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Off width that can be top roped?


phil_tatman

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It depends on how you define off width, but if you mean 'bigger than fist', or awkward chimney, it's hard to beat Damnation crack on Jello Tower, castle rock, leavenworth.

 

Also, meatgrinder up the icicle has some rattly fist jams, and can be toproped.

 

At smith, bookworm is a classic 'bigger than fist' offwidth and can be toproped off of bunnyface.

 

at index, the 5.7 crack across from toxic shock gets pretty big. I placed two big bros in it yesterday...fun stuff.

 

also at index, libre 10a'ish just to the right of the rail road bolts can be toproped if you build an anchor with gear just above it's top. It's 'off hands' to fists.

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In Squamish there's the Split Beaver which goes from fists to knee bars. I think you can toprope some of the stuff up in the Cirque of the Uncrackables on the backside of the Chief like March of the Kitchen Utensils. If you really want to go for it I think you could toprope Pipeline by belaying from the top.

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Yeah but you can cheat too much on the Vantage stuff and not really have to offwidth it. Worth checking out though, Menstruating Whale Shit was also a fun but not so hard offwidth TR. I tried TR'ing Gorilla My Dreams at Index yesterday as an offwidth climb instead of a layback. Also fun and challenging, my ankles hurt.

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pratts_crack.jpg

Pratts Crack 2p 5.9

This ones also pretty far away but if you ran laps on her you would get the OW skills honed for sure. The only time I ever felt like I was really going to puke after a climb. Watched my friend Grey just boogey right up it in high tops. 2 pitches up to 10" If this is a 5.9 then Split Beaver is a 5.4! (borrowed pic)

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First Blood at Royal Columns, I'm sure there are some others there too. A bit more solid and less prone to cheater holds than Vantage.

 

It always amused me that the guidebook called that a "fist" crack, not to mention 5.8 :P

You can get some nice knee bar / no-hands rests on it though!

And easily toprope-able by climbing Mushmaker at 5.7 which is next door, and a fun little hand crack in it's own right :)

 

 

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Squamish - All fairly easily TR able.

 

March of the Kitchen Utensils

Bop Till You Drop

Boogie Till You Puke (HARD!!!)

Hypertension

Split Beaver

Neat and Cool Offwidth

 

If you walk around the bluffs you might see other wide unpopular gaping cracks that want to swallow you whole and eat you alive.....

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Spire Rock south tower wall in Spanaway (Spamaway).

 

This from "A Guide to Spire Rock" by Jim Phillips and Mark Webster:

 

Elbow Delight

Right arm in - 5.7

Right side in using crack only -- no face holds - 5.8

Left arm in - 5.8

Left side in using crack only -- no face holds - 5.9+

Try a lieback for a change of pace

 

Short but sweet and easy to get to, depending where one is coming from. Phil, I see that you are likely in Bellingham; I wouldn't recommend the drive just to get to Spamaway. And yes, top rope. And can, of course, do laps. This could be a good partial day starter exercise. There is another good crack, "Lieback Crack", on the main south wall to right of "Elbow Delight" rated 5.9 when jamming hands and feet in crack only (no face holds).

 

Hopefully nobody has pissed on it or worse. The place needs a fence like Marymoor and lights.

 

Edited by gary_hehn
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Index:

 

Istanbul, Magic Fern and Battered Sandwich at Private Idaho all involve some wide crack climbing... it would be some work to TR them but could be done (are their bolts at the belay on magic fern?).

 

Another man's car (left of lamplighter on the upper wall) looks vaguely intriguing but I haven't tried it. The thing left of Timberjack (also has a short wide that can be layed back) on winki dinky cliff could probably be TR'd as an off width. Bring a broom.

 

Behind the 8 ball (inner wall) would be good if you were really determined to find a walk around.

 

There are also some short off width boulder problems at swift water north including a cool thing where you invert and heel toe out a short roof crack (on the boulder up hill from premium coffee).

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