Offwidths... are not chimneys!

Ok, enough is enough. You all need to relearn what the word offwidth means. An offwidth is a crack that is bigger than your fist and smaller than chickenwings (hence, OFF-WIDTH, as in nothing really fits or jams securely). If you can get a fist, then it's a fist crack and if you can get a chickenwing you are climbing a chimney. Offwidths are about tea-cups, stacks and arm-bars, heel-toes and levitation, wishing you could get a knee, and once you do, hoping it doesn't get stuck. Not the relative easy and secure technique of chickenwinging and bridging- again that's chimneying. And as far as fists go, yeah they're strenuous but you've got a JAM, so quit complaining and get fisting. So get it straight.

I disagree. It's not a "chimney" unless you can get inside it. If it's tight, it's called a "squeeze chimney". If it's tighter than that, it's an off-width.

Technically, any size crack that doesn't fit a body part is an "off-width". There are off-width finger cracks, but we usually call them "off-fingers". More recently people have taken to using the terms "rattly fingers", or "ring locks". "Off-hands" cracks are now usually called "wide hands" or "cupped hands". Because of these more specific terms, "off-width" has morphed from meaning any off-size crack, to specifically, "off-fists", and anything up to a chimney.

I agree with Mike, chimney infers gettin inside, a chicken wing is really just at the upper end of an arm bar. I've seen small flexible yoga types chicken wing things that were too small for me to heel-toe.

Yeah, +1 for the above two comments. Chicken wing is usually OW in my book. I guess you could chicken wing in a tight chimney, though.

It's really funny to me when people get mad about stuff like this. But I also think it's really funny when people make fun of people who get mad at stuff like this.

So maybe let's rewrite your post to be:

"O dub can not haz chimneyz!!! The KFC is chiminee! CHIM-I-KNEE! Git er done!!1! err... strait."

Who the hell cares what they are called, none of them are harder than 5.9 anyway.

DOH!!!!!

You can disagree, but you are still wrong. A chickenwing technically is getting inside. I'm just tired of people calling everything wide an offwidth! And, size does matter, if you (yoga types) are small enough to chickenwing then it's not an offwidth for you. Just like all the cracks in Indian Creek, hard for you, easy for me... same crack size though. I'm not mad, it's just a semantic thing. I do think there are OW's harder than 5.9 and squeeze chimneys too, look at Lucile in Vedauwoo, it's a chimney- don't think anyone that's been on it will disagree, but it's pretty hard.

There's lots of names for offwidths.

There's even a survey out there for a favorite.

surveymonkey.com/s/SKXWZQR

getting 'inside' does not inlude just my arm. Chimney means the body is IN, totally, and you are making total body moves inside the crack, from 'squeeze' size up to total body length bridging. Off width is something less, and means any off sized body part. They may vary from one person's size to another. (like if you have Hulk sized hands)

Beagle wrote:You can disagree, but you are still wrong. A chickenwing technically is getting inside.

Flawed logic. Yeah, a chicken wing is getting your arm inside. Kinda like... any other jam smaller than a chimney!

Best thread ever.

I think the easiest way to tell an offwidth from a squeeze chimney is to listen to what it sounds like when someone climbs it. If you hear lots of scraping noises, its probably a squeeze chimney. If you hear lots of cursing, whimpering, and dry/wet heaving, its probably an offwidth.

James---best definition/distinction i've seen to date.

I'm a bit foggy on the definitions right now, since I gave up offwidths for Lent.

Someone having too much fun on "The Chimney of Fear" - Twin Owls, Lumpy :-)

i would define a chimney as something that i can get both LEGS in, not really defined as much by a chicken wing. when i can get both feet going heel and toe (not including high foot low foot, but rather each foot is down low, slowly caterpillaring upwards), i consider it a chimney.

my .02

Beagle wrote:Ok, enough is enough. You all need to relearn what the word offwidth means. An offwidth is a crack that is bigger than your fist and smaller than chickenwings (hence, OFF-WIDTH, as in nothing really fits or jams securely). If you can get a fist, then it's a fist crack and if you can get a chickenwing you are climbing a chimney. Offwidths are about tea-cups, stacks and arm-bars, heel-toes and levitation, wishing you could get a knee, and once you do, hoping it doesn't get stuck. Not the relative easy and secure technique of chickenwinging and bridging- again that's chimneying. And as far as fists go, yeah they're strenuous but you've got a JAM, so quit complaining and get fisting. So get it straight.

Wrong. An offwidth is easily defined: Bigger than a fist, but too small to get hips/chest in.

Maybe the OP doesn't know what a chicken-wing is? I chicken-wing on stuff I can't get a knee into. Calling something a chimney when you can't even fit a knee into it is just dumb.

GO

Beagle wrote:You can disagree, but you are still wrong. A chickenwing technically is getting inside.

I thought all I needed was to get the tip in to be technically inside...btw your mom is a chimney. ;)

James Beissel wrote:I think the easiest way to tell an offwidth from a squeeze chimney is to listen to what it sounds like when someone climbs it. If you hear lots of scraping noises, its probably a squeeze chimney. If you hear lots of cursing, whimpering, and dry/wet heaving, its probably an offwidth.

That was an awesome discription! This thread is great, keep em' comin!

Coeus wrote: I thought all I needed was to get the tip in to be technically inside...btw your mom is a chimney. ;)

That's great!

Coeus wrote: I thought all I needed was to get the tip in to be technically inside...btw your mom is a chimney. ;)

Best post I have ever read on this site...period!

Here is me in a chimney AND and off-width.

vimeo.com/10769406

Take notes, there will be a quiz.

:)