Advice for rough, mean cracks with large crystals

I'm getting into crack/trad climbing at enchanted rock, and i feel like gym cracks are full of bullshit.

Erock cracks are full of giant crystals, and hand jams are hell without thick tape gloves.

Am I doing something wrong? Not finding the comfortable jams?

Does anyone have advice for non-smooth, painful crack climbing?

tape, tape, and tape, and longsleves/carharts hightop shoes should do the trick....

Real cracks are full of bird and rat shit so you should have no problem.

steel toed boots.

blicard.com/products/crack-…

;)

Tcachee wrote:I'm getting into crack/trad climbing at enchanted rock, and i feel like gym cracks are full of bullshit. Erock cracks are full of giant crystals, and hand jams are hell without thick tape gloves. Am I doing something wrong? Not finding the comfortable jams? Does anyone have advice for non-smooth, painful crack climbing?

If you're having trouble finding bomber jams then I think the issue is just getting some more experience with the in-between sizes for crack climbing. In Vedauwoo we have some painful crack climbs and they can vary in difficulty depending on hand size. For the weird crack sizes (off hands, rattly handy, rattly fists, etc.) it seems like you can either: jam deeper into the crack, jam higher or lower, or try and cam your hand and use your hips/feet to get better leverage on the jam. This is for my experience at Vedauwoo which has variable crack sizes typically.

If the problem is solely pain then some extra tape will help and for feet climbing in socks as well.

Tcachee wrote:I'm getting into crack/trad climbing at enchanted rock, and i feel like gym cracks are full of bullshit.

this made my day !!!!!! hahahahah

E-Rock has the same type of rock as Vedauwoo, so the same techniques apply. I would say there is a lot written on Vedauwoo climbing on the forums here.

-I remember Sweat, Can-opener and Cave Crack were nice easy routes that would be good for learning crack technique. Little Friskies was an awesome climb that required different sizes of crack technique at around 5.9+ or 10a

-Gym cracks are usually HARDER than similar cracks outdoors because they are so smooth. You don't need to squeeze nearly as hard outdoors. Use the crystals and texture to your advantage, i.e add a bit of crimping action to your jams or wrap big crystals with your fingers, rather than letting them dig into the back of your hands.

-Practice techniques on toprope if possible, less things to worry about so you can focus on technique alone. Run laps if there aren't other people around, trying different techniques each time.

-To mitigate pain, tape gloves are pretty necessary, or being scared enough that the pain is the last thing on your mind

If it hurts you are doing it right.

Learn to get used to it. Erock wears your heads pretty good but it's an excellent training ground. After plugging gear and jamming there for a while everywhere else seems really easy. Makes some yosemite, little cottonwood and desert cracks feel like butter.

When I was first learning how to jam out there I fit a bit of cardboard from a beer box in my tape gloves but moved away from that after getting into tighter jams. Have fun and don't get discouraged, enchanted Rock is an amazing place.

I've always hated the cracks at E-rock, with some exceptions. Once you get out in the world to good rock you'll forget all about that sufferfest.

climbing friend,

toughen yourself up

Aleks Zebastian wrote:climbing friend, toughen yourself up

Crack gloves

HMM
?Tcachee,
I have not read the responses or investigated your Profile
so please don't be offended,
the way to avoid getting eaten alive, ( almost Un-avoidable, if you go wide, especially In the 'Voo') ;
Is Better,
FOOT WORK

Place the jam with intent, and try not to slip or rotate it. Though it feels good to pivot and slam the next jam high, your skin will appreciate a few more moves.

I first started climbing cracks at E-rock and felt the same way you do now. It gets better.

Here are some things to ponder: Yes those crystals are pretty painful. Use tape while you're learning, it will help. Also, when the crack is continuous and right in your face it's easy to think you just put your hand in, jam, and pull. Don't do that. There are "holds' that are better than others. Milk your hand up and down in the crack and find a place that doesn't have a 1/2 inch crystal stabbing you in the back of the hand. You may have to reach higher or lower than feels natural, but you'd be doing the same thing face climbing. Find the holds (jams).

Another thing, your hands will toughen up some. I'm not sure what happens, but it stops hurting...as much, after a season of climbing.

Stick with it. I've climbed cracks all over the country now and have to say nowhere is quite as bad a E-rock when it comes to the pain aspect. Even other granite places, the crystals just don't seem as big or sharp in other places. So if you can get through it now, every climbing trip you go on will feel like pure bliss. Especially Indian Creek.

a role of tape per hand, i have done it, it makes one beast of a fucking glove.

Sounds like you got great cracks the roughness makes it easier for you hand to stick in them. Wait until you find some really smooth cracks that require alot of force to keep your hand from slipping out!

an other good tip passed to me by some old hard crackmasters.... when it starts to hut to much, just grab a can of Man the Fu5K up ! it helps with pain !

It will however prepare you for Vedauwoo. Ha ha ha.

Turkey Rock in CO will at least show you what nice cracks can be like.