Mother 1 

I agree with Joe, and add the following:

- Yes, you can climb to the anchors on the top of the Parabolic Slab. I think this is the nicer finish. It can be done with a 50m rope. Just remember a solid directional in the top of the crack before you break up and right.

- The rappel off of the back of the Parabolic Slab can be done with a single, 50m rope.

- The offwidth section is not terribly difficult, but it's long enough that a handful of big pieces are comforting. Nothing big above the obvious horizontal, so don't bother to save anything beyond a #3 Camalot.

- The rack-right comment is dead on for the offwidth, but I found it most comfortable to turn around at the horizontal and climb the upper crack right-side-in (rack on left).

Finally!! Proof that off-widths can be enjoyable!!!!

The book says that this starts with 5.4 and steadily progresses to 5.7. I know my offwidth technique needs some work, but we agreed that the bottom is definitely harder than the handcrack top. You'll need #3 or #4 Bro's or #5 Camalot to protect the lower 1/2 of the route. We climbed Baldwin's Chimney and toproped Mother #1 from the Chockstone in the top of Baldwin's since our biggest pieces were #11 Hex and #4 Camalot. We put a directional at the top of Mother #1using a #2 Camalot. The rating is a little stiff IMO. I cranked out Hiatus on the Left Book on Lumpy much easier than this Mother ;-)

Another alternative: set up your own anchor at the top of this crack. The pro is all there, and that way you can keep the rope straight. When your follower comes up, have him go past you and then hard Right to another set of rap anchors. Then you can both lower off back to the start. Easy and fast.

You actually don't *need* to have anything bigger than say a #4 friend for this, although it's much easier to protect the bottom section if you do.

I led this with only a couple of 3 inch cams, a 3.5 and smaller pieces. I ran out of big gear and had to "be creative." Take a 4" or 5" for the bottom. Also, this crack is way difficult if your not used to offwidths. I've learned that the decimal system doesn't mean much here. It is easy to get over your head. I've led 9+ in South Platte that felt more comfortable.

Just did this route last weekend, racing the sun it was an epic of monsterous [proportions]. I got my rope stuck in the crack and ended up leaving it with all of my gear there over night, I almost cut my rope out the next morning after a few [frustrated] attempts to [retrieve] it. It got looped around another stuck cut out section of rope and locked in the crack pulling upward like a stopper. What a mess, but before I got to hacking I reversed the puzzle and pulled my rope free. I was just being a moron, but be careful because this crack can eat your rope.

With that being said I thought the rating was a little stiff for a 5.7 but I guess my technique lacked as I suffered , pulled gear and bleed up this course mother of a crack. I have led up to 5.9 trad and I thought this was the hardest and scariest 5.7 trad route I have done to date.

Even a small fall seemed to [remind] me of cheese in a grater. Just a little beta that would have helped me , get a piece and go, it only get's worse up [until] the top out (hand/ fists). I found it useful to get my right side in after the groove, but then again I grabbed gear once through that section.

I can see why it's a classic and mother #1 if you are ready for an ego bruising throw yourself at this.

Jason, I'm glad someone else thought this was as tough as I did. I agree, mother was the hardest 7's I've ever done.

Just for clarification: The Parabolic Slab is actually formerly known as The Potato Chip, for obvious reasons. Why this was renamed The Parabolic Slab I do not know.

Or if you walk 10 feet to the north of the ledge at the base of the potato chip you can rap to the ground using the chains presumably setup to toprope Flying Buttress.

Hell.

With just a little bit of offwidth technique, this is an awesome, sustained 5.7+. Bring one #5, one #4, two threes and then hand size Camalots. Belaying from the top of the parabolic slab is definitely the way to go.

Easiest way to get back to your gear after ascent is to rappel off the rings about 20 yards to the right of the top out. 60m got me right to the bottom. Mother #1 was awesome. I hokey pokied with my left hand in. Definitely a humbling 5.7+.

OK...you rack-on-the-right guys are whack and have my admiration. Do what?!?

I racked left and faced left the entire way. Happy to have a #4 and a #5, both of which got pushed up the struggle.

Good times, though. A fabulous first OW for anyone new to Vedauwoo.

And? Let's be serious, fellas. Belay from the chockstones on the left? Do we have magic, no-friction ropes, then? The tip-top of the crack makes a fine anchor (save your #2s or black Aliens) and the second can leap frog with the leader up to the flat section.

And while we're at it, I know this is the big "V" and all and we're supposed to swallow all the hard-man sandbags like we're Marlborough Man tough. But anywhere else in this universe, this would be a 5.8. The Wind Ridge (Eldo), Kor's Flake (Lumpy), Bastille Crack (France...er...where?) all are fine, fine 7s. All, too, are banana splits in comparison.

This thing doesn't even compare locally. Go waltz up Edward's Crack (Walt's Wall) in your approach shoes (easily done) and tell me it's the same grade as Mother. Nooooooot. (And no, I don't buy into "+" and "-" ratings for 5.7s.

Five. Point. Eight.

I hate this fight, but I have to put in the caveats that explain the grades:

First, offwidth requires a different understanding of grades. If you consider Easy Jam to be 5.4, everything else makes sense.

Second, these grades assume zero issues with gear. Hideaway Chimney notably vacillates between 5.5 and 5.7 depending on if you are leading or toproping/soloing.

Third, Edward's is NOT benchmark 5.7 at Vedauwoo. There are one, or maybe two moves of 5.7, and the rest is 5.6. Lower Slot Left, Slit (or whatever the good sister of the Three Sisters is), or the first pitch of Nexus/Moor Crossing are all benchmark 5.7 crack climbs at Vedauwoo. Compared to say Lower Slot Right, or Captain Nemo (first pitch) or Straight and Narrow, Mother #1 is clearly easier. Thus, 5.7+ or (if you're feeling generous) 5.8-. If you object to the way things are graded, I encourage you to climb every single sub-5.10 route at Vedauwoo so as to develop a better hierarchy.

Takes a while to get dialed into the subtle intricacies of Woo climbing also. Like Brian says, after you have done a lot of them, it makes sense and kind of falls into place better. Not including the 11b offwidths for some reason....

My second route in Vedauwoo, after warming up on Baldwin's Chimney. Way humbling. My friend and I took a trip here to work on our OW technique, and jumping straight onto this first thing is like learning to swim by jumping off a ship in the middle of a storm. That being said, it was great fun, and after trying some 5.8s in the area on subsequent days I think that the rating is correct.

Parabolic slab is a nice way to finish, and lets you do the cool rappel. We did it with our 60m rope and had plenty to spare.

I was also definitely happy to have up to a #5 cam for pro.

Just wanted to say that, even with a good working knowledge of offwidths, even with all the technique you could ever want or need, even with a familiarity with the type of climbing represented at Vedauwoo, many climbs here are just plain sandbagged. That especially goes for the offwidths, though that is nothing unique to Vedauwoo. Many offwidths here have even been upgraded, and they are still sandbags. Might as well call them what they are.

My first Vedauwoo off-width. I followed Rob who provided a great tutorial as he led. Without that I would probably still be on the route. Turned out I actually enjoyed it although I did work my ass off. I was pleasantly surprised to find that arm bars, chicken wings plus heel-toes actually work. Ditto on left side in.