yum would have been more appropriate) then walk around the corner and do Perforator, which has a nice OW section and goes 10-.

And if by "Easy-ish" you simply mean not 5.13 like your first foray into OW, then you should consider Inhibitor, though that is 11/11-.

I followed Inhibitor a year ago. Breezed the first section, then in 20 minutes I went 0 feet and burned about a gazillion calories. Once I was in the chimney everything went well, including an about-face because I ended up getting into it facing the wrong way.

Sooo yeah I need more skillz before leading 5.10 OW and up (or maybe even easier). The 5.13 was just because it was there and easy to set up a TR on. I could body hang off of a hand-fist stack easily but couldn't work out how to body hang off of a couple heel-toes. At least in the time my belayer was willing to wait.

THer aren't a ton of off-widths that you're going to be overly protected on with one #5 and one #6. I wouldn't head up Dicey with just one #5, Muscle SHoals will take a couple of #6's as well as something bigger, and without something bigger than a #6 you are soloing Yuk. Obviously that is all subjective and you did say you might be able to muster up some more gear.

Here are a couple more favorites:

Carnivorous - also at Muscle Beach. A #5 is actually too big - it takes a lot of gear in the #3-#4 range.

Rock Rash - Muscle Beach, lots of gear from #3-#5

Old School At The Hideout - mostly #3-#5, but you could get the #6 in as well. Again, i wouldn't want to try it with just one #5.

ANger Management at Volunteer Wall is a great route. It gets my vote for softest .8+ in the Gorge, but it wants gear to 8 inches to be really safe.

TO the right of ANger Management is another nice offwidth. It isn't in the guide, and I've been trying to find information on it, but without success. We climbed this route some time ago. It's a grade or so tougher than Anger Management, which is to say a more typical .8+. It takes a lot of gear in the #5 and #6 range, as well as a bigger piece. I think this route is often wet, but it's a pleasure if you catch it dry.

Thanks again, all!