How the hell do you climb wide fists??

Let me preface this by stating that I am a pretty amateur crack climber. I can work with good hands or fingers, but as soon as things get flared or off-sizes I start to suck. Honestly, even good fists is hard for me cuz of the pain.

So I tried this crack that takes good #4s. The feet were kinda loose and I couldn't get a good fist jam to save my life. My fist touches either side of the crack but I wasn't getting enough expansion to actually hold much weight on them. Stacking two thin hand jams felt bomber and I could hold my whole weight on the stack, but the crack is too narrow to get a knee in so I couldn't make any progress with the stack.

So my question is: How do you climb this size effectively? Can I improve my fists technique to get more expansion? Any footwork advice? Taping techniques? I've heard of the teacup fist jam with your thumb out to the side but this was excruciatingly painful. I didn't try armbars but it seems like the crack would have to be wider for that to be effective.

What's the beta, Creek stars??

I think the interrogative pronoun you meant to use in the subject line is: "why".

Calf locks and butterflies climbing.com/skill/the-calf…

Monomaniac wrote:I think the interrogative pronoun you meant to use in the subject line is: "why".

+1

Wide Boys/z offwidth crack clinic:
vimeo.com/40358544#

Gargano wrote:Calf locks and butterflies climbing.com/skill/the-calf…

THIS

forearm jam.

Elbow locks can be good

Also moving off butterflies is possible just hard and core intensive keep at it.

stack til you yack

welcome to man-klimb!

teacups! make a fist jam then bring the pad of your thumb to the knuckle on your index finger, then force your thumb outward making a small triangular teacup handle out of your thumb. tape your thumb it will hurt!

I'm no master of this style but getting your bottom jam palm facing up can make a big difference.

This is not a natural size, and unfortunately there is no single magical trick to make it ease. The bottom line is that it is a hard size.

As mentioned above the combination of double hand stacks and calf locks works great and can be used universally where the crack is deep. These techniques do require some effort to learn though and finesse to use.

Other suggestions:

1. Focus on your feet and keep your body close to the rock to minimize pulling on your arms.

2. Cock your fist to the side. This works only for cracks slightly wider than your fists.

3. Forearm jams. Works OK if you have a Popeye physique - which I don't.

4. Use your arms deep and engage as many contact points as possible (fist, wrist, forearm, elbow, etc.)

5. Funky sequences alternating between forearm/hand jams and forearm levers/cams. Too complex to describe without drawings (eventually I'll do it.).

6. Tell the Beefer that it's his lead.

Hope this helps. Now go do Wiggins I.

belay gloves

put your elbow in the crack, with your arm straight up...then fold your hand back into your shoulder. The meat around your elbow will expand ALOT. A perfect elbow jam!

Welding gloves seem to be an option.

Doug Meneke wrote:put your elbow in the crack, with your arm straight up...then fold your hand back into your shoulder. The meat around your elbow will expand ALOT. A perfect elbow jam!

AKA "The Arm and Hammer"

http://www.climbingtechtips.com/index.php?do=/video/29/leavittation-how-to-climb-offwidth-cracks/

Compliments of Randy Leavitt

lots of good ideas, thanks yall

Darren Mabe wrote:belay gloves

Or for full historical points, go Largo-style with welder's gloves wrapped in duct tape.

Kent Pease wrote:This is not a natural size, and unfortunately there is no single magical trick to make it easy.

Yes there is, actually, and it involves 2 #4 Camalots. Casual A0. But if you want to free climb this size? Perhaps psychiatric help is the answer.

offwidth: whatever it takes.