The offwidth crack on the west side of the Thumb. It is a great option to gain the summit if you don't mind grinding a knee or two. I wouldn't claim this to be a true offwidth, as there are many hand jams on the pitch. The original rating of this route was 5.10. I think Royal may have short arms and couldn't get the jams.
Location
On the West side of the actual Thumb spire.
Protection
You do NOT need to lug huge cams to do this pitch. You can climb this safely with the same rack you used to get to the base of the pitch. Two or Three #3 camalots would be nice and a #4 or larger camalot would be convenient if you really wanted to sew it up.
By Ryan Brough From: Arvada, Colorado Nov 2, 2007 rating: 5.10+
I must have short arms...my hand and ankle are torn to shreds. My blood wasn't the only blood left in the crack either. The crystals are big and sharp. There are a lot of good hand jams deep in the crack, but I couldn't reach half of them, the other half were cups for my small hands. Offwidth technique is a must for this climb. I used arm bars, butterfly jams, chickenwings, heel-toe cams, kneebars and probably made some stuff up too. It was a good humbling experience for me.
This was the first 5.10 established in the canyon at a time when harder grades did not exist. Keep that in mind if you ever try this route. Robbins crack requires supreme offwidth skills and an inclination for pain and frustration to the extreme. If you possess these attributes then go give this thing try if not be well aware that as soon as you peer into the its maw satan will cackle and chew off your arms. Make sure you take medical gauze with you.
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