The only book on crack technique worth reading:

taipan jam wrote: My apologies, I should have clarified, I was speaking to the "royal" you regarding flashing Phoenix, not you personally Mark. But actually...Phoenix has been onsighted... By guess who? Peter Croft. There's a big difference between the three, flash, onsight and redpoint...certainly everyone can agree here(?) & I'm just not buying into Phoenix being "flashed fairly often" still...but I guess my attempt is still in the barrel! I just have to remember what Croft says...and climb as well as he did like 25 years ago...

Well since I just made up the "flashed fairly often fact" there's a good chance I'm completely mistaken.

Have you heard the Enormocast with Peter Croft? He is still brimming with enthusiasm. Really inspiring. Don't recall that he mentioned Phoenix but did talk about Astroman. Definitely worth a listen.

If you run into a great book like this, ask your local library to purchase it, if they don't have it already. This will increase its visibility, and up the purchases for deserving authors!

And, the drift is great here, by the way, interesting as always! : )

I may get some flack for this, but the sample photos show some techniques I have personally dissuaded people from using, specifically the "cup and twist" and the first thumb stack. The second thumb stack is the one I always recommend as it actually makes a jam.

I suppose it may depend on your own anatomy, but a cupped hand can usually if not always be averted by tucking the thumb to create a real jam.

Finally, with any fist stack combo I try to go palm-up on the fist I'm cranking on. This can't always be achieved, but I find a hell of a lot more power when it can.

Ball: Thanx for your comments - you won’t get any flack from me. I appreciate honest feedback and technical discussions. Sorry I didn’t see your post sooner.

An overall comment is that there are often multiple ways of approaching climbs and applying each type of jam. Most climbers tend to gravitate toward a set of techniques they are comfortable with, and this repertoire is different for each climber. One of my goals in the book was to present all effective techniques so that readers would be aware of the full spectrum and use it to develop a skill set that works for them.

Cup and Twist: I agree that cupping alone is not an effective technique since it’s mostly brute force and there is poor contact with the rock – hence the drawing on page 50 with an X through it. However, I do find it to be an effective component of a jam when combined with other actions/techniques such as thumb tuck, twisting your hand, and cocking your wrist. For any given jam, the “actions” used and the relative emphasis of each will vary to adjust to the situation.

Thumb Stacks (aka - Finger/Thumb Stacks, Ring Locks): I agree that for most climbers and in most situations, camming is the primary action creating the holding force. Although not as natural to use, opposition wedging actin is sometimes helpful. This is not an intuitive action and may take a conscious effort to develop a feel for the jam. I’ll often use a combination of both, varying the relative emphasis of each to fit the situation.

Fist Stacks: Orienting your fist palm-up (palm-out) rather than palm-down (-away) does give you more arm strength to use; similar to how chin-ups are easier than pull-ups. The benefit of using our fist palm-down (-out) is primarily in hand/fist stacks with your arms crossed. For this combination, you can cock your fist-wrist so that your fist locks behind your hand allowing you to pull out as well as down and to use less hand strength to sustain the stack. In contrast with your palm up, the stack tends to disintegrate with an outward component of force. Sure, the arms-crossed hand/fist combination is only one of many versions of stacks, but it seems to me to be the most solid and my "go to" version. Using your fist palm-up seems to be more natural with your arms parallel and is also facilitated with your elbow into or close to the crack – which is neither good nor bad, just another factor.

That said, there are many combinations of fist stacks when you consider arms crossed or not, palm or back of your hand against the rock, which hand or fist is on top, etc. Similarly there are many factors (crack size, corner or splitter, knee in or not, body position, moving the stack up, etc.) affecting which combination is best for a given situation. All options are open and there is no best or worst – use what works for the situation.

Classic Leavittation by the inventor of the technique: here palm away, hands parallel...

https://vimeo.com/46589051

Kent Pease wrote: Thumb Stacks (aka - Finger/Thumb Stacks, Ring Locks): I agree that for most climbers and in most situations, camming is the primary action creating the holding force. Although not as natural to use, opposition wedging actin is sometimes helpful. This is not an intuitive action and may take a conscious effort to develop a feel for the jam.

I always tell people to use the thumb as a wedge and put all the weight on one's finger. The term "stack" doesn't really help. We should call them thumb wedges :)

With regards to fist stacks, I won't claim to be an expert (have led 11+ OW), unless the crack is flared or offset in a way preventing this, you can usually stack with a palms-up fist being the one further inside the crack. Typically my right hand is straight out while the left comes across (on top), palms down, or side-by-side which can be easier for bumping.

I don't have the book, but there are a lot of stacks which I use which I don't see typically (perhaps due to my small hands) like a one-hand fist-thumb stack. I also don't use butterflies very often as thin-hands-fist stack can be more easily bumped with a quick layback. YHMV & YRMV

rgold wrote:Classic Leavittation by the inventor of the technique: here palm away, hands parallel... vimeo.com/46589051

That's cool, but once you can get your knee in it's pretty much over. I have problems when having to stack both hands and feet :)

Also, I usually put my foot out the other way. I'll try his way next time

Ball wrote: That's cool, but once you can get your knee in it's pretty much over. I have problems when having to stack both hands and feet :)

Ball, I'm a little confused by that last part. Do you mean when the crack is so wide that you have to stack your feet?

I'm skinny, if a crack is wider than my feet are long, I just get inside and slowly writhe upward.

The rest of your post makes it sound like you're talking about hand/hand stacks that are too narrow to get your knee in. I thought the book was particularly excellent concerning that size.

Big 4 Camalots are a problem size for the average sized male climber. If you have any questions about that size maybe I can help. Of course the author is right here too.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Ball, I'm a little confused by that last part. Do you mean when the crack is so wide that you have to stack your feet?

No, I'm talking about too narrow to get my knee in.

Ball wrote: No, I'm talking about too narrow to get my knee in.

In that case, all I can offer is to reread those sections. That size in particular has better details than most of the other styles.

Just snagged the last copy from Neptune's, hopefully they will get more in. Came with this weird book press which I guess is to keep the pages flat between readings.

book press

Seems like a hassle, but I guess it is a book worth taking care of. I also use it to try out different size jams as I'm reading through:

cup and twist

I've been doing something similar with a wood clamp...great alternative to dragging the book up with you on a climb, lol. Love the book btw, Kent.

Great idea - not only is the crack adjustable but it's also portable!