Best finger cracks in N. America

Nick Thomaswrote:

Someone should post this in the Awesome Trad Videos thread. Chaos would ensue.

It’s sport on permadraws. Just happens to be crack style

Ricky Harlinewrote:

Uhhh pine line, and there's a couple 5.8 finger cracks at Genesis at Burst Rock. Info isn't online as is par for the course for highway 108 climbing, but it's page 82 in yh book. Tbh Sonora pass in general is pretty outstanding for easy and moderate crack climbing regardless of size of crack. 

You have a lot more options if you go up to 5.9 I think. Super Slide and P2 of Jamcrack are considerably easier than Grant's crack IMO, to the point that I don't understand how they're the same grade. If you can get up those 5.8 finger cracks at Burst Rock you'll be fine on Super Slide and Jamcrack but Grant's Crack would still be quite a bit harder than any of those. 

The Grotto has Table Manners which has a finger crack next to a hand crack that goes at 5.8, so you can stay in the finger crack as much as you fancy, but climbing it straight in would be quite a bit harder. Can get some finger locks in none the less. Go with the flow up and right from that is mostly thin hands but I had to get some ringlocks in it, meanwhile I've seen those with smaller hands cruise the whole thing as thing hands. 

Would definitely be curious to learn about other options as that's a size I haven't practiced enough and I've already climbed most of the stuff that is reasonably attainable for me (that I'm aware of anyway).

Cathedral has a bunch of 5.9 finger cracks that make a good introduction to finger jams: bird's nest and the tourist lookout cracks have proper technical jamming on less-than-vert faces. Recollections of Pacifica in Acadia is another good one whose jamming I found much harder than any of the Cathedral 9's.

Trout Creek has many gems - fingerlings 

Asgard sent - acid baby 

Dragontail - dragons of Eden 

Tieton - community project at the bend and lots on wildcat wall

How about the Orgasmatron.... ha... ha.... ha....

Dome Rock, Tree Route 5.6

.wrote:

Mission to Mars- Sedona, AZ
The Terminator- Sedona AZ
Male Enhancement- Sedona AZ

It used to have male in the name. It is now more appropriately called Natural Enhancement. And it has sometimes lovingly been called Natty E round these parts. One of the best single pitches of crack climbing on earth. But beware the perched band of death choss. Seriously. 

Loving all the suggestions. I've updated the list and made it click-able. Keep the routes coming!

Breashear’s Finger Crack on Cynical Pinnacle in the S. Platter of CO is awesome.

While short, Davidson’s Dihedral at Paradise Forks in AZ is worth a mention.

ryan alberywrote:

Breashear’s Finger Crack on Cynical Pinnacle in the S. Platter of CO is awesome.

While short, Davidson’s Dihedral at Paradise Forks in AZ is worth a mention.

The South Platte has many gems, most of them on that same ridge line.

Bishops was mentioned. It’s amazing.

The backside is almost as good but a little easier. Craftwork.

There is also The Far Reaches. The crux is more of a thin face thing but the rest is great fingers.

Brothers in Arms is an excellent pure splitter. It’s diagonal, so you should probably Dow climb it upside down in order to even out the pump.

The Mississippi trilogy is great, Half Step, Uptown Toledo, and Edge of Fright.

Astro Turkey.

And finally we’ve reached Brashears. 

The most amazing thing this place is I’ve probably missed a few.

j mowrote:

One of the best single pitches of crack climbing on earth. But beware the perched band of death choss. Seriously. 

Truth

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsionwrote:

The South Platte has many gems, most of them on that same ridge line.

Bishops was mentioned. It’s amazing.

The backside is almost as good but a little easier. Craftwork.

There is also The Far Reaches. The crux is more of a thin face thing but the rest is great fingers.

Brothers in Arms is an excellent pure splitter. It’s diagonal, so you should probably Dow climb it upside down in order to even out the pump.

The Mississippi trilogy is great, Half Step, Uptown Toledo, and Edge of Fright.

Astro Turkey.

And finally we’ve reached Brashears. 

The most amazing thing this place is I’ve probably missed a few.

John knows wtf he's talking about. I give the first thump. 

But how did you guys miss Charlie Don't Surf!?

maybe list could be a best of grade. Too many to narrow down. 

smashmouth Zion mentioned yet!?

saign charlesteinwrote:

Trout creek is stacked. Added to the ones above: Gateway, Alchemy, space mission and others.

Other other mentionable finger cracks at Trout would be Reservation Blues, the Mayfly, (those two arguably being the best at the crag) Martian Chronicles, Tawtnuk Tiicham, and Redd Alert.

At Smith the obvious one is the East Face Crack on the monkey.  Sunshine Dihedral should probably also be on the list, but it’s really more of a stemming corner than a finger crack. (Though so is Fall Line which is already in the OP’s list)  Last Chance the Lower Gorge has to be one of the better 5.10 finger cracks anywhere...

If we open the court up to tips cracks and/or 5.13/13+ seams, (eg the Prophet and Tom Egan Memorial) then the list at trout would easily double. 

Grant's in Yosemite was my first 5.9 on gear. Clean, short, and bomber. A nice 10+ up in Tahoe is The Fracture at Sugarloaf.

Jardine’s Atomic Finger Crack, Bachar’s Pinky Paralysis, and Moongerms, all in Yosemite. 

Kevin Worrallwrote:

Jardine’s Atomic Finger Crack

Where’s that? 

Salamanizer Skiwrote:

Where’s that? 

It's in the Reid guide at "Last Resort Cliff". 5.12a/b

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7210849,-119.674245,135a,35y,286.56h,72.51t/data=!3m1!1e3

It can be accessed from the Old Big Oak Flat Road - it’s hidden on the upper tier.

Knuckle Buster up Lehamite Creek is another obscure one

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsionwrote:

The South Platte has many gems, most of them on that same ridge line.

Bishops was mentioned. It’s amazing.

The backside is almost as good but a little easier. Craftwork.

There is also The Far Reaches. The crux is more of a thin face thing but the rest is great fingers.

Brothers in Arms is an excellent pure splitter. It’s diagonal, so you should probably Dow climb it upside down in order to even out the pump.

The Mississippi trilogy is great, Half Step, Uptown Toledo, and Edge of Fright.

Astro Turkey.

And finally we’ve reached Brashears. 

The most amazing thing this place is I’ve probably missed a few.

Add Buffaloes in Space and The Same Reality.

I just got back from a winter climbing trip in Oklahoma of all places since the forecasts for Cochise and JTree didn’t look promising. 

I climbed Ra 5.11d in the Wichita’s and it ended up being one of the best finger cracks I’ve ever climbed anywhere. Personally I enjoyed it way more than Max Factor in Vedauwoo and found it a whole lot more fun.

JCMwrote:

Trout Creek, OR is also stacked with good hard finger cracks on columnar rock:

Winter Sustenance 5.12

Fall Line 5.13

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For the everyman version of PNW columnar cracks,  The Bend at Tieton is pretty unique for concentration at the 5.10 grade. I don't think any of them are quite 5 stars - rock quality isn't quite perfect - but you can climb at least a half dozen 4 star 5.10 finger cracks without hardly having to move your rope bag. One of my favorites:

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105973915/pure-joy

JCM 

Haven’t been there yet, but vantage is getting crazy. How are the crowds?