Edward's Crack 

Steve's description is right on. This is a must do route for anyone. The crux moves at the top can be easily protected with a #3-3.5 Camalot. The rest of the route pretty much eats pro anywhere you want it. I would recommend placing a piece of gear in the top of the crack, mid-way up the first pitch, to keep the rope from falling into the crack. Also, if you don't mind a bit of scramblling, a great alternative rap is from the top of 4th of July Crack from a 2 bolt anchor. One double rope rap will put you on the ground and avoids traffic on Walt's Wall.

This climb is a good one for sure. You can even play the local's game with your best girl and place as few pieces as possible (usually around 3-4) in one sixty meter pitch. Leave the #3 Camalot at home and do it all with a set of stoppers. Also, a popular free solo under a full moon.

This was my first lead back when I didn't have a clue what I was doing (not like I do now either) and I had almost nothing for gear. So what does one do when he has no gear? Climb on my friend. I placed maybe three pieces on P1 and about 4 on P2. It's almost impossible to fall off this route so it doesn't really matter. I think it's just great fun.

I have to agree with the set of stoppers and full moon ascent! absolutely outstanding.

Great climb. the start looks intimidating, but is really fun and not too hard. just jam and layback the handcrack in the dihedral, smear your left foot, and work your way up. placing gear in that first 10 feet would be incredibly awkward--a local gave me the suggestion to just climb up to where you can get a great rest with your right foot in one of the horizontal breaks in the right-hand wall of the dihedral, with your left foot still smearing--now put in your first piece. I liked the first pitch way better then the second--but thats probably because it started pouring rain once i was right under the OW section--made for a soggy, memorable finish, however! my follower got to swim up the crack (river) on her way up. if that short OW section is not your bag (its not bad at all really, and only a bit of OW moves are needed) you can exit either right or left. right goes either up from the belay past a couple bolts (rating?) or traverses right from main crack, across a low angle slab up to a small L facing dihedral. this sucks as the rope drag is horrendous and the "handcrack" in the corner is just a poorly protected seam. left exit goes left along a horizontal break (10 ft below offwidth slot), making your way up the slabs wherever it is easiest.

After fleeing a rainsoaked Utah last week, our beaten party pulled off the highway and wham-bam-booey, minutes later our tour was saved from disaster - we were climbing this classic route in the sun. A must do for the start or end to any roadtrip going north. For that matter so is most of Vedauwoo.

Scott's suggestion to cruise the starting layback to rests before placing pro is spot on, and I found a #4 had great character to protect the next couple moves into the stellar handcrack. We had just had a rainstorm pass over as we geared up at the base before the sun came out (rainbow and all) so the opening moves of the slab where intense, but a blindly placed, yet bomber green alien really saved the day in the lowest part of the seam. The super fun roof of the second pitch could be attacked in a number of ways, I found semi-chimney moves to be quite a pleasant change from the quartzite of the Wasatch.

This is a classic and everyone knows it, but luckily you can view the queue from the parking lot. Again, that's the glory of V - you can just cruise to something else if deep; it's all right there.

The first pitch is pretty boring, but the pay off is the second pitch which is also mundane until you hit the overhanging part with the offwidth cleft. Fear not my friend and stem on up and fire it. A great move with decent exposure-can protect with a big hex if you want to leave the big cam at the base. Also, bring along lots of bigger Cams for this place 2 #4's would have been nice to have. I'll be back.

Hi,

I was wondering what othr folks thought of this route's rating. Is it really a 5.7? It felt much like Calypso to me, which is 5.6.

Thanks,Dan

Maybe the 7- rating comes from those people who actually try and offwidth/crack climb the first pitch . . . . Suckers! :-_

The beta for P2 is knowing their's a big knob above the OW crack for the right hand. Its bomber, and there's a nice undercling hold down in the crack for the left hand. Hang on and advance those feet. I thought that move was fairly graded at 7-. The start of P1 is a pretty cool layback and and takes #1 & #2 camalots. Fun route!

There you go, ruining the fun for everyone. The OW on the top is 7-, or harder if you actually try to do OW moves. And if you don't climb the OW/squeeze on the first pitch, you're missing out.

Good point Darrin, on trying to do the OW moves for more fun at the top. I admit my skills in that area are pretty rusty, and I'll be the first to admit that I'll grab a jug if I know one's there. So my previous comments are for those who may not have the best OW technique, and would rather just avoid the squeeze moves. On P1 its pretty hard not to squeeze up the first 10', but the fun layback is right as you exit the OW start.

If you have a 60m rope, I can think of no reasonable reason not to do this in one pitch (you need a 60 as the crack is 180 feet or so). It doesn't break up the easy jamming through out and leads to a lot less fuss. Also, belay just above the "roof" with the 9 and 10 hexes and a big nut. Belaying from the tree has waaaay too much rope drag and you'll have difficulty hearing your second. As for the opening section, its been my experience to simply run it out to the hand crack itself as stopping to place gear would be more trouble than its worth.

Why avoid crack/offwidth-ing the start of the first pitch? It's the best part!

One pitch with a 200' rope was not a problem. Just work out belay signals with the secnd because you are out of sight over the bulge and out of earshot if there is any wind. Also if you are doing it in one pitch watch the rope after the normal first belay ledge, the crack is deep and will eat the rope and give you more drag than you might like on the bulge move.

This was my first time to the V. This was a great climb for me. I weigh 280 pounds and for me to do that was just great. Everyone should do that one.

A must, must do a crack climb that even a face climber like I felt comfortable a wonderful intro to the Voo. A wonderful first lead for a confident climber. I almost do EC every time I go to the Voo. Enjoy!!!

Really fun route. Hardest lead I've done so far (I'm working my way up). A #9 hex slotted sideways protects the Offwidth/overhang near the top of P2 perfectly. Have fun!

Fun intro to this place, and fun any other time also. Didn't need to tape up, good smooth handcrack. Screwed myself in the crux (what is called the roof of P2) by using a #4 Camalot in the OW; had a pink tri-cam solid before committing, but threw the #4 in anyway & it ended up getting in my way. I wiggled out with a heel-toe (or opposed smears - I can't remember - I was more upset with myself for slotting the #4). Most of this climb is 5.4 to 5.5; except the crux, which they put at the hard part of the climb (I hate it when they do that! - But look on the upper face to the right for a key hold).

If you go right hand into the final crack section, the crux is 5.9, at least. So be smart, go left handed. If you're really feeling cooky, you can score a really high heel and toe and pretend (however briefly) that you're on Squat.

Very little 5.7 on this route, maybe 4 or 5 moves. The rest is 5.4-5.6; just don't clip pro over your thigh on the exit, like I did. I think 5.7- is a good rating. In any event, it is a great route.

Did this route in 1 pitch with a 60 meter rope. I slid gear up the crack for 10+ feet in a few places to save gear. There is a great belay at the top. The only 5.7 on the route was at the very start and at the small roof... but this was also my first route at Vedauwoo.

This was my 1st lead (7/96) at the Voo. Memorable fun climb! Getting off the ground was the crux for me. I remember placing small cam for upward pull right where I wanted to put my hand. I also remember losing a new #5 nut as it dropped into where the crack opens up on the bottom midway up the 1st pitch. I had nothing that would reach it. Other memory is of watching from under the shelter of bathroom roof -- a guy lead the 1st pitch just as mega thunderstorm moved in from the south (i.e. approach was very visible). By the time he belayed up his significant other, it was really pouring and there was lots of lightning. Unbelievably, instead of rapping off from the 1st belay, he proceeded to do the 2nd pitch. Meanwhile, she's drowning under waterfall that poured down the route the whole time he was struggling to continue up. His buddies below didn't say a word, and we left because it was just too hard to witness. I wonder what she had to say to him if she survived?

Paul, it almost sounds like it was me you saw climbing only this was about two weeks ago. For us the storm came from the north cuz we definately didn't see the it coming. The first pitch was awesome! It didn't start raining till I was about 1/2 way up the second pitch. While climbing the second pitch it must have rained an inch in a 1/2 hour (all while drowning my partner Mollie). It made the crux and raps very memorable! After we got down we watched another guy in jeans and smoking do the 1st pitch in about 5 minutes and the second in about 1/2 that. It made my 1st beer very tasty about an hour later!

Jason, glad to hear you made it! I think you might have been the group behind us with the dogs. We were kind of worried for you guys when the weather came in.

If you have a 70m I'd do this as one pitch, but if you feel the need to sew it up you will probably get crazy rope drag. I did it as one pitch and probably put in 6 pieces and didn't have any trouble with drag. Try not to place pro till high in the beginning. This is a great one to just keep going, in 1 pitch is the way to go!

After watching the mistake 5 or 6 times, I have to give a bit of beta for the final section. Don't worry, its not onsight blowing. From the nice ledge before the final crux, a lot of people will belay, thinking they'll want more gear in the crux. You don't. You really don't. Rack your stoppers, and a single set of cams from like #1.5 Friend up to #3.5 Friend (like #0.75 to #3 C4s) and put it all on your right side. Whatever you do, do NOT put any gear in the main crack during the crux. It will be in your way and really won't protect you any better than any of the other gear around there. Considering the best way to do the crux, putting gear in the main crack could (and probably would) cause an upside down fall, and you'll sling it long enough that it provides no real benefit over protecting, say, to one side.

I'm gonna go with DanMoore and call this a 5.6. Eldo's Calypso (a 5.6 that I call 5.7)...yah,that's probably a grade stiffer than Edward's.(Just do your comparison shopping: Send Mother 1,a "5.7+"
and try, if you think you really can, to make the case that they're anything close to the same grade. Let's face it--there's a reason the big, bad V suffers from big, bad re-grading controversy--both up and down. And it's not because subsequent, out-of-state climbers
are any less skilled, any less objective in how they grade climbs.)

To be fair, I'm tall, and I've got monkey arms, so I'm sure that makes a difference on this one; my slightly shorter partners did struggle a bit at the topout. But then I stayed out on the outside while both of them squeezed as much as they could inside the OW roof.

Good times, for sure, this Edward's crack. The crux, actually, probably comes when finding safe passage up to the climb, without an effing carin in sight. (Is there some strange, state prohibition? Run out of rocks, Laramie? How many furlongs must one travel before spying one of these rare, elusive beasts?)

Well, there's the standard way, which is pretty bleedin' apparent, and the route taken by people who parked down at the Turtle Rock Trailhead thinking that since it was closer to the base of the climb, it would be easier. Start from the Gazebo, approach as for Fall Wall, but cut left under Mainstreet and follow the embarrassingly worn trail to the base of the route.