Best offwidths?

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dunndan
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Best offwidths?

Post by dunndan » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:35 pm

Want to tackle a few good offwidths this season... Any good ones to start with? Boogie til you puke is on the list for sure...

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Re: Best offwidths?

Post by jstod » Tue Mar 15, 2011 3:44 pm

Hypertension!

bradley3297
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Re: Best offwidths?

Post by bradley3297 » Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:52 pm

pitch 5 of borderline. split beaver.
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Re: Best offwidths?

Post by squamish climber » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:48 pm

Did someone say Hypertension?
Image
Photographer, Chris Christie posted these on the forum picture gallery way back.
Image

Let's see some more photos of Squamish burly off-widths.
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dunndan
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Re: Best offwidths?

Post by dunndan » Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:40 pm

I did some snooping and found this guy... Offwidth mid-way up Polaris

http://cascadeclimbers.com/trip-reports ... 2008-3478/

dunndan
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Re: Best offwidths?

Post by dunndan » Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:45 pm

... And Pipeline on the Squaw... might be an 'end of season' tick....

    http://www3.telus.net/public/7394243/cl ... sode5.html

    slopr
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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by slopr » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:09 pm

    Your thread title may be a paradox to many climbers- "best" offwidth haha :lol:

    Tantalus crack

    Good luck and have fun feeling like you are going to puke, check out this dudes site if you are looking for inspiration.

    http://www3.telus.net/public/7394243/cl ... idths.html

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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by slopr » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:12 pm

    slopr wrote:Your thread title may be a paradox to many climbers- "best" offwidth haha :lol:

    Tantalus crack

    Good luck and have fun feeling like you are going to puke, check out this dudes site if you are looking for inspiration.

    http://www3.telus.net/public/7394243/cl ... idths.html
    oops didn't see that someone beat me to posting this link

    scrubber
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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by scrubber » Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:41 pm

    Pitch two of Tantalus wall is also amazing: Yosemite Crack. In my opinion Boogie Till You Puke is the best though. Split Beaver is good practice if you havn't taken the training wheels off yet.

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    Yosemite Pinnacle left side

    Post by Tricouni » Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:21 pm

    Go for the squeeze chimney on Yosemite Pinnacle Left side. First led (and entirely free) by Hamish Mutch in 1965 with old-style gear. I graded it as 5.8 at the time we did it, so I suppose it would be solid 5.10 now.

    Check it out.

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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by squamish climber » Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:42 am

    Yosemite Pinnacle and Yosemite crack are those two climbs the same?

    Tricouni and Kris can either of post some pics of these climbs?
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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by scrubber » Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:43 pm

    They're not the same route, just on the same feature. Kind of like the Split Pillar and the Left Side of the Split. I've done both routes you mention but I don't think I have pics of either. On Yosemite Pinnacle Left Side, the bushes were so thick that my belayer couldn't have seen me after 20 feet or so anyway. That pitch is one of those truely old school sandbags. The Jim Campbell guide had it listed as 5.8! It's currently given 10b, but even that is pretty stout. I'd say its as hard as Hypertension (probably Squamish's only softly graded O-W).

    The front version, Yosemite Crack aka P2 of Tantalus Wall, is an awesome straight in splitter. Not nearly as sustained as many of the routes at the Cirque of the Uncrackables, but burly in its own right. Those folks with longer arms (than me) may have a much easier time because they can reach a perpendicular crack in the back. With that in hand, it's simply like laybacking with one arm in the back and one squeezing the outer edge. Your ankles however, will get just as mangled.

    If its something that's ever been on your tick list, go right now and get your guidebook. Now write down that a #5 camalot (old #4 size) is not big enough. Older editions of the guidebooks had the crux listed as a 4" O-W crack. It is more like 5 1/2" to 6" at the crux which is right at the beginning. You need a new #6 (old #4.5) to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This was a hard-won and terrifying bit if beta to come by so treat it wisely. Up higher you can blindly place smaller cams in the crack in the back of the big one. Yes blind, you are sizing them completely by feel.

    Have fun!

    Kris

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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by Brendan » Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:34 pm

    bradley3297 wrote:pitch 5 of borderline. split beaver.
    This pitch doesn’t really count!? Not only is it bolted, but it doesn’t require one single "offwidth" move/technique. It’s a combination of a lieback and a face climb.

    Hypertension can be laybacked, unfortunately. So can the Scimitar.

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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by bradley3297 » Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:17 pm

    whatever man. its a off size crack. offwidth. its also memorable because its probably the hardest pitch in my opionion. considering its one of the easiest graded pitches on the climb.
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    Re: Best offwidths?

    Post by slopr » Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:14 pm

    bradley3297 wrote:whatever man. its a off size crack. offwidth. its also memorable because its probably the hardest pitch in my opionion. considering its one of the easiest graded pitches on the climb.
    I'll second the sandbag factor on this one, if you know how to climb OW you will probably layback/face climb it and think no big deal. If you have no idea how to climb OW you will probably try to armbar/kneejam/chimney it and have a huge thrutchfest. I have heard of this happening to many ppl on this pitch. Skullduggery in the bluffs is the same, looks like you are going to get right in it, then you end up laybacking-what a tease! Pure OW definitely seems to be the least available size of crack in Squam, not that many ppl mind.

    Scrubber, that OW on Polaris looks awesome! How does polaris compare to freeway in terms of difficulty/commitment? that crux pitch looks stellar too, great TR too-might have to head up there this summer.

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