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Recommended Wide Cracks at the New and the Red?

Original Post
Jeff Dunbar · · Ridgway, CO · Joined May 2007 · Points: 1,375

Attn wide crack aficionados:

I'm looking to dedicate some time to practicing the dark arts of wide crack climbing at the NRG and/or RRG. To that end, I want to develop separate tick lists for each area to work through the wide grades from easy (5.9ish) to hard (5.11ish).

By "wide", I'm referring here to anything from fists to squeeze chimneys. Flared roof slots are good too. And the more OW the better.

Anyway, please help me expand my preliminary tick lists below!

NEW RIVER GORGE:
Basic Bubba Crack (done, OS)
Fat Man's Folly
Smooth Operator (done, OS)
V-Slot (done, OS)
Butterbeans
Stuck in Another Dimension (done, 2-hang)
Optical Illusion

RED RIVER GORGE:
Hand Job
Marmalade
Perforator
Wide Pride
The Quest
Inhibitor
Burden of Dreams
Crouching Tiger

And heck, while I'm at it, please PM me if you are interested in meeting up to grunt and thrutch on any of these under-appreciated routes!

Pnelson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 635

Newfangled Dangle (5.11a/b) at Endless Wall, NRG, is mostly thin hands and fingers in a corner, but its overhung, sandbagged start requires some pretty legit wide technique.

Chuck Parks · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Jan 2008 · Points: 2,190
Dicey at Best at Lower Small Wall at the Red has some fantastic offwidth corner climbing.
Jeff Dunbar · · Ridgway, CO · Joined May 2007 · Points: 1,375

Ahh, yes, Pnelson, that sounds like a good one indeed!

Also, my apologies to all for pretty much duplicating this prior forum thread which I only just found a moment ago:

mountainproject.com/v/south…

If anyone has anything to add besides what's already listed in that prior thread, I'd still be psyched to hear it!

Kevin Neville · · Oconomowoc, WI · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 15

At RRG, Vector Trouble has a flared squeeze finish. What's Left of the Beeneling looks beautiful, though we didn't get on it. Muscle Beach has some, but the road is currently closed, making it a long walk.

5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40

I love that dicey at best was already mentioned ...one of my most memorable offwidths :) (red)

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

Been a while since I've been there, but I remember these at NRG::

mountainproject.com/v/crack…
mountainproject.com/v/china… (bolted!)

and this is only 5.7, but still good
mountainproject.com/v/cresc…

Matt Westlake · · Durham, NC · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 662

Fat Man's Folly is really good once you get past the start. My partner and I disagreed on what the most difficult part was. I almost got a #5 fixed on it.

There are also some fun short features to play with at Asheboro - a nice 10' or so flared overhanging hands to thrash up near Falling Up that csproul might remember. You can add off-crack feet or go full crack mode with a hand jam hang start. There are some more you can even boulder/TR/lead downhill of the lightning bolt crack boulder, including an actual chimney. Short but good fun.

If you have access to the Carolina Climbers Coalition forum search for "Butterbeans" and you'll pull up Chris's thread "NC Offwidths and Chimneys" which got some good response.

I recently acquired a new 5 and 6 I plan to either put to use or sell (it was like $70 for the both of them). I already have a 5 and an old 6 so it means I need to start finding routes to torture myself with them on...

Didn't see it listed but I'm looking to give Captain Crunch at Rumbling Bald a go whenever I finally get out there. Maybe not offwidth but it needs big gear in spots.

Mostly my problem is free time during a window of good weather lately...

Jeff Dunbar · · Ridgway, CO · Joined May 2007 · Points: 1,375

Thanks for all these suggestions, y'all. Keep 'em coming! I'll try to post a pair of updated tick lists here soon.

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665

RRG wide and nobody mentions:
Minimum Creep? mountainproject.com/v/minim…
Yuk? mountainproject.com/v/yuk/1…
Physical Attraction? mountainproject.com/v/physi…
Sunburn? mountainproject.com/v/sunbu…

Darren S · · Minneapolis, MN · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 3,388

Not sure if it is in the database, but try Jane Fonda's Total Body Workout (5.11) at Kaymoor at NRG. I think it is down near Thunderstruck at the White Wall area.

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

The bottom of Spiderwand/Wham Bam is kind of wide if I remember.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern States
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