[AJM]

First off, I don't know if this is the right forum for it. Sorry if it's not. Second, apologies for the number of question marks in the bottom bit - I've had to draft it whilst offline. Bbt I thought it better to try and post now whilst I'm psyched rather than wait until I've got access to guidebooks again since by then I'll probably have forgotten about it.

So our big van trip has just taken us through Orco. Awesome place. Never really crack climbed before but had a great time trying things. I've definitely got things I want to go back for, but its also got me psyched to get better. So I was thinking about a list of things to try when I get back to the UK. Grade range irrelevant, that way its useful to more people than just me. I'll collate any responses together and try to create a summary back on here or on my blog or something

To deal with the title in reverse order, first off, training. I don't know where I'm going to be living when I get back yet, but I probably won't have access to a crack machine to train on, unless I have enough space and get really psyched to build one. And most walls have no cracks, and when I get back it will soon be winter so like it or not I'm going to be spending a lot of time training indoors rather than just getting mileage in outside. Any other sorts of directed exercises help for cracks? I seem to remember on Tom R's blog he mentioned front 2 strength translated quite well into fingerlocks. I seemed to get pump in the base of my thumbs from hand jams, I don't know if that's normal or not, presumably a novice thing because you don't use that muscle very often on limestone crimps. I had wondered if I could build a "crack rail" (two bits of wood with variable width spacers) to hang under my fingerboard to allow deadhangs off hand and fist jams (not sure how to adjust it for fingerlocks since the fingers need to be vertical), which might help with that.

Secondly, crack boulder problems. Here I draw an almost complete blank - I'm not really a boulderer and I don't have any uk guidebooks to hand. I know Tom R did something really hard down near Bristol. The name Melvin Bragg is familiar as a crack boulder problem I think but I know nothing about it. I'm sure there must be many others though.

Lastly, routes. Here I actually can think of some, although suggestions of others, and comments/beta, would be awesome. Shout at me if the stuff on the list doesn't really climb like a crack or whatever, I know precious few of them will be totally pure but hopefully most of them actually require some crack climbing to get up them?

Peak:
I can think of a load of obvious things at Ramshaw and Millstone. Ramshaw crack, the crank, there's some sandbag HVS isn't there, rays roof for the hardcore, London wall, the embankments, bond street and those other HVSs, regent street and some of the other streets, I'm sure I could keep listing if I had a guidebook to hand.
I'm sure there must be some other quarried grit cracks too but can't think.
Sentinel crack at chatsworth, elder crack and the eliminates at curbar, big crack at froggatt, I guess there's a whole bunch at Stanage too, nectar and harvest and the vice and things, plus those cracks that go up through Valkyrie at the roaches (matinee?), and of course the file at higgar.

Yorkshire
Wellington crack at ilkley
Giggling crack, Brimham is it?

North Wales
Grond and monster on the cromlech. Atomic hot rod too?
Mau mau and Dinorwic unconquerable on the slate
There's some E2 on one of the outlying crags whose name I can't remember - Ferdinand is it?
Fear of infection, the offwidth on the shady side of the pass somewhere?
Winking crack
That steep offwidth thing at hylldrem whose name completely escapes me?
Do any of the things on the vector headwall climb like cracks - void and so on? Fingerlicker there too...?

South west
Cheddar has bursting the wave, empire, maybe west route?
Avon must have something, but I can't think
Swanage - there's a whole bunch of roof cracks of which only cima petite springs to mind (I don't think laughing Arthur is in my league somehow quite yet but obviously there's that!)
On the culm I vaguely recall some sort of long cave roof thing - Abandon Hope or something, maybe at Menachurch? Anyone know anything?
Cornish granite must have dozens. I know my friend had a good old battle on a Dolphin route or something at Chair Ladder, there's an E2 crack near Gillian at Sennen (plus that zig zag HVS crack, and there's the big roof crack isn't there...?), doesn't phantom at Bosigran go through the roof on a crack, obviously there's anvil chorus, there must be something at Carn Barra too.....
There's something on lowman at Haytor that the guide describes as suitably horrific, some sort of wide crack through one of the bulges? The E4 on the back of the top bit of Haytor - rough diamond is it? There's the offwidth thing at vixen Tor that you probably can't do these days.
Bender and jetset and Destiny and probably a load of others on Lundy, not that they're logistically that easy to just pop and do!

Scotland:
Chemin de fer and requiem at dumby

Lakes
Erm..... Vikings on gable or wherever it is?

Elsewhere... Not sure.

Cheers all,

Andy

[Paul B]

Not so much training but I found the Wild Country Crack School videos to be really useful. I think I watched these sat in a van somewhere near Moab after having quite 'tough' first day on the desert towers.

[Wood FT]

Secondly, crack boulder problems. Here I draw an almost complete blank - I'm not really a boulderer and I don't have any uk guidebooks to hand. I know Tom R did something really hard down near Bristol. The name Melvin Bragg is familiar as a crack boulder problem I think but I know nothing about it. I'm sure there must be many others though.

I'm shit at jamming but I filmed Tom doing alot of crack bouldering in and around Burbage valley which should help. Apologies for the Epictv link.

http://www.epictv.com/media/podcast/tom-randalls-burbage-boulder-beasting-%7C-epictv-climbing-daily-ep291/277957?header_b=1&b=1

[Paul B]

I think you're deluding yourself if you think that simply filming him will have helped your technique...

[Wood FT]

Course it didn't, put me off for life, it was in answer to this:

I'm sure there must be many others though.

Have you started Friday drinking already Paul? glad to see to you're into the 9-5 spirit 

[Paul B]

It's raining. It's Friday. It's the company 'Summer' BBQ. But no, I'm yet to walk the 5 mins to the bar.

[webbo]

Back in the day before American climbers ventured out of the cracks and before John Bacher and his ladder had been invented. They used to climb ropes knotted roughly a lock off apart and climb them footless, this simulates the arm movements of climbing a crack footless.

[SamT]

I almost daren't say it.. but I bet there are some tick lists on the other channel.

Right, I said it, I feel guilty, horrible and filthy, I'm of for some self flagellation and 48 showers to try and wash away my sin.

[duncan]

From a longer post under preparation...

The Curbar Wide Crack Circuit - with approximate US grades

Flake Crack 5.6
Keeper’s Crack 5.6
Buckle’s Brother 5.7
Buckle’s Crack 5.7
Sorrel’s Sorrow 5.8
Hercules 5.8 (no laybacking, obviously)
Inch Crack 5.8
Little Innominate 5.8+
Peapod 5.9 (also has some thin-hands jamming)
Left Eliminate 5.9
Elder Crack 5.9
Right Eliminate 5.9+

[seankenny]

Right Eliminate 5.9+

I hope this longer post will explore the difference between 5.9 and 5.9+   

[duncan]

Right Eliminate 5.9+

I hope this longer post will explore the difference between 5.9 and 5.9+   

That's easy. 5.9+ is always harder than 5.10a and could be as hard as 5.11a.

[Tommy]

Coool.... someone else psyched for some cracks.

Training: other than just generally doing climbing, you have to get pretty specific I'm afraid. I personally feel this is symbolised in the hundreds of very good british climbers who can't perform on cracks, despite understanding the basics and being beasts. You can't be 8c crimp fit and expect to climb 8b cracks for example. Hand jamming is particularly bad for this. Build yourself a mini crack and get hanging :-).

Bouldering: this was my most effective way at getting better at cracks. Most people thought I was stupid back in the day (probably still do!), ferreting around in the back of dirty caves for cracks but it deffo worked. You can do laps, make eliminates, do it on your own, try different techniques out. Everything really. Search Jammology on UKB I think? Or crack lists? Or maybe Hardest crack in UK? Something like that.

Overall, use the bouldering as method of getting better and routes as a way of verifying that you HAVE got better. That's what I did anyway. Enjoy :-)

[AJM]

Thanks everyone.

Only on briefly but will look at replies In more detail when I'm om for longer.

Cheers Tommy for cadarese beta too.

[Paul B]

- the whole Brit double rope thing needs to be unlearned.

I think this only applies to Squamish (or any other area with convenient, 30m spaced, ab-points). I was ridiculed by some American for setting off up the incredible hulk with two ropes, I bet I'd have had the last laugh had the thunder rolled in.

[Fiend]

Nice tips harbitch.

[Ged]

- the whole Brit double rope thing needs to be unlearned.

I was ridiculed by some American for setting off up the incredible hulk with two ropes, I bet I'd have had the last laugh had the thunder rolled in.

The thunder did roll in when we were on the hulk.  ABout 2 pitches off the top of positive vibrations, and the air started buzzing.  We bailed on our double 6o metre ropes and were down in about 45 minutes.  The team nearby with a single 60 were very cold and wet by the time they got down.

For anything less serious though, definitely go with a sport rope.  ANd that includes london wall

[SA Chris]

I think I am a little better at it than when I lived in the UK.

I would hope so (cough Wellington Crack cough)