Joshua Tree finger crack routes

Hi!  I’m looking for some finger cracks to throw myself on in J-tree so I could redpoint  Butterballs(11c) easily in the Valley

The only route that I have in mind is Equinox(5.12c).  What other finger cracks can you recommend to get my fingers strong?

Thanks!

Maybe Vector

Pinky Lee

Russ Walling wrote:

Wangerbanger

Semi tough

Heart of darkness

Uncle remus

Scary monsters

Coarse and buggy

spider line

Heart of Darkness? Really? That’s just felt like thin hands in a gentle overhang.  Felt easier than Five and Dime(5.10D) in the Valley

Mark Fijiwrote:

Heart of Darkness? Really? That’s just felt like thin hands in a gentle overhang.  Felt easier than Five and Dime(5.10D) in the Valley

That’s because you have tiny hands Mark!  Forget about the crowded shit show kitty litter box that is Joshua Tree. Come down to Mt. Woodson for some real climbing without the dangerous runouts. Convenient bolted anchors everywhere.

The Widow Bereft will prepare you for Butterballs. Hear my Train, Hard as Nails...and when you’re done, climb Test Tube at the top and impress the conga line at the top waiting to jump on the Potato Chip.

Russ Walling wrote:

Ummm... ok.  it’s not like butterballs is that hard anyway.  More like 11a.  Good luck.

Good to hear, I like my expectations set appropriately!  Thanks for the list!

Vector should be on that list...

Heart of Darkness is a trivial little climb. 

Vector mos def. But I'm trying to figure out how Equinox is a prep route for Butterballs.

As a noob, you should probably ignore my advice.

But I heard tales of the old guard running laps on easier finger cracks with a pack on.

That would open your options considerably.

If you're training on it, feel like you'd want something with easy access rather than slogging down geology tour rd numerous times although good desert vibes out there

Good list from Russ, though Wangerbanger is more off hand than finger.  Not a ton of really good, long, straight in finger cracks.  Semi Tough is good but it's short and is mostly long cranks between good jams.  I think Russ meant Waltzing Worm, and not Scary Monsters (unless I'm mixing up those climbs).  Maybe add Martin Quits to the list, or Hot Rocks?  Again, not perfect matches but it's something.

I always find posts like this, which identify a goal as odd.  Are you going to the Valley just to a try to red point Butterballs?  There are lots of great climbs in the Valley that will help with that goal that are well worth doing in their own right: Catchy, Crammin', New Dimensions, Lunatic Fringe, etc., etc.  

Russ Walling wrote:

And as an aside... WTF sort of goal is "redpointing" Butterballs?  It's not a sport climb.  Walk to the base and just lead the fucking thing.  Redpointing would imply all sorts of fuckery and hanging and arranged pro placement.  Has the onsite lost all appeal these days?  And FD is right as the best training for Valley climbing is Valley climbing.

What happens if you don't onsite? you just walk away and never red point the route?

Russ Walling wrote:

 Has the onsite lost all appeal these days?  

Not to me.  My desire for every route I do is an onsight. 

It does seem an odd choice of words, Mark Fiji, to train to "redpoint x easily".  If you can redpoint it easily, you can certainly onsight it with some non-easy grit and possibly screaming!  Go for the Gold!

phylp phylpwrote:

Not to me.  My desire for every route I do is an onsight. 

It does seem an odd choice of words, Mark Fiji, to train to "redpoint x easily".  If you can redpoint it easily, you can certainly onsight it with some non-easy grit and possibly screaming!  Go for the Gold!

I totally respect the desire to get good/strong, etc., enough to make a legit attempt to flash something.  I never got around to hopping on Astroman or the Rostrum since I believed that I should try them only if I could make a respectful effort vs. dogging my way up it.  In retrospect, probably should have just hoped on and went for it.  That ship sure has sailed...

Maybe Mark already blew the onsight?

I agree with others. On sighting so freakin fun. Especially a straightforward crack. Just plug a piece and run.

Still stand by my climb with a pack idea. Like those ballplayers swingin a bat around with weights, then they step up to the plate and knock one out!

The tale I heard was Yaniro on Dinkum at Cosumnes Gorge. Don't even remember who told me that. Probably B.S. but if true you can't deny the results !!

jt newgardwrote:

Maybe Mark already blew the onsight?

I think Mark is having some fun with people with his post.  Since I'm personally not convinced having "strong fingers" has that much to do with climbing finger cracks.

JT, I have never trained with a pack to increase strength but for me the best training (in my youth, when I enjoyed doing harder things) was to do laps on a top rope.  When I used to climb in the Valley a lot, sometimes we would set up a TR on Short Circuit and take turns doing runs on that.  Maybe there's some JT equivalent.

Mark Fiji, I think you are LA based?  If you are serious about wanting routes for training, I find the three finger sized cracks at Sender One Santa Ana to be great training cracks. Simply because they are convenient, a good (bad) size and you can do as many laps as you want.  There's never a line in a gym for the cracks.  If you haven't done those it's worth a visit there (when they open again).  The one in the back near the thin hands crack, they call 10d with the chips. Without the chips, harder because the toes are so painful and feet only marginally helpful.  Parallel, about 1 1/4"?  It's ringlocks the whole way for me.  I have small hands.  I haven't yet succeeded in doing it taking all the chips off.  Excruciating - what gets worked is biceps/tricep/pecs/delts.