Hand/fist and other cracks in the Black Hills?

Hey! 

I'll be living in Custer for a season and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for good crack climbs in the Black Hills, especially in the hand and fist range.  

The obvious answer is cross state lines to Devil's Tower, but I'd like to abide by the June Voluntary closure, after which I'll definitely head there.  I'm asking in part because I'll have a climbing partner who loves hand cracks, and also I want to work on my crack climbing, especially hand/fist, before heading over to Devil's.  

I saw the older thread at https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/110914553/black-hills-crack-routes-recommendations but was wondering if there was any other input, especially bearing in mind I am not necessarily looking for the purest splitters but rather looking for good prep for Devil's Tower (with El Cracko Diablo being what my eyes are most on, though am open to suggestions).  

While any grade is of interest for sure, to give an idea of where I'm at, at the Red River Gorge I lead trad up to about 10a typically, though I gather grades out here might have the Red feeling a bit inflated? If anyone has perspective on that I'd love to hear that as well. 

In general, June to August I'm also down to meet people and climb in the Black Hills (and Devil's Tower come July)

Thanks!

I sure don't pretend to be a Needles local and my information is about 35 years out of date but since no one else has answered so far and perhaps the rock hasn't changed so much during that time...  At least for the Needles specifically it seems like the huge preponderance of routes are face climbing, often fairly sparsely protected.  I would think it might be better to focus on that and wait until Devil's Tower to think about the crack climbing.

As for the grades, they were mighty stiff when I was there.  To give you an idea, the longest leader fall I hope to ever see was by a Gunks 5.11 leader whipping off of the Needle's Eye ("5.9").  We estimated the fall at about 65 feet.  So you might want to feel your way a little at first as far as the grades go.  :)

Have a great trip!

Kamps Crack in the outlets

seemed to be some crack lines in the Cathedral Spires...

3rd pitch of Tulgey Wood.  TAD, El Cracko Diablo, Classic Crack, Sex Never did this to my hands, East Gruesome,  

https://www.mountainproject.com/v/nick-of-time/105958740

https://www.mountainproject.com/v/cats-meow/107684661

https://www.mountainproject.com/v/105714809

and what Mike said

both of them :)

For some true hand jamming go  to raspberry rocks (woodpecker ridge).  Look these up in the busse/burr guide book, 

raspberry jam 5.9+, left side of v cracks.  this route has the most hand jams in the hills.  new anchors 2/3 of the way up the wall.  Don't climb  last or upper 3rd - dirty choss.

carls bad caverns - only do lower right facing dihedral.  upper part is choss.  I think the dihedral is much harder than 5.8 

uff-da-hedral 5.10-, this has it all.

Others in the area - middle of the road, left face of eve, both are very good.

The second area with some good crack is the big gash in the iron mtn area.  Again see busse/burr on page 360, routes 26 thru 36 (excluding 30 and 31) all have a good deal of finger/hand jams.

Also see Dakota and Illinois for some offwidth thrashing, Bein Crack (4 star) beautiful fingers, Calculus Variation fingers and hands.

Optomistic tons of cracks in the needles people just don't seem to share the love with them as much as others.  If it is long take a 6 you will be able to use it.  

Mike McNeil wrote:

Optomistic tons of cracks in the needles people just don't seem to share the love with them as much as others.  If it is long take a 6 you will be able to use it.  

I'll have to check them out some day!  I looked at the Nick of Time entry, that thing looks completely awesome.  Do I remember right that the Needles rock is pretty rough and studded with crystals?  That might be part of what's keeping the traffic down...  By 6 do you mean a #6 Camalot?

Awesome thanks everyone so much for the information! Definitely look forward to checking out these lines.

I'm intrigued to find out how much I'll need to re-assess my grades for here if they make the Gunks look soft so I'll definitely start low and work my way up haha

Daniel tell me what you think the comparison to the gunks is. I'm heading there soon

Second pitch of hang a right at fourth avenue is sick

1. sylvan was my stomping grounds for 6 years and ive never heard edge of the universe.  New? maybe I knew it by something else.

Needle's rock is sharp and full of crystals.  This means there will often be footholds outside cracks and that the cracks themselves may have painful jams.  Devil's Tower will have purer forms of crack climbing.  That said, there are plenty of cracks in the Needles.  Some of my favorite mostly-crack routes are

1. Nick of Time on the Outer Outlet (5.10-)

2. Kamps Crack on the Bell Tower (5.10)

3. "Regular" route on the Sore Thumb (5.9)

4. "Regular" route on the Empire State Building (5.9)

5. Edison Memorial NE Face (5.9)

Many other routes do not follow a crack from top to bottom but have interesting and sometimes cruxy crack sections.

6. West Buttress of the Outer Outlet (5.8)

7. "Regular" route on Rob Nob's Spire, Outlets (5.8)

8. East Face of the East Gruesome (5.8)

9. Freak's Fright South Ridge (5.10)

I don't think comparisons to the Gunks are particularly useful.  Most people need a few days to adjust to what is often sustained nubbin climbing, which doesn't exist in the Gunks.  Wherever I go, I back off two grades from my Gunks onsight level until I get comfortable with the new rock, and I think this strategy will be the right idea for most people coming to the Needles.

https://www.mountainproject.com/v/dakota-illinois/106501501

There are also a couple of good ones at Estes Creek and Boxelder Forks.  Mostly just good practice for the above but easily doable after work from the Northern Hills or Rapid City. Some short routes at Estes but lots of crack bouldering including some good offwidth hand cracks and chimneys.   mountainproject.com/v/boxel…     https://www.mountainproject.com/v/estes-creek/107554250